“For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.”
My Notes
What Does Luke 12:2 Mean?
"For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known." Jesus declares the absolute impossibility of permanent concealment: everything covered will be uncovered. Everything hidden will be known. The promise is universal ("nothing") and inevitable ("shall"). Not might. Not could. Shall. The exposure is guaranteed. The only variable is timing.
The context (v. 1: "Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy") makes the application clear: the gap between public image and private reality will be closed. What the Pharisees hide behind their religious performance will eventually be visible. And the principle extends beyond the Pharisees to every person maintaining a gap between what's shown and what's true.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What are you currently covering that this verse says will eventually be revealed?
- 2.Would you rather live in the open now (by choice) or be exposed later (by force)?
- 3.How does the guarantee of eventual exposure change the calculation about maintaining secrets?
- 4.Where is the gap between your public image and your private reality — and what would closing it cost?
Devotional
Nothing covered that won't be revealed. Nothing hidden that won't be known. Jesus declares the end of every concealment. Every cover story. Every hidden room. Every secret you thought would stay secret forever. It won't.
The promise is absolute: nothing. Not most things. Not the big things. Nothing. Every covered thing — every concealed motive, every hidden sin, every private behavior that contradicts the public image — will be uncovered. Shall be revealed. The language is future-certain, not future-possible. The exposure isn't a risk. It's a guarantee.
The context is hypocrisy — the gap between the Pharisees' public religion and their private reality. Jesus warns the disciples: that gap is temporary. The leaven of hypocrisy — the slow, invisible spread of the gap between what you show and what you are — eventually reaches the surface. The concealment that works today stops working tomorrow. The covering that held for years gives way in a moment.
This verse functions as both warning and liberation. Warning: stop hiding. What you're concealing will be revealed. The energy you're spending on covering is wasted because the covering has an expiration date. Whatever you think is safe in the dark — God sees it now, and the world will see it eventually.
Liberation: stop hiding. The exhausting work of maintaining two versions of yourself — the public you and the private you — can end. Because the revelation is coming anyway. You can choose to live in the open now (confession, transparency, honesty) or be exposed later (scandal, discovery, judgment). The end state is the same: nothing hidden. The only question is whether the uncovering happens on your terms or on God's.
The person who lives in the open has nothing to fear from this verse. The person maintaining a gap between image and reality has everything to fear. Because nothing covered shall remain covered. Nothing hidden shall remain unknown. And the timing of the revelation isn't yours to control.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
For there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed,.... No sin, be it ever so secret or privately done, as nothing…
Nothing covered - See the notes at Mat 10:26-32. Luk 12:3 Shall be proclaimed upon the housetops - See the notes at Mat…
There is nothing covered - See the notes on Mat 5:15; Mat 10:26, Mat 10:27 (note); Mar 4:22 (note).
We find here, I. A vast auditory that was got together to hear Christ preach. The scribes and Pharisees sought to accuse…
For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed Rather, But (unless with א we omit the δὲ altogether). This…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture