Analysis: 2 Corinthians 3 -- Were the Ten Commandments "Done Away"?¶

Overview¶

2 Corinthians 3 is one of the most frequently cited passages in the debate over whether God's moral law continues or was abolished at the cross. The KJV phrases "ministration of death, written and engraven in stones" (v.7), "that which is done away" (v.11), and "that which is abolished" (v.13) appear to link the stone-engraved Decalogue to something that was "done away." This analysis examines the Greek text verse by verse, with particular attention to what Paul's grammar identifies as the subject of katargeo ("done away"), whether he is discussing the law itself or the ministry/glory associated with it, and what the veil imagery conveys.

Section 1: The Context -- Paul's Apostolic Credentials (vv.1-5)¶

Verse 1¶

"Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you?"

Paul begins with a defense of his apostolic ministry. The chapter's context is not a treatise on the law but a comparison of ministries -- Paul's new-covenant ministry versus the old-covenant ministry of Moses.

Verse 2¶

"Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:"

The Corinthian believers themselves are Paul's "letter of recommendation." The imagery of writing begins here: Paul's credential is not ink on paper but transformed lives.

Verse 3¶

"Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart."

Key observations:

Paul uses plax (G4109, "tablet") for both stone tablets and heart tablets. The same word appears for both surfaces, indicating a transfer of content from one medium to another.
The phrase "tables of stone" (plaxin lithinais) is an unmistakable reference to the Decalogue. Only the Ten Commandments were written on stone tablets (Exo 31:18; Deu 4:13; 5:22; 9:9-11; 10:1-4). No other biblical law was engraved on stone by God's finger.
The contrast is not between two different sets of content but between two different media for the same content: stone versus heart. The Spirit writes on hearts what God previously wrote on stone.
This echoes Jeremiah 31:33: "I will put my law (torati) in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts." The verb kathab ("write") in Jeremiah 31:33 is the same verb used for God writing the Decalogue on stone (Exo 31:18; Deu 9:10; 10:4). What was written on stone is now written on hearts.
Ezekiel 36:26-27 provides the parallel: "I will take away the stony heart...give you an heart of flesh...cause you to walk in my statutes."

The text says: The content on the stone tablets is being transferred to hearts by the Spirit. The medium changes; the content (God's law) is what is written on the new medium.

Verses 4-5¶

"And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;"

Paul attributes the effectiveness of his ministry to God, not to himself. This transitions to the ministry-contrast section.

Section 2: Letter vs. Spirit; The Diakonia Contrast (vv.6-9)¶

Verse 6¶

"Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life."

Key observations:

Paul says he is a "minister" (diakonos) of the "new testament/covenant" (kaines diathekes).
The contrast is between gramma ("letter," G1121, neuter) and pneuma ("spirit," G4151, neuter).
"The letter killeth" -- gramma in Paul's usage (see Rom 2:27, 29; 7:6) refers to the external written code apart from the Spirit's empowering. It is the law in its outward, condemning function -- confronting sin without providing the power to overcome it.
"The spirit giveth life" -- pneuma refers to the same law internalized and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:2-4 makes this explicit: "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" results in "the righteousness of the law" being "fulfilled in us."
Paul does not say the content of the letter is bad. Romans 7:12 states: "The law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good." Romans 7:14: "The law is spiritual." The problem is not the law but the mode of administration -- external code without internal power.

Parallel: Romans 7:6 uses the identical gramma/pneuma contrast: "serve in newness of spirit (pneuma), and not in the oldness of the letter (gramma)." The object of service remains the same (God's law); the mode changes from external obligation to Spirit-empowered obedience.

Verse 7¶

"But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:"

This is the central verse in the debate. A detailed grammatical analysis follows.

Greek structure of v.7:

The grammatical subject of the sentence is he diakonia tou thanatou ("the ministry of death"), which is Nominative Singular Feminine (diakonia, G1248, is a feminine noun). The descriptive phrase "en grammasin eteteteupomene lithois" ("in letters having been engraved on stones") modifies diakonia. The participle eteteteupomene (from entupoo, G1795) is Perfect Passive Participle, Nominative Singular Feminine -- agreeing with diakonia (feminine), not with nomos (masculine), which does not appear in the verse.

