Should Christian women headcover, as per 1 Corinthians 11:5-6? Or is long hair her covering, as per 1 Corinthians 11:15? What is the custom of the church, as per 1 Corinthians 11:16? If long hair is the head covering, then why the several verses before that, which clearly discuss something put on top of the head, other than hair? If verse 16 says there is no church custom of head covering, then what about the custom of women head covering in the Old Testament? If the custom is to now not cover, then again, why the several verses before that, saying that women should cover?
I've written extensively on the topic of headcovering over the years. I've even written a book about it, but I've never done a deep, exhaustive study on this ominous portion of Scripture, and I think there needs to be one. Below, I've written a study of 1 Corinthians 11:1-16, and to get us closer to the original languages, I've opted to use the Young's Literal Translation of the Bible. While I don't have the time or ability to do a complete exhaustive study, I do believe the below at least breaches the realm of a semi-exhaustive study, so I hope you find the below edifying.
| 1 Corinthians 11:1-16: Followers of me become ye, as I also [am] of Christ. And I praise you, brethren, that in all things ye remember me, and according as I did deliver to you, the deliverances ye keep, and I wish you to know that of every man the head is the Christ, and the head of a woman is the husband, and the head of Christ is God. Every man praying or prophesying, having the head covered, doth dishonour his head, and every woman praying or prophesying with the head uncovered, doth dishonour her own head, for it is one and the same thing with her being shaven, for if a woman is not covered -- then let her be shorn, and if [it is] a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven -- let her be covered; for a man, indeed, ought not to cover the head, being the image and glory of God, and a woman is the glory of a man, for a man is not of a woman, but a woman [is] of a man, for a man also was not created because of the woman, but a woman because of the man; because of this the woman ought to have [a token of] authority upon the head, because of the messengers; but neither [is] a man apart from a woman, nor a woman apart from a man, in the Lord, for as the woman [is] of the man, so also the man [is] through the woman, and the all things [are] of God. In your own selves judge ye; is it seemly for a woman uncovered to pray to God? doth not even nature itself teach you, that if a man indeed have long hair, a dishonour it is to him? and a woman, if she have long hair, a glory it is to her, because the hair instead of a covering hath been given to her; and if any one doth think to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the assemblies of God. |
1 Corinthians 11:1-16:
1 Followers of me become ye, as I also [am] of Christ.
As Paul is a follower of Christ, he is urging us, the readers of this epistle, to be followers of Christ, as well. By the way, this and all the epistles are for all churches, not just the churches that the epistles are named after. In 1 Corinthians 1:2, we are specifically told that this epistle is not only to the Corinthians, but to ALL Christians:
"to the assembly of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints, with all those calling upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place -- both theirs and ours" -1 Corinthians 1:2
2 And I praise you, brethren, that in all things ye remember me, and according as I did deliver to you, the deliverances ye keep,
Such as our reading and keeping what's written in the other Pauline epistles, as well (and of course all of the Bible).
3 and I wish you to know that of every man the head is the Christ, and the head of a woman is the husband, and the head of Christ is God.
Paul is referring to what I call the Familial Authoritative Order. Here we see that the head of Christ is God, the head of man is Christ, and the head of the wife is the husband. We see that "head," here, refers to authority. We see this authoritarian structure laid out in more detail in Ephesians 5:22-33, below:
"The wives! to your own husbands subject yourselves, as to the Lord, because the husband is head of the wife, as also the Christ [is] head of the assembly, and he is saviour of the body, but even as the assembly is subject to Christ, so also [are] the wives to their own husbands in everything. The husbands! love your own wives, as also the Christ did love the assembly, and did give himself for it, that he might sanctify it, having cleansed [it] with the bathing of the water in the saying, that he might present it to himself the assembly in glory, not having spot or wrinkle, or any of such things, but that it may be holy and unblemished; so ought the husbands to love their own wives as their own bodies: he who is loving his own wife -- himself he doth love; for no one ever his own flesh did hate, but doth nourish and cherish it, as also the Lord -- the assembly, because members we are of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones; `for this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined to his wife, and they shall be -- the two -- for one flesh;' this secret is great, and I speak in regard to Christ and to the assembly; but ye also, every one in particular -- let each his own wife so love as himself, and the wife -- that she may reverence the husband."
