I Corinthians 11:1-16

b. She knows more than she is “covering the hair” on her head, but she understands the symbolic meaning of the covering.

c. She is not under her husband, nor is he over her, but because of the angels that are watching.

Matthew Henry (whose comments on this passage is practically the same as John Gill, Jamieson, Faussett and Brown, Matthew Henry, and all of the older commentaries I could find) on I Corinthian 11:2-16: (His comments are a good outline of the passage.)

…it seems probable that some of the women who, on pretence of being inspired, had prayed or prophesied in the Corinthian church, had cast off their veils after the manner of the heathen priestesses. This indecent and improper custom, the apostle reproves. He observes, therefore, that the preeminence belongs to man over the woman, even as preeminence belonged to Christ over the man; that it was a dishonour to Christ when a man prayed or prophesied with his head covered, and in like manner it was regarded everywhere as dishonourable and improper for a woman to lay. Aside the appropriate symbol of her sex, and the emblem of subordination, and to be uncovered in the presence of the man, (1 Corinthians 11:3-6;) that if a woman was not veiled, if she laid aside the appropriate emblem of her sex and of her subordinate condition, she might as well part with her hair, which all knew would be dishonourable and improper, (1 Corinthians 11:6;) that the woman had been created for a subordinate station, and should observe it, (1 Corinthians 11:7-9;) that she should have power on her head because of the angels, (1 Corinthians 11:10;) and yet, lest this should depress her, and seem to convey the idea of her utter inferiority and unimportance, he adds, that in the plan of salvation they are in many respects on an equality with the man, that the same plan was adapted to both, that the same blessings are appointed for both sexes, and the same high hopes are held out to both, (1 Corinthians 11:11,12) and that nature on this subject was a good instructor, and showed that it was uncomely for a woman to pray with her head uncovered, that her hair had been given her for an ornament and for beauty, and that, as it would be as improper for her to remove her veil as to cut off her hair, nature itself required that this symbol of her subordination should not be laid aside in public, 1 Corinthians 11:13-16.

1. Verse 3-6 –The man should uncover his head while the woman should cover her head.

4. Verse 11,12 – The woman should not be depressed, or the man impressed, they are mutually dependent.

5. Verse 13-16 – God has instilled men and women with a natural judgment, which is accepted to God.

First of all, I think it necessary to say I feel very uncomfortable writing on this subject, but I feel a strong urge to enlarge on this subject because of a lack of understanding on this subject by both preachers and church members.

There is as much fault on the part of the woman as there is on the part of the man. The woman needs instructions in how to properly worship God, but the man also needs proper instructions on how to instruct his wife and children in proper worship. I’m not a woman, therefore this message doesn’t affect me as it affects women. My wife is the one who needs to wear the head covering, while I don’t change my appearance.

I’ve heard this doctrinal practice presented in a wrong way; from both sides of the argument. I have heard it “forced down the throats of the listeners” to the place that if the correct position wasn’t taken, the folks were in danger of hell fire. I do not want to present this doctrine in that manner. I think this position could be better taught by a woman in a class for women, but I will present this message because I am your pastor, because I believe God directs my thoughts this way. I cannot expect the members of this church to adhere to doctrines I am not willing to teach.

If this passage is not teaching that women ought to wear a covering during worship, and that men ought to remove their covering during worship, please tell me what Paul is teaching.

When I first learned about the head covering, I was had been a saved church member for about 15 years, but had never heard anything about the head covering. A dear pastor friend, Brother John Keltie, believed in the head covering, and introduced the subject during our conversations, because he knew none of us believed that doctrine. Later, one Sunday afternoon, three families were present at my house trailer when we lived in O’Fallon, Missouri. It was in the year 1970 or so. Brother Keltie was not present, so our pastor, Jerry Asberry, assumed the position of Brother Keltie, while the rest of us represented the position of non-head covering.

We thoroughly discussed the scripture, and the conclusion was inevitable. We all got it all settled that afternoon. It was absolutely correct to wear the head covering, but, for me, it made no sense at all. I could not deny the scripture, or what it taught, but I did not understand why it was so important for a woman to wear a head covering.