The main verb is egenethe ("came into being" / "was") -- Aorist Passive Indicative, 3rd Singular. The ministration was (egenethe) glorious (en doxe, "in glory").

The clause "which glory was to be done away" contains katargoumenen (Present Passive Participle, Accusative Singular Feminine). This participle agrees with ten doxan ("the glory," Accusative Singular Feminine) of Moses' face. It does not agree with: - nomos (law) -- masculine, and absent from the verse entirely - diakonia (ministry) -- feminine, but in the nominative case, whereas katargoumenen is accusative

What the grammar identifies as "done away": The participial phrase ten katargoumenen modifies ten doxan tou prosopou autou ("the glory of his face"). The text states: the glory (doxa) of Moses' countenance was being done away (katargoumenen). This refers to the fading radiance on Moses' face after descending from Sinai (Exo 34:29-35).

What the text calls the diakonia: Paul calls it "the ministration of death" (he diakonia tou thanatou). This is descriptive of the ministry's function: the law written on stone confronts sinners with their guilt and pronounces the death sentence. The law itself is not called "death" -- the ministry of administering the law's condemnation is called "the ministration of death."

The text says: Paul acknowledges that this diakonia was glorious (en doxe) -- the law's ministry had genuine glory. The thing that was "done away" is the glory on Moses' face, not the law itself and not the ministry as a whole. The participle katargoumenen is feminine accusative, agreeing with doxan (glory), not with any other noun in the sentence.

Verse 8¶

"How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?"

Key observations:

The comparison is between two diakoniai (ministrations): the ministration of death (v.7) and the ministration of the spirit (v.8).
Paul's argument is a fortiori (from lesser to greater): if the old ministry was glorious, how much more the new ministry?
The word nomos (law) does not appear. The subject remains diakonia.

Verse 9¶

"For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory."

Key observations:

Paul restates the contrast with different descriptors: "ministration of condemnation" (he diakonia tes katakriseos) versus "ministration of righteousness" (he diakonia tes dikaiosunes).
katakrisis (G2633) is a verbal noun meaning "the act of condemning" -- it describes what the ministry does (condemns sinners), not what the law is.
The law's function of condemning sinners does not make the law itself evil or defunct. The law identifies sin (Rom 7:7: "I had not known sin, but by the law") and pronounces condemnation. The ministry of righteousness does not replace the law but provides righteousness that the law could not provide through fallen flesh (Rom 8:3-4).
Both diakoniai are described in terms of glory: the old had glory, but the new exceeds in glory.

Section 3: Surpassing Glory (vv.10-11)¶

Verse 10¶

"For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth."

Key observations:

"That which was made glorious" (to dedoxasmenon) -- Perfect Passive Participle, Nominative Singular Neuter. The neuter form is abstract: "that which has been glorified."
The comparison is about relative glory, not about abolition. The old glory is eclipsed, just as starlight has "no glory" relative to sunlight -- not because stars cease to exist but because the sun's glory surpasses.

Verse 11¶

"For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious."

Key observations:

to katargoumenon ("that which is being done away") = Present Passive Participle, Nominative Singular Neuter. This is the same neuter abstract form as v.10.
to menon ("that which remains") = Present Active Participle, Nominative Singular Neuter.
The neuter form does not agree with diakonia (feminine) or nomos (masculine). It is a substantivized participle referring abstractly to the entire glory-system associated with the old ministry.
The prepositions differ: to katargoumenon came dia doxes ("through/by means of glory"), while to menon exists en doxe ("in glory"). The old came accompanied by glory; the new abides in glory.
Paul's verb tense is present passive (katargoumenon -- "being rendered inoperative"), not aorist ("was abolished once for all"). This suggests an ongoing process of supersession, consistent with the fading of Moses' facial glory, rather than a single abolition event.