Here we see why we have the Familial Authoritative Order. It is because marriage between a man and a woman is to symbolize the marriage between Christ and the Church:
"this secret is great, and I speak in regard to Christ and to the assembly;" -Ephesians 5:32
We see that the church is the bride of Christ, and that Christ is the bridegroom of the church:
"for I am zealous for you with zeal of God, for I did betroth you to one husband, a pure virgin, to present to Christ" -2 Corininthians 11:2
We of course also know the parable of the virgins in Matthew 25:
"Then shall the reign of the heavens be likened to ten virgins, who, having taken their lamps, went forth to meet the bridegroom" -Matthew 25:1
and
"And while they are going away to buy, the bridegroom came, and those ready went in with him to the marriage-feasts, and the door was shut" -Matthew 25:10
In Revelation 19:7-9, we see the future fulfillment of the marriage between Christ and the church:
"may we rejoice and exult, and give the glory to Him, because come did the marriage of the Lamb, and his wife did make herself ready; and there was given to her that she may be arrayed with fine linen, pure and shining, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.' And he saith to me, `Write: Happy [are] they who to the supper of the marriage of the Lamb have been called;' and he saith to me, `These [are] the true words of God;'" -Revelation 19:7-9
The bride of Christ will be in New Jerusalem in heaven, and after the judgement after the thousand years, New Jerusalem comes to earth, with the Bride inside the city as it descends:
"And there came unto me one of the seven messengers, who have the seven vials that are full of the seven last plagues, and he spake with me, saying, `Come, I will shew thee the bride of the Lamb -- the wife,' and he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and did shew to me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, coming down out of the heaven from God" -Revelation 21:9-10
Therefore in marriage, the husband symbolizes Christ, and the wife symbolizes the church. The husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the church:
"and himself is before all, and the all things in him have consisted. And himself {Jesus} is the head of the body -- the assembly -- who is a beginning, a first-born out of the dead, that he might become in all [things] -- himself -- first" -Colossians 1:17-18
The church symbolizes the body of Christ on this earth:
"and ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular." -1 Corinthians 12:27
Not only does the marriage symbolize Christ and the church, but it also symbolizes the oneness of the church, and of marriage:
"because members we are of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones; `for this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined to his wife, and they shall be -- the two -- for one flesh;'" -Ephesians 5:30-31
Let's break all of this down, before continuing in our semi-exhaustive study of 1 Corinthians 11:1-16:
1) Christ is the head of the body.
2) The body of Christ on this earth is the church.
3) In the marriage relationship, the husband and wife become one. The husband symbolizes Christ, and the wife symbolizes the church. This means the husband symbolizes the head, and the wife symbolizes the body.
4) This demonstrates the marriage of Christ to the church, where Christ is the head, and the church is the body.
5) Since the husband and wife are one, via marriage, the wife covers her head, to show that her husband is her authoritative head, just as Christ is the authoritative head of the church. By the wife covering her head, she is the body, and her husband is the head. They are one.
4 Every man praying or prophesying, having the head covered, doth dishonour his head,
5 and every woman praying or prophesying with the head uncovered, doth dishonour her own head, for it is one and the same thing with her being shaven,
These verses are now talking about literal heads, as body parts. First we were given the authoritative heads, and now we are being shown how to show the physical symbolism of the Familial Authoritative Order. The husband brings dishonor to his physical head by covering it, which means if he head covers, he dishonors himself, because he is supposed to hold the symbolic position of Christ in the marriage, to foreshadow the marriage between the Lamb and the bride.