The actual decision we made that Sunday afternoon was that we didn’t fully understand all the reasons why the head covering was important, but it was better to be safe than sorry. It certainly didn’t hurt anything to wear the covering, and it just might be the best thing to do.

I am very thankful the decision was made to obey when we did not understand, because if that decision had not been made, I might never have understood the importance of obeying when I did not understand. As time went by, I learned more and more about what the covering really meant.

There is, without a doubt, much confusion and discussion about the following verses. I firmly believe that any of God’s children who sincerely desire the truth, who will study these passages, and forget what men say, and also forget what they think about it, and what their friends will think about them, will find the truth. If this scripture is approached with pre-conceived ideas, the truth will not be discovered.

First of all, it is very important to consider the overall subject of these scriptures. What is Paul talking about? There are some who believe that God, being inspired by the Holy Spirit has led Paul to write about something we are not supposed to do anything about, or worry about doing!

Some believe these scriptures mean absolutely nothing at all. If these verses are not talking about a head covering, what are they talking about? Why were these words written if we are not supposed to pay them any attention? Are we supposed to obey this scripture or ignore it? We are supposed to obey it, of course. Everything that is written in the scriptures is profitable for us. We may not understand the “whys and wherefore’s”, but it is our place to obey, then we can understand.

It is important to note that Paul is writing to the church at Corinth, who are not Jews. This is a Gentile church, not a Jewish church. I am a Gentile, not a Jew. Whether I am a Jew or Gentile, the Word of God is good for me.

Many people believe that these passages were written to the people in that day and do not apply to us. How do those people know that this passage applies only to the people in that day? There is no verse in all of I Corinthians 11, or anywhere in the entire Bible that states that this passage applies only to the people in Paul’s day.

I will not discuss in any depth at all the Greek words that are used. I don’t know a lot of Greek. The average person doesn’t know a lot of Greek either. Besides that, God has preserved, in the English language, a copy of his original Bible. It is very apparent God intends the majority of English speaking people to use the English version of the Bible he has preserved: the King James Version.

Verse 1, Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. Not just follow Paul, but follow Paul because he is following Christ. If we want to be Christ like, we will obey God and his entire Bible, the parts we understand and the parts we do not understand.

Verse 2, Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you. Paul is not saying that one of the ordinances is that ladies wear a head covering when they attend church services. He is saying that a preface to keeping the ordinances of the church properly is a proper attitude about the home. Every man and woman who desires to keep the ordinances properly will have a proper relationship with their spouse. This is why Paul prefaces his words on the Lord’s Supper (verse 17-34) with this topic.

The word “ordinances” means the body of the truth, not just what we now call the Ordinances of the church: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Many would proclaim that customs change; therefore our customs should also change. Customs do change, but God’s instructions are good for time and eternity. Those that follow the Biblical precepts might be called “old fashioned” or “not progressive”, but God will call them obedient. If all our actions change according to the customs of the day, then how can we possible be “salt and light” to this world?

Paul is going to teach the Corinthian church something they don’t fully understand: The Lord’s Supper. But first, he is going to teach them something they already know, using what they already know as an aid. This is a good practice for teachers to follow. It is almost always good to explain the unknown by how it relates to something that is known.

I don’t believe Paul is saying that you can’t take the Lord’s Supper properly if you don’t believe in wearing the covering. He may be saying that, but I don’t believe he is. I think he is saying that if you want to keep the ordinances properly, then begin by getting the very basic structure of your home, heart and life right.

The covering is “linked” to everything else. It is not a solitary unit that stands alone. The woman who wears the covering ought to understand why she wears it. She doesn’t wear it because she has to, but because she understands why God wants her to wear a covering, she wants to.

Some women don’t want to wear the covering because they will not be in subjection to their husbands. Some women don’t wear the covering because they don’t want to show they are in subjection to their wild, wicked husbands.

Verse 3, But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. The subject of this verse is head ship. Paul speaks about the “chain of command”, but it is not a chain of command like the military has. In the military, there are certain positions who make all the decisions and those under them carry out those decisions.

