What does it mean that the veil is upon their heart when Moses is read?
It means a covering lies over the heart so that something is hidden from them. When Moses is read, their heart cannot comprehend the truth, just as Paul says the gospel is veiled to the lost. When the heart turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
Les explains that the veil is not just an Old Testament picture; it carries into the gospel. In chapter three, verse 15, even to this day when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart, so something has been hidden from them. Verse 16 says when the heart turns to the Lord, the veil—that which was hiding—shall be taken away. Les then brings the same concept into verse three: if our gospel is veiled, something is over it so hearts cannot comprehend it. The better translation of “hid” is “veiled,” the same word used back in chapter three. Thus the veil means a covering that hides truth from the lost until the heart turns to the Lord.
But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.