The wife is to cover her head, and if she doesn't, she brings shame to her own physical head - herself, because she is symbolizing the church, and as the authoritative head of the church is Christ, the authoritative head of the wife is the husband, in the Authoritative Familial Order. We know these verses are now talking about physical heads, because:
1) It's talking about covering or not covering one's head.
2) It says if a woman prays or prophesies without her head covered, she "doth dishonour her own head," because it is the "same thing with her being shaven." A shaved head is a physical thing. Her not having a covering on her head is considered a dishonor to her physical head, in other words, it's a dishonor to herself.
However, when a woman dishonors herself by not headcovering, it trickles up also as a dishonor to her husband, because she is not donning the symbol of her submission to him. Further, if a husband religiously headcovers, not only is it a dishonor to him, but it trickles up to being a dishonor to Christ, because that would be him symbolizing Christ headcovered, but Christ IS the head, therefore - not to be covered.
6 for if a woman is not covered -- then let her be shorn, and if [it is] a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven -- let her be covered;
And we know it is a shame for a woman to be shorn (have short hair) or shaven, because verse 5 said that if her head isn't covered then she is dishonoring her head, and it is the same thing as being shaven. Meaning a shaved head on a woman is a form of dishonor to her, which makes sense, because verse 15 calls her hair a glory to her. Therefore, we can clearly deduce that it is indeed a shame for a Christian wife to not have her head covered, and that it is also a shame for her to be shorn or shaved.
7 for a man, indeed, ought not to cover the head, being the image and glory of God, and a woman is the glory of a man,
1)The man is the image and glory of God.
2) The woman is the glory of the man.
Notice it does not say that women are not created in the image of God. It can't say that, for that would be untrue. Man and Woman are both created in the image of God:
"And God saith, `Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness, and let them rule over fish of the sea, and over fowl of the heavens, and over cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that is creeping on the earth.' And God prepareth the man in His image; in the image of God He prepared him, a male and a female He prepared them." -Genesis 1:26-27
We see in verse 27 that both male and female are created in the image of God. How? We don't yet know the full fulfillment of that, but we do know enough to see how this fits into head covering and the Familial Authoritative Order. Notice in verse 26, it says that we humans were created "in Our image," as God says. God is one, but He is also an "Our." How is this possible? This is transdimensional. We don't understand in three dimensions. However, we know that somehow, God is three distinct persons, but all three of the persons of the Trinity are One. We see the Trinity in the creation, right there in the very first three verses of the Bible:
"In the beginning of God's {God the Father} preparing the heavens and the earth -- the earth hath existed waste and void, and darkness [is] on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God {God the Holy Spirit} fluttering on the face of the waters, and God saith {God the Word - Jesus Christ. See John 1, and 1 John 5:7}, `Let light be;' and light is." -Genesis 1:1-3
God created humans male and female, yet both are created in the image of God. Male and female join together symbolically as one upon marriage, symbolizing the future wedding of Christ and the church. As one, the husband is the head, and the wife is the body. As one, Christ is the head of the church, and the church is the body of Christ on this earth. As God is one, yet is made of three, the husband and wife symbolically become one. The image of God is not male or female, it is One.
Separately, men and women are the image of God as well, as we saw in Genesis 1:27. 1 Corinthians 11:7 says the man is the glory of God, but that woman is the glory of man. This is because God directly made man, and then made woman from the rib of man, because man needed help:
"And Jehovah God saith, `Not good for the man to be alone, I do make to him an helper -- as his counterpart.'" -Genesis 2:18
And this is how God created woman:
"And Jehovah God causeth a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he sleepeth, and He taketh one of his ribs, and closeth up flesh in its stead. And Jehovah God buildeth up the rib which He hath taken out of the man into a woman, and bringeth her in unto the man; and the man saith, `This [is] the [proper] step! bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh!' for this it is called Woman, for from a man hath this been taken; therefore doth a man leave his father and his mother, and hath cleaved unto his wife, and they have become one flesh." -Genesis 2:21-24
Why does the husband and wife become one upon marriage? Because man and woman originally were physically one. Upon the bonds of marriage, the two again join together as one unit.
