καταπέτασμα

From the study of Hebrews 6:19

Range of meaning

Something spread or hung down: a curtain or hanging. In the Greek Old Testament it is the technical term for the tabernacle curtains, above all the inner curtain (Hebrew pārōket) that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place (Exod 26:31–35), though occasionally also the outer screen (Exod 26:37).

Against the English

KJV/YLT 'veil' and WEB 'veil' suggest to modern ears a thin face-covering or bridal veil. It was a thick, embroidered, cherubim-woven barrier hanging in God's sanctuary. BSB/ESV/NIV 'curtain' is closer.

How it drifted

In 1611 'veil' commonly meant a curtain or hanging. Today it means almost only a light covering for the face, so the word now suggests something gauzy and personal instead of a massive barrier.

Used elsewhere in the period

LXX Lev 16:2, 12, 15 use the exact phrase 'into the inner [place] of the curtain' (eis to esōteron tou katapetasmatos) for the high priest's yearly entry. Hebrews 9:3 speaks of 'the second curtain' behind which lay the Most Holy Place; 10:19–20 speaks of entering 'through the curtain, that is, his flesh'. The Gospels report the temple curtain torn at Jesus' death (Mark 15:38). Josephus describes the Herodian temple curtains as richly woven Babylonian tapestry (Jewish War 5.212–214).

From the study of Hebrews 10:20

Range of meaning

Something spread down: a hanging, curtain, screen. In biblical Greek it is mainly used for the curtains of the tabernacle and temple.

Against the English

KJV/YLT/WEB "veil"; modern versions "curtain". "Curtain" is closer to what a modern reader should picture.

How it drifted

Today "veil" suggests a thin face-covering such as a bridal veil. In 1611 it was a normal word for a large hanging cloth.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Greek Old Testament uses it for the inner curtain (Hebrew paroket) that divided the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place (Exod 26:31-35; Lev 16:2, 12, 15), and sometimes for the outer entrance screen too. Hebrews calls the inner one "the second curtain" (9:3) and speaks of hope entering "behind the curtain" (6:19). Josephus describes the elaborately woven curtains of Herod's temple (Jewish War 5.212-219). The Synoptic Gospels report the temple curtain torn at Jesus' death (Mark 15:38).

From the study of Hebrews 9:3

Range of meaning

Something spread or hung down: a curtain, hanging, or screen. In biblical Greek it is almost always a sanctuary curtain. Most often it is the inner curtain in front of the Most Holy Place. Sometimes it is the outer screen at the entrance of the tent or of the courtyard.

Against the English

KJV, WEB, YLT and NASB say "veil"; BSB, NIV, ESV and NLT say "curtain." "Curtain" is the better picture today. In modern English a "veil" is usually a thin, see-through face covering, such as a bride's. This was a heavy woven barrier that blocked both sight and entry.

How it drifted

"Veil" came in through the Latin velum ("sail, awning, curtain"), which the Vulgate uses here. In older English "veil" could mean any hanging cloth that hides something. Over time it narrowed to mean mainly a face covering, so the KJV wording now suggests something flimsier than the text describes.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the Greek Old Testament (the Septuagint), Exod 26:31–35 uses katapetasma for the pārōket, made of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen with cherubim worked into it, hung on four pillars to "separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy" (26:33). The same Greek word also translates the entrance screen (Exod 26:37), which is why Hebrews has to say "second" to be clear. Leviticus 16:2, 12, 15 speaks of the high priest going "inside the curtain" on the Day of Atonement. Sirach 50:5 praises the high priest Simon "coming out from the house of the curtain." Philo, in his Life of Moses, distinguishes the inner katapetasma from the outer covering at the entrance. Josephus describes the Herodian temple's curtains (Jewish War 5.212–219), and the Mishnah (Yoma 5:1) says that the Second Temple had two curtains, a cubit apart, in front of the inner room. Later rabbinic tradition (m. Shekalim 8:5) remembers the curtain as a handbreadth thick.