From Glory to Glory
“But all of us, as with unveiled faces we mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same likeness, from glory to glory, even as derived from the Lord the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18 – Weymouth)
The expression “from glory to glory” has been mysterious to us for some time. In a recent class question meeting a harmony to the context in which this expression appears has been helpfully suggested, and it appeals to us greatly as the apostle’s intended thought. We give it here.
Paul is remembering the occasion when Moses received the tablets of the Law the second time. (Remember the first tablets were broken in disgust at Israel’s transgression with the golden calf.) While Moses communed with God, the skin of his face took on a shine, as it were a reflection of the glory of God which he had seen. He was unaware of this, but it was brought to his attention when the people were frightened of his glowing contenance. But he beckoned them not to fear, and delivered to them the Law commandments. We pick up the account in Exodus 34:33-35…
“And when Moses had done speaking with them, he put a veil on his face [1]. But when Moses went in before Jehovah to speak with him, he took the veil off, until he came out; and he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded. And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Mose’s face shone; and Moses put the veil upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.” (American Standard Version)
This passage indicates: (1) The Israelites at some time saw Moses’ shining face, (2) the shine evidently diminished with time, but replenished when Moses “went in before Jehovah to speak with Him,” (3) the veil prevented the Israelites from observing the glory fade from Moses’ face.
It is this last point which Paul refers to in 2 Corinthians 3:13…
“Moses… put a veil upon his face, that the children of Israel should not look steadfastly on the end of that which was passing away.” (ASV)
Paul infers that this was typical of the problem Israel had after Christ – they did not discern that the glory of the Law had faded. But in Christ the veil is removed and it is perceived that the Law was transitory.
Paul then proceeds to the key text of our article, verse 18. Bearing in mind the experience of Moses, reflecting the glory of God, we think the Weymouth version (quoted beneath the title) and the Rotherham version best convey the sense of Paul’s words. We here quote Rotherham:
“And we all with unveiled face [like Moses when he went in to speak with God], receiving and reflecting [or “mirroring” – rather than King James? “beholding in a mirror” (See footnote [2] at end of article concerning this verse)] the glory of the Lord, into the same image are being transformed, from glory to glory, even as from a Spirit that is Lord.”
So we commune with the Lord, and shine forth the glory we behold in him. Indeed, we are transformed into the glory of the image we are beholding – from the glory we behold to becoming ourselves a manifestation of that glory. “From glory to glory.” In beholding the glory of the Lord, Christians imbibe and reflect the glory “derived from the Lord.” (Weymouth)
(We had once thought Paul was speaking of being changed from the glory of the law to the glory of the Gospel. Though that would fit the experience of Jewish Christians, it is not what Paul is asserting here.)
We suppose the apostle means that we exude that glory now, as ambassadors of Christ and ministers of the New Covenant in urging prospective body members of the great Mediator “be ye reconciled to God,” (2 Cor. 5:20), and assisting their development. Much more will the Church with their Lord manifest that glory when they minister the terms and operation of the New Covenant to mankind in the Kingdom.
[1] The King James version reads differently with a supplied word “till” – “And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face.” (Exodus 34:33) Without probing this particular further, we content ourselves with the three assertions which follow in the article, believing all will concur with them.
[2] This word, katoptrizo, which appears in the Scriptures only in this place, has been the focus of considerable attention by translators and commentators. There seems to be two camps of thought for its translation in this scripture. (1) “Beholding as in a mirror,” (2) “reflecting as a mirror.”
The first expresses its normal, and almost consistent Greek usage, while the second is what many feel was Paul’s intended usage of the word to fit the peculiar case of 2 Cor. 3:18. Thus while several exacting translations (except Revised Version and Rotherham) follow the normal linguistic usage (1), most paraphrase translations follow the latter meaning.
King James beholding as in a glass
Amer. Standard beholding as in a mirror
Wilson Diaglott beholding as in a mirror
Berry Interlinear beholding as in a mirror
Concordant viewing . . . as in a mirror
NASB beholding as in a mirror
Marshal Diaglott beholding as in a mirror
Young’s beholding in a mirror
Revised reflecting
Rotherham receiving and reflecting
Weymouth we mirror the glory
Phillips all of us… reflect like mirrors the glory
Goodspeed all of us, reflecting the splendor
New English reflect as in a mirror
Good News all of us reflect
Moffat but we all mirror
Fenton all of us having the reflected splendor
New World reflect like mirrors
Which should we accept?
Let us assume for a moment that “behold as in a glass” is intended. Why would Paul say this? Only two possibilities appear to us. (1)He might mean that we view our Lord as “through a glass, darkly,” similar to 1 Corinthians 13:12. But that is against Paul’s emphasis in the context, that we are beholding the Lord “with unveiled faces” – clearly, distinctly. (And for probably this reason, we find no commentator suggesting this meaning in 2 Cor. 3:18) (2) Perhaps Paul means we behold Jesus in the mirror of the Gospel. (Suggested by Vincent, Word Studies of the New Testament, pg. 818, and Thayer’s Lexicon) But Paul makes no allusion to such a metaphor, in this context or elsewhere. In our judgment it is implausible that Paul meant us to understand, without explaining it, that he is here using a mirror to represent the Gospel.
But how can we defend “reflect” if it is contrary to normal usage?
The fundamental meaning of katoptrizo is to “cause to reflect.” How do you cause something to reflect? The natural way is to hold it to a mirror and have it reflect in the mirror. How do you cause yourself to reflect? By putting yourself to a mirror – essentially, “beholding” yourself in a mirror.
Note the following definitions, which are given in the Active Voice (what we do to something or someone else), and in the Middle Voice (what we do to ourself).
“(active) To show in a mirror, to make to reflect, to mirror. (Middle) to look at one’s self in a mirror.” (Thayer)
“(active) To show as in a mirror. (middle) to look into a mirror, behold one’s self in it.” (Liddell & Scott)
“(active) Produce a reflection… (middle) look at one’s self in a mirror, what is seen in a mirror” (Bauer, Arndt & Gingrich)
“. . . to mirror one’s self, i.e., to see reflected.” Strong’s (2734)
“. . . The verb in the active voice means to show in a mirror, to cause to be reflected. In the middle voice, to look at or behold one’s self in a mirror.” (Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, pg. 818)
But in the unusual case which Paul is considering, there is another way we “cause ourselves to reflect.” We imbibe and transmit the glory we are viewing. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words accords with this usage: “… in the Middle Voice, to reflect as a mirror. So the R.V. [“reflecting”] in 2 Cor. 3:18… the whole context of the 3rd chapter and the first part of the 4th bears out the R.V.” Liddell and Scott Lexicon also agrees this is the sense in 2 Cor. 3:18.