The church was created from Christ's side:
"The soldiers, therefore, came, and of the first indeed they did break the legs, and of the other who was crucified with him, and having come to Jesus, when they saw him already having been dead, they did not break his legs; but one of the soldiers with a spear did pierce his side, and immediately there came forth blood and water; and he who hath seen hath testified, and his testimony is true, and that one hath known that true things he speaketh, that ye also may believe. For these things came to pass, that the Writing may be fulfilled, `A bone of him shall not be broken;' and again another Writing saith, `They shall look to him whom they did pierce.'" -John 19:32-37
The church was borne from the side of Christ, and woman was borne from the side of man. Notice when Christ's side was pierced, both water and blood came out. This references and teaches many things, and one of those references is to the Trinity - the oneness of God in three Persons:
"This one is he who did come through water and blood -- Jesus the Christ, not in the water only, but in the water and the blood; and the Spirit it is that is testifying, because the Spirit is the truth, because three are who are testifying [in the heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these -- the three -- are one; and three are who are testifying in the earth], the Spirit, and the water, and the blood, and the three are into the one." -1 John 5:6-8
The church (symbolized by the wife) was born from the side of Christ (symbolized by the man). God wanted to take us unto him, close to His side, and through Christ's death on the cross, all may now draw near to Christ - whosoever wants to:
"`Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that art killing the prophets, and stoning those sent unto thee, how often did I will to gather thy children together, as a hen doth gather her own chickens under the wings, and ye did not will." -Matthew 23:37
"`Come unto me {Jesus}, all ye labouring and burdened ones, and I will give you rest" -Matthew 11:28
8 for a man is not of a woman, but a woman [is] of a man,
As Eve was built up from the rib of Adam, so is woman of a man.
9 for a man also was not created because of the woman, but a woman because of the man;
As we see in Genesis 2:18, woman was created as a counterpart to man, to help him:
"And Jehovah God saith, `Not good for the man to be alone, I do make to him an helper -- as his counterpart.'" -Genesis 2:18
10 because of this the woman ought to have [a token of] authority upon the head, because of the messengers;
This verse started with "because of this." Because of what? Because of what we just read in verse 9,- that woman was created because of the man. Since woman was created to help man, this is another reason why she is to cover her head. It is "a token of authority" upon her head. It shows that she willingly submits to her own husband as the head of her family. This is something a woman should deeply consider before marrying: is the man she wants to marry, a man that she can happily and willingly trust to fully submit to, for life? If not, then that's not the man for her to marry. She is choosing not only her husband, but also the likely father to her future children, if she has any. She should choose her life-mate wisely.
The above verse also says another reason the woman is to have this "token of authority upon the head" - it's because of the angels/messengers. Why because of the angels? We see the likely reason in Genesis 6:1-4:
"And it cometh to pass that mankind have begun to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters have been born to them, and sons of God see the daughters of men that they [are] fair, and they take to themselves women of all whom they have chosen. And Jehovah saith, `My Spirit doth not strive in man -- to the age; in their erring they [are] flesh:' and his days have been an hundred and twenty years. The fallen ones were in the earth in those days, and even afterwards when sons of God come in unto daughters of men, and they have borne to them -- they [are] the heroes, who, from of old, [are] the men of name." -Genesis 6:1-4
The fallen angels (the sons of God, not to be confused with the "fallen ones," which were their offspring) took women unto themselves whom they found attractive. The fallen angels would likely not have found women who were in full submission to God as attractive. There is a component of spiritual protection to the head covered Christian woman. I have witnessed this time and again over the years. Demons/fallen angels may not have access to the head covered Christian woman, for her authoritarian head is her husband. Just as the true, saved church (symbolized by the wife) doesn't become demon possessed, as Christ (symbolized by the husband) is the head of the church.