The text says: Something associated with the old system is being rendered inoperative, and something associated with the new remains. The grammatical gender is neuter, which matches neither "the law" (masculine) nor "the ministry" (feminine). The most natural referent is the abstract glory-system of the old covenant administration.

Section 4: The Veil Imagery (vv.12-16)¶

Verse 12¶

"Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:"

Paul contrasts his openness with Moses' veiling.

Verse 13¶

"And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:"

Key observations:

Paul interprets Exodus 34:33-35. In the OT narrative, Moses veiled his face after speaking to Israel. Paul adds the interpretive layer: Moses did this so Israel could not gaze at the "end" (telos, G5056) of "that which is being abolished" (tou katargoumenou).
tou katargoumenou = Present Passive Participle, Genitive Singular Neuter. Same neuter pattern as v.11.
telos can mean "end" (termination), "goal/purpose," or "outcome." The phrase eis to telos tou katargoumenou means "unto the end/outcome of that which is fading away."
The veil (kalumma, G2571, neuter) prevented Israel from seeing the glory fade. Moses veiled the fading glory. The "that which is being abolished" continues the neuter abstract reference from v.11 -- the fading glory-system, not the law.
The purpose clause (pros to me atenisai -- "so that [they] could not gaze intently") explains the veil's function: hiding the fading glory from Israel's view.

Verse 14¶

"But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ."

Key observations:

"Their minds were blinded" (eporothe ta noemata auton) -- the subject shifts from the glory to Israel's spiritual condition.
"The same veil" (to auto kalumma, Nominative Singular Neuter) remains during the reading of the old covenant (tes palaias diathekes, Genitive Singular Feminine -- genitive of content: "the reading of the old covenant").
me anakaluptomenon ("not being unveiled/uncovered") = Present Passive Participle, Nominative Singular Neuter -- modifying kalumma (veil, neuter).
katargeitai ("is done away") = Present Passive Indicative, 3rd Singular. The verb has no gender marking, so the subject must be determined from context. The proximate nominative noun is kalumma (veil, neuter). The clause reads: "the same veil remains...not being unveiled, because in Christ it is done away."
The old covenant (palaias diathekes) is in the genitive case -- it is the object of reading (te anagnosei, "the reading"), not the grammatical subject of katargeitai.
What is "done away in Christ" in v.14 is the veil (kalumma), not the law and not the old covenant. The veil of spiritual blindness is removed in Christ.

Verse 15¶

"But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart."

Key observations:

"When Moses is read" -- Moses here is metonymy for the Pentateuch/Torah. The text does not say "when the law is read, the law is upon their heart." It says the veil is upon their heart.
The problem is the veil (spiritual blindness), not the content being read. The content (Moses/Torah) is still being read; the impediment is the veil preventing understanding.

Verse 16¶

"Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away."

Key observations:

"When it [the heart] shall turn to the Lord" -- conversion/turning removes the veil.
"The veil shall be taken away" (periaireitai to kalumma) -- the veil, not the law, is removed.
This echoes Exodus 34:34: "But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he took the veil off." Turning to the Lord removes the veil -- in the OT narrative and in Paul's spiritual application.

Section 5: Spirit, Liberty, and Transformation (vv.17-18)¶

Verse 17¶

"Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."

Key observations:

The climax moves from veil/blindness to Spirit/liberty.
Liberty (eleutheria, G1657) in Paul's usage is not liberty from the law but liberty from sin, condemnation, and spiritual blindness. Compare Galatians 5:13: "For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh."
James 1:25 calls the law "the perfect law of liberty" (ton nomon teleion ton tes eleutherias) and James 2:12 says "speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty."

Verse 18¶

"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."