In the husband and wife relationship, the husband must make the final decisions, but his decisions is aided by advice from his “help-meet”. The word help meet means a help that is suitable. God gave Adam a help that was suitable for him, and God gives each husband a help that is suitable for him. That help, husbands, is your wife. The decisions you make scripturally will be made by using the advice of your wife. A woman doesn’t wear the covering because she is on a lower rung of the ladder than her husband, but she wears it to show the power she has! The wife does not have a lack of power or authority, but the covering shows her power. The power of a wife is not over her husband, but her power relates her directly to her husband.

When I see a woman wearing a covering, I think immediately of her husband. It puts the husband and wife together. She is a unit with her husband, and children, just as the husband is a unit with his wife and children. The covering is not to be worn to put women down, but to lift them up, and to connect them with their husbands and families.

If there was anything near a “chain of command” it would be something like the authority described above. Remember these positions are able to carry equal authority. It is not a “chain of command” like the military, but a “chain of command” as given in I Corinthians 10:3. God the Father is first. Christ the son is second. The male is third. The female is fourth. Children would be next, although they are not mentioned in these verses.

Paul is not talking about intelligence, usefulness, or integrity. He is talking about authority. Authority comparable to God the Father and Christ the Son. God the Father and Christ the son are equal because both are God. God the Father has more authority than Christ because God has elected us to salvation, and Christ obeyed His Father in coming to the earth in the form of mankind, and dying for our sins. It is obviously wrong to say Jesus has no authority, because he does. According to Matthew 26:53, Jesus had the authority to call twelve legions of angels as defense against the Jews when they wanted to crucify him, but he did not use that authority because he would obey his Father’s will.

The husband and wife are one for the Bible declares they shall be one flesh. The husband has more authority than the wife because God gave him more authority. The woman who wears a covering shows that she is honoring her husband, which gives her power with God and the angels. It is not that the woman has no authority, as her authority rests in her husband, just as Jesus had ample authority, which rested in his Father.

A colonel in the army has more authority than a private. Even though the colonel has more authority than the private, he is no more a man than the private, just that his position is greater. The private, however, when obeying the orders of the colonel possesses all the authority of the colonel.

A woman can have great authority with God because she shows her obedience to God’s Word by wearing a covering - a sign or symbol of authority, verse 10. The authority of a woman is not her own authority, of course, just as the authority of the man is not his own authority. When the husband obeys God, the authority of God is reflected in him, and there is no higher authority than the authority of God.

Feminism, at its core, is the desire of women to have their own authority and disregard the authority given to them by God, who transfers his authority to Jesus Christ, who transfers his authority to husbands, who transfer their authority to their wives. Feminism, at its core, is the desire of women to remove themselves from the authority of God, and establish themselves as their own authority.

It is true that women have no authority on their own, but it is also true that men have no authority on their own. All authority emanates from God, and all authority not emanating from God will be destroyed. God intended for the husband to be the head of his family, for the husband to get instructions from the Bible to know how to lead his family. God never intended for husbands to strike out on their own, which type of leadership will surely lead the family to eventual destruction. God never intended for wives to strike out on their own, forsaking the counsel of their husbands, which will surely lead the wife and those that follow her into eventual destruction. A Godly husband desires to please his wife by properly obeying the principles and precepts established by God and revealed in his Bible. I believe most women do not understand the desire of husbands to please their wives, and to help them, and be a part of their lives.

Verse 4-6, Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head. But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven. For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered.

The head of the man is Christ. The man always takes his hat off when he comes before God. At a graduation ceremony, a man always takes off his hat when he prays. This is not just custom, but comes from the Word of God.

A man that wears a hat in public worship dishonors Christ because he is putting himself above Christ. A woman that refuses to wear a covering in public worship dishonors her husband because she is putting herself above her husband.

Verse 3 relates the head of the wife is her husband. She dishonoureth her husband when she doesn’t wear a covering. For a woman to not cover her hair (which is her glory) is the same as if she has been shaved.

Some facts concerning the covering. In this country, up until the mid 1940’s almost every woman wore a hat (covering) when they went outdoors, especially when they attended church services. In the mid 1940’s, during W. W. II, many women went to work in factories because the men were off fighting the war. They took off their dresses and hats and put on men’s pants because they were doing a man’s job. When the war was over and the men came back home, many women kept on dressing in men’s clothing.