11 but neither [is] a man apart from a woman, nor a woman apart from a man, in the Lord,
12 for as the woman [is] of the man, so also the man [is] through the woman, and the all things [are] of God.
Yes, the first woman was built up from the rib of the first man, but all other men were born from the wombs of women, and never born from other men. Even our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ was born from the womb of a woman. The two above verses are there to remind us that while the husband is the head of the wife, he is not above her in equality. Just as we read in 1 Corinthians 12, of the different body parts of the Body of Christ - the church are all equal; They just have different functions. So it is with the husband and the wife. They are one, upon marriage. The wife comes along to the side of her husband, and helps him, as his counterpart.
Both male and female were created to rule:
"And God prepareth the man in His image; in the image of God He prepared him, a male and a female He prepared them. And God blesseth them, and God saith to them, `Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over fish of the sea, and over fowl of the heavens, and over every living thing that is creeping upon the earth.'" -Genesis 1:27-28
After Christ comes back, both men and women will rule as kings and priests:
"and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first-born out of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth; to him who did love us, and did bathe us from our sins in his blood, and did make us kings and priests to his God and Father, to him [is] the glory and the power to the ages of the ages! Amen." -Revelation 1:5-6
For in Christ there is neither male nor female, we are all one (as members of the Body of Christ on this earth):
"for as many as to Christ were baptized did put on Christ; there is not here Jew or Greek, there is not here servant nor freeman, there is not here male and female, for all ye are one in Christ Jesus" -Galatians 3:27-28
There are women apostles, ministers, prophets, and more in the Bible. For more information about this, click here.
13 In your own selves judge ye; is it seemly for a woman uncovered to pray to God?
Paul is asking us to judge for ourselves, after he's just given us multiple reasons why the woman should be head covered. This is akin to the homeschool mother teaching a lesson to her child, and then asking the child for the answer to the thing she was teaching the whole time. Paul here is not suddenly throwing out all that he just taught in the previous several verses. No, he is trying to make the reader engage their brain, and see the logic for themselves, as to why the Christian woman is to cover her head. This verse is a rhetorical question, as by this point, it's obvious the woman is to cover her head. We've so far seen that:
- It is a dishonor/shame to the woman to be uncovered, and also to have short or shaven hair.
- She head covers to demonstrate the Familial Authoritative Order, which symbolizes Christ and the church.
- She head covers also because of Genesis 2:18 and Genesis 6:1-4
- Further, as we saw in verse 5, a Christian woman praying or prophesying (proclaiming the Word of God, which could also be teaching from the Bible) without her head covered is a dishonor to her.
Paul is now going to give us a parenthetical example using nature, to further drive home the answer of "women should headcover" to his somewhat rhetorical question put forth in verse 13. Verses 14-15 are parenthetical, and then in verse 16, he straight out gives the obvious answer to the question put forth in verse 13.
14 doth not even nature itself teach you, that if a man indeed have long hair, a dishonour it is to him?
How does nature teach us that it is a dishonor to a man to have long hair? One way, is that many men can't grow the type of long, luscious locks that most women can. However, there are other reasons, such as a man's having long hair can get in the way of his particular duties. A great example of this is Absalom:
"And like Absalom there was no man [so] fair in all Israel, to praise greatly; from the sole of his foot even unto his crown there was no blemish in him; and in his polling his head -- and it hath been at the end of year by year that he polleth [it], for it [is] heavy on him, and he hath polled it -- he hath even weighed out the hair of his head -- two hundred shekels by the king's weight." -2 Samuel 14:25-26
and
"And Absalom meeteth before the servants of David, and Absalom is riding on the mule, and the mule cometh in under an entangled bough of the great oak, and his head taketh hold on the oak, and he is placed between the heavens and the earth, and the mule that [is] under him hath passed on." -2 Samuel 18:9
Absalom's long, gorgeous hair got caught in a tangled part of a tree, as his mule was taking him under it, so he was left hanging by his hair from the tree, while his mule walked out from under him, and went on its way. This lead to an enemy of Absalom finding him, and killing him. Perhaps if he cut his hair more often, it wouldn't have gotten caught in a tree, which created a circumstance that lead to his death. In the end, that man's long hair dishonored him.