Key observations:

anakekalummeno prosopo ("with unveiled face") -- Perfect Passive Participle, Dative Singular Neuter. The veil is removed; believers now see with open faces.
metamorphoumetha ("we are being transformed") -- Present Passive Indicative, 1st Plural. Ongoing transformation.
"From glory to glory" (apo doxes eis doxan) -- the movement is not from glory to no-glory, but from one degree of glory to a greater one.
The agent of transformation: "by the Spirit of the Lord" (apo Kuriou Pneumatos).
Paul's conclusion is about transformation into Christ's image, not about abolition of the law. The entire chapter's argument terminates in Spirit-empowered transformation, not in law-removal.

Section 6: Critical Analytical Themes¶

Theme A: The Absence of Nomos (Law)¶

The Greek word nomos (G3551, "law") does not appear anywhere in 2 Corinthians 3. This is a textual fact observable by examining the Greek text. The subject throughout the passage is: - diakonia (G1248, "ministry/ministration") -- feminine noun, appears in vv.7, 8, 9 - doxa (G1391, "glory") -- feminine noun, dominates vv.7-11, 18 - kalumma (G2571, "veil") -- neuter noun, appears in vv.13-16 - gramma (G1121, "letter") -- neuter noun, appears in vv.6-7 - pneuma (G4151, "spirit") -- neuter noun, appears in vv.6, 8, 17, 18

Paul writes extensively about the ministry, the glory, the veil, the letter, and the Spirit. He does not write about "the law" using his standard vocabulary (nomos). This does not mean the law is irrelevant to the passage -- the Decalogue is clearly referenced as the content that was "written and engraven in stones." The point is that Paul's grammatical subject in every clause about "done away" is the glory, the ministry's glory-system, or the veil -- never the law itself.

Theme B: Katargeo Grammar Summary¶

Verse	Form	Gender	Agrees With	Does NOT Agree With
3:7	katargoumenen	Feminine Acc Sg	ten doxan (glory, Fem Acc Sg)	nomos (masc), diakonia (fem but Nom)
3:11	to katargoumenon	Neuter Nom Sg	abstract substantive	nomos (masc), diakonia (fem)
3:13	tou katargoumenou	Neuter Gen Sg	abstract substantive	nomos (masc), diakonia (fem)
3:14	katargeitai	3rd Sg (no gender)	kalumma (veil, neuter)	nomos (masc), diatheke (fem)

In no instance does katargeo in 2 Corinthians 3 grammatically modify or agree with nomos (law, masculine). The word nomos does not appear in the chapter. The grammatical subject of "done away" is the glory (v.7), an abstract neuter substantive (vv.11, 13), or the veil (v.14).

Theme C: The Diakonia Contrast¶

Paul's argument structure is built on four named diakoniai:

Old Ministry	New Ministry
"ministration of death" (v.7)	"ministration of the spirit" (v.8)
"ministration of condemnation" (v.9)	"ministration of righteousness" (v.9)

The contrast is between two ministries (administrations), not between two laws. Both ministries relate to the same law: the law written on stone (old ministry) and the same law written on hearts by the Spirit (new ministry). The old ministry administered condemnation and death because the law confronted sinners externally without providing the power to obey. The new ministry administers righteousness and life because the Spirit internalizes the law and empowers obedience.

An analogy: if a school changes from a harsh, punitive administration to a supportive, empowering administration, the curriculum does not change -- only the mode of administration. The "ministration of death" and the "ministration of the spirit" differ in how the law is administered, not in the law's content.

Theme D: Paul's Consistency on the Law¶

The same Paul who writes 2 Corinthians 3 also writes:

Romans 3:31 -- "Do we then make void (katargeo) the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law." Paul uses the same verb (katargeo) and emphatically denies making the law void.
Romans 7:12 -- "The law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good."
Romans 7:14 -- "The law is spiritual."
Romans 8:4 -- "That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." This is the positive counterpart to 2 Cor 3: the Spirit fulfills the law's righteousness in believers.
1 Corinthians 7:19 -- "Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God." Paul distinguishes circumcision (ceremonial) from "the commandments of God" (moral law that still matters).

