G343 — ἀνακαλύπτω (anakalyptō)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G343
Original: ἀνακαλύπτω
Transliteration: anakalyptō
Pronunciation: an-ak-al-oop'-to
Part of Speech: Verb
Root: From ἀνά (G303, "back/again," reversal sense) + καλύπτω (G2572, "to cover/veil") — to reverse a covering, i.e. to unveil, uncover
Occurrences: 2 unique verses, 2 tokens (NT only)
First Occurrence: 2 Cor 3:14 — "remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament"
Hapax Legomenon: No (appears twice, but only in 2 Corinthians 3)

Lexicon Definition¶

From ἀνά (G303, in the sense of reversal) and καλύπτω (G2572); to unveil. KJV renderings: "open," "untaken away."

The word denotes the removal of a covering or veil — the reversal of the act of concealment. Both NT uses occur in Paul's veil-of-Moses discourse (2 Cor 3:7–18), where the veil over the old covenant and over the face are contrasted with unveiled access in Christ.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain 79: Features of Objects
Subdomain 79.025: Covered Over
Glosses: to unveil, to remove a veil, to uncover
Other words in subdomain 79.025: ἀκατακάλυπτος (G177, "uncovered"), καλύπτω (G2572, "to cover"), περικαλύπτω (G4028, "to cover around")

Grammatical Forms Attested¶

Reference	Form	Parsing	Description
2 Cor 3:14	ἀνακαλυπτόμενον	V-PPP-NSN	Present passive participle, nominative singular neuter
2 Cor 3:18	ἀνακεκαλυμμένῳ	V-RPP-DSN	Perfect passive participle, dative singular neuter

Both occurrences are passive participles — the veil is not self-removing but is being removed or has been removed by an external agent. The shift from present (ongoing, incomplete) in 3:14 to perfect (completed state) in 3:18 marks a key progression within the passage.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
untaken away	1	50%
with open	1	50%

Note: The KJV renders both occurrences differently. In 3:14 the negative context ("not taken away") produces "untaken away." In 3:18 it becomes "with open [face]," capturing the result of unveiled access.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
2 Corinthians	2	0.8

Exclusive to Paul's second Corinthian letter. Both occurrences cluster in a single discourse unit (2 Cor 3:7–18), the veil-of-Moses argument. The word does not appear in any other NT book.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Unveiling the Old Covenant — Spiritual Perception Blocked¶

2 Cor 3:14 — "But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away (mē anakalyptomenon) in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ."
Present passive participle with negative μή: the veil is "not being unveiled" — the ongoing state of imperception when the old covenant is read apart from Christ.

2. Unveiled Beholding — Transformed Access¶

2 Cor 3:18 — "But we all, with open (anakekalymmenō) 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."
Perfect passive participle: the veil has been removed, and the completed state of unveiled access enables direct beholding of divine glory, resulting in progressive transformation.

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
κάλυμα (kalyma)	G2571	1x	"the same veil... not unveiled" — the veil itself as the object being removed
δόξα (doxa)	G1391	1x	"beholding the glory" — unveiled face → glory of the Lord
μεταμορφόω (metamorphoō)	G3339	1x	"are changed into the same image" — transformation follows unveiling
πνεῦμα (pneuma)	G4151	1x	"by the Spirit of the Lord" — the Spirit as agent of unveiling
κατοπτρίζομαι (katoptrizomai)	G2734	1x	"beholding as in a glass" — mirror-gazing follows removal of veil
διαθήκη (diathēkē)	G1242	1x	"old testament/covenant" — the covenant whose reading is veiled
καταργέω (katargeō)	G2673	1x	"done away in Christ" — the veil is abolished
πρόσωπον (prosōpon)	G4383	1x	"with open face" — the unveiled face as instrument of beholding

Word Family / Cognates (καλύπτω root)¶

G2572 καλύπτω (kalyptō) — root verb: to cover, to cover over, to hide (8 uses)
G2571 κάλυμα (kalyma) — noun: veil, covering (4 uses, all in 2 Cor 3:13–16)
G601 ἀποκαλύπτω (apokalyptō) — to uncover/reveal (26 uses) — prefixed with ἀπό "away from" rather than ἀνά "back/again"; broader usage for divine revelation. See G601-apokalypto.md
G602 ἀποκάλυψις (apokalypsis) — noun: revelation, disclosure (18 uses). See G602-apokalypsis.md
G2619 κατακαλύπτω (katakalyptō) — to cover wholly, to veil (3 uses, 1 Cor 11:6–7, head-covering discourse)
G177 ἀκατακάλυπτος (akatakalyptos) — adjective: uncovered, unveiled (2 uses, 1 Cor 11:5, 13)
G3871 παρακαλύπτω (parakalyptō) — to conceal, hide from (1 use, Luke 9:45)
G1943 ἐπικαλύπτω (epikalyptō) — to cover over, i.e. to forgive (1 use, Rom 4:7)
G4780 συγκαλύπτω (synkalyptō) — to conceal altogether (1 use, Luke 12:2)

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
ἀποκαλύπτω (apokalyptō)	G601	both mean "unveil/reveal"	apokalyptō = divine disclosure of hidden truth (26 uses, broad NT usage); anakalyptō = physical/metaphorical removal of a covering (2 uses, restricted to 2 Cor 3 veil imagery)
ἀνοίγω (anoigō)	G455	KJV "open" overlaps	anoigō = generic opening (doors, eyes, mouth, scrolls — 77 uses); anakalyptō = specifically removing a veil/covering

Hebrew Source (via LXX)¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	Co-occurrences	PMI Score	Notes
גָּלָה (gâlâh)	H1540	12	17.24	Primary: "to uncover, denude, go into exile" — dominant Hebrew equivalent
חָשַׂף (châsaph)	H2834	3	12.11	"to strip off, bare, skim" — secondary equivalent

The strong LXX bridge to H1540 galah (12 co-occurrences, PMI 17.24) confirms anakalyptō as the LXX translators' choice for the physical act of uncovering/revealing. The TR-galah-apokalypto trace already documents the broader galah → apokalyptō bridge (the dominant mapping); anakalyptō represents a less common but contextually precise LXX rendering of the same Hebrew root.