15 and a woman, if she have long hair, a glory it is to her, because the hair instead of a covering hath been given to her;
Many will jump on this verse, and tell us that a woman's long hair is given to her in the place of the head covering. However, they fail to recall that both verses 14 and 15 are giving us examples from nature - "doth not even nature itself teach you." In nature, most healthy women have the ability to easily grow long hair, and it looks very feminine on her, which is a glory to her. Notice here that the glory of the man is the woman, and the glory of the woman is her hair.
Also, the Greek word for "covering" in this verse is a different Greek word than the word translated as "cover" in all other places in this chapter. Normally, in regards to covering, the Greek word "katakalyptō" or similar, is used in this chapter, which literally means to cover, or cover up. However, in verse 15, a different Greek word is used for covering - "peribolaion," which mean a covering that wraps, like a mantle or veil. Long hair on a woman naturally is supposed to cover her head so that it is not bald, but it also wraps around her shoulders, like a mantle or veil. Perhaps this is why "peribolaion" was used here, instead of "katakalyptō."
Nature gives women a "peribolaion" covering, and then the woman places a physical covering on her head - "katakalyptō," to show that her husband is her head.
16 and if any one doth think to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the assemblies of God.
Verse 13 put forth the question of if we think it is proper for a woman to pray unto God with her head uncovered. Paul already spent several verses prior to that, showing us that the answer is clearly that women should be headcovering. After he put forth this question in verse 13, he gave us a parenthetical example, that even nature agrees with a woman covering her head, in verses 14 and 15. The direct answer to the question put forth in verse 13 is verse 16. With the parenthetical example removed, it reads as follows:
"In your own selves judge ye; is it seemly for a woman uncovered to pray to God? and if any one doth think to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the assemblies of God." -verses 13 and 16
What custom? Well, in the Old Testament, it was customary for the woman of God to cover her head:
"And Rebekah lifteth up her eyes, and seeth Isaac, and alighteth from off the camel; and she saith unto the servant, `Who [is] this man who is walking in the field to meet us?' and the servant saith, `It [is] my lord;' and she taketh the veil, and covereth herself." -Genesis 24:64-65
Rebekah was showing her betrothed that she will submit to him as her Familial Authoritative Head.
It was a shame for a woman's veil to be removed in public:
"The watchmen who go round about the city, Found me, smote me, wounded me, Keepers of the walls lifted up my veil from off me." -Song of Solomon 5:7
The above was in a nightmare a woman was having. Notice part of her nightmare involved her veil/headcovering being publicly removed.
"and the priest hath caused the woman to stand before Jehovah, and hath uncovered the woman's head, and hath given into her hands the present of the memorial, it [is] a present of jealousy, and in the hand of the priest are the bitter waters which cause the curse." -Numbers 5:18
In the above, the woman accused of adultery had her headcovering removed.
As you see, verse 16 of 1 Corinthians 11 is telling us that the New Testament church is not starting a new custom of women not being head covered. The custom of women covering their heads in the Old Testament not only still stands, but now is not merely a custom, but a command:
"and every woman praying or prophesying with the head uncovered, doth dishonour her own head, for it is one and the same thing with her being shaven, for if a woman is not covered -- then let her be shorn, and if [it is] a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven -- let her be covered" -1 Corinthians 11:5-6
Once one understands the purpose of the covering, and that it is the woman's covering her head, showing that her head is her husband, just as the head of the church is Christ, we see that hair can't be the covering. Further, there is no custom in the church of women not covering. They are to continue headcovering, until the bride goes unto the Bridegroom - the marriage of Christ and the church.