If Paul intended 2 Corinthians 3 to teach the abolition of the Decalogue, he contradicts himself in Romans 3:31 using the identical verb (katargeo), in Romans 7:12-14 regarding the law's character, in Romans 8:4 regarding the law's fulfillment in believers by the Spirit, and in 1 Corinthians 7:19 regarding the continuing obligation to keep God's commandments.

Theme E: The Stone-to-Heart Transition¶

2 Corinthians 3:3 uses the same word plax ("tablet") for both stone and heart. Jeremiah 31:33 promises: "I will put my law (torati) in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts." The new covenant writes the SAME law (torati -- "my torah," God's possessive) on a new medium (hearts). Hebrews 8:10 and 10:16 quote this promise. Ezekiel 36:26-27 promises a new heart and God's Spirit within, causing obedience to "my statutes" and "my judgments."

The stone-to-heart transition indicates relocation, not abolition. If the content on stone were abolished, there would be nothing to write on hearts. The new covenant's promise is precisely that the old covenant's content (God's law) will be internalized.

Theme F: Counter-Arguments Examined¶

Counter-argument 1: "The Decalogue is explicitly referenced ('written and engraven in stones'), and the passage says it is 'done away.' Therefore the Decalogue is done away."

Response from the text: The phrase "written and engraven in stones" modifies diakonia ("the ministry of death, written and engraven in stones"), not a standalone statement about the law. The participle eteteteupomene is Nominative Singular Feminine, agreeing with diakonia (feminine). The thing called "done away" (katargoumenen) is feminine accusative, agreeing with doxan (glory), not with diakonia or nomos. The text identifies the ministry as what was associated with the stone-engraved commandments, and the glory as what was fading. It does not grammatically state that the commandments themselves were done away.

Counter-argument 2: "If the ministry is done away but the law remains, Paul's argument has no force. Why would the old ministry's glory fade if the law behind it continues?"

Response from the text: Paul's argument has force precisely because the law continues. The law on stone condemned (v.9: "ministration of condemnation") because it confronted sinners externally. The new ministry surpasses it because the same law is now written on hearts by the Spirit (v.3), producing righteousness (v.9: "ministration of righteousness"). The old glory fades because the old mode of administration (external, condemning) is superseded by the new mode (internal, transforming). The glory fades on Moses' face because the Sinai event's glory is temporal; the Spirit's transforming glory is permanent (v.18: "from glory to glory").

Counter-argument 3: "'That which is done away' (v.11) versus 'that which remaineth' contrasts the old law (done away) versus the new law (remaining)."

Response from the text: The Greek uses neuter substantivized participles (to katargoumenon, to menon), which do not agree with nomos (masculine). The word "law" does not appear. The contrast is between two glory-systems, not two laws. "That which was [existing] through glory" (dia doxes) is being superseded by "that which remains in glory" (en doxe). The comparison is about the relative glory of two ministries, not the replacement of one law by another.

Summary of Textual Observations¶

The word nomos ("law") does not appear in 2 Corinthians 3. The subjects are diakonia (ministry), doxa (glory), kalumma (veil), gramma (letter), and pneuma (spirit).
katargeo ("done away") in v.7 is feminine, agreeing with glory (doxa), not law (nomos). In vv.11 and 13, it is neuter (abstract). In v.14, the subject is the veil (kalumma, neuter).
The passage contrasts two ministries (diakoniai), not two laws: the ministry of death/condemnation versus the ministry of the spirit/righteousness.
The stone-to-heart transition (v.3) transfers the same content from one medium to another, echoing Jeremiah 31:33 and Ezekiel 36:26-27.
The veil imagery (vv.13-16) identifies the veil -- not the law -- as what is done away in Christ. When one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed (v.16).
The passage's conclusion (vv.17-18) is about Spirit-empowered transformation from glory to glory, not about abolition of the law.
Paul's other epistles affirm the law as holy, just, good, and spiritual (Rom 7:12, 14), deny making the law void (Rom 3:31), and describe the Spirit fulfilling the law's righteousness in believers (Rom 8:4).