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:
The ministration of death - the legal dispensation, summed up in the decalogue, which denounces death for transgression (cf. 2 Corinthians 3:6).
Written and engraven in stones. The dead stones typify the deadness of the people on whose hearts the Spirit did not write the law. There is no "and" in the Greek. 'The ministration of death in letters,' which "engraven in stones" explains. So 'Aleph (') A C G f, Vulgate. But B Delta have 'in the letter,' which refers to the preceding 2 Corinthians 3:6, "the letter killeth." Even if we read as the English version, 'The ministration of death (written) in letters' alludes plainly to the law's literal precepts as only bringing the knowledge of sin and "death" in contrast to "the spirit" in the Gospel bringing us "life." The 'letters' stand in contrast to "the spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:8). This explains why 'in letters' is used instead of the ordinary 'written and.'
Was glorious - literally, 'was made (invested) in glory:' glory was its encompassing atmosphere.
Could not stedfastly behold - `gaze fixedly at' х atenisai (G816)]. (Exodus 34:30, "The skin of his face shone; and they were AFRAID to come nigh him.") "Could not" therefore means for FEAR. The 'glory of Moses' countenance' on Sinai passed away when the occasion was over: a type of the transitory dispensation which he represented (2 Corinthians 3:11), as contrasted with the permanent Christian dispensation (2 Corinthians 3:11).