This is one reason so many people have trouble with these verses today. They have grown up in a time when these scriptures weren’t followed, therefore they haven’t seen how it works. In the days when Paul wrote these verses, there was no question that the women would wear a covering when they went into public places, whether that place was to worship or not.

Verse 4, Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head. This verse has reference to the physical head of a man, and the spiritual head of a man. The word “man” refers to a physical man. The first word “head” refers to the head of the physical man. The second word “head” refers to the authority over the man, Jesus Christ, I Corinthians 11:3. Praying or prophesying refers to praying and preaching in public, for Paul is writing to the church at Corinth. When a man prays or preaches with his head covered, he dishonoureth his head, Jesus Christ. If this covering is hair, then a man ought to take his hair off in order to pray or preach. If this covering is a covering over the hair (a hat, for example), the man ought to remove the covering in order to pray or preach. Praying or preaching refers to public worship, for Paul is writing to a local church about public worship, not private worship.

Verse 5-6, states, But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven. {6} For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered. Verse 5 starts with the word “but”, indicating a contrast with verse 4. There is a lot of controversy over these verses, but the truth will always stand the test of time and God’s fiery judgment.

If hair is the covering, then the Bible is confusing when it says that the woman who prays or prophesieth (teaches) with her hair uncovered is the same as if she were shaven. It is very obvious that if the woman is shaved, she is uncovered: if the covering is hair. If, however, the covering is not hair, but a cloth covering over the hair, then the Bible says that the woman who prays or teaches without a cloth covering is the same thing as shaved (regardless of how long her hair is).

It is also obvious from verse 6 that the word “shorn” and “shaven” refer to the same condition - that of the hair being very closely cut (the maximum length of hair would be approximately ¼” long.)

Some, believing that the covering is hair, declare that if the woman doesn’t have long hair, they ought to shave their heads. This is a fairly common interpretation, but the only way this conclusion can be arrived at is by applying the words in these verses to the woman, and not to the man. It is very clear to me that the context of this passage isn’t speaking only about women, but about their relationship to each other and to Jesus, and Jesus to God, the Father.

Verse 7-13, For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man. If the covering is hair, then a man ought to shave his head so he will be able to worship God in public.

The covering is not hair, but a covering on top of his hair. The man doesn’t cover his hair because his hair is his glory and he is the image and glory of God. A woman covers her hair because her hair is her glory and she is the glory of man. The glory of man should not be seen, but the glory of God should be seen. Therefore the woman must cover her glory (hair).

Verse 8, For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. This passage is talking about where a woman came from. Man came first, then God created the woman from one of the ribs of Adam.

God didn’t make the woman from a rib of every man, but from Adam. In biology class in college, the professor brought in a skeleton, and asked if it was a male or female skeleton. A girl said it was a woman, because it had an equal number of ribs. The professor used this to try to disprove God’s creation of the world. The girl didn’t understand that God created the woman from the rib of Adam, not from the rib of every man.

God created a woman for Adam because he needed a help meet. A help meet is a help that is suitable for him. The word “meet” means “suitable”. It must be noted that man needed a helper, the woman didn’t need a helper.

Verse 9, Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man. The man was the needy one. The man wasn’t created to help the woman, but the woman was made to help the man. We ought to rejoice with the wife of our youth until we’re very, very old, until we’re dead.

Verse 10, For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels. It is not that the woman is recognizing her place, but that she is recognizing her status before God. It is not that she is saying, “Yes, master” to her husband, but she is saying “Yes, master” to God! As the woman wants to be submissive to God, she submits herself to her own husband in the Lord. She shows by wearing the covering that she is submitting herself to God through her husband. The angels that watch understand because they know where the woman came from in the first place.

Verse 11, Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord. Men and women need each other. A man cannot be a man without a woman, because he can’t be complete. Neither can the woman be a real woman without a man. It is very honorable for young boys and girls to date and marry and raise their families. This is good and honorable in the Lord.

Today the very opposite is being taught. It is very true that a woman can do almost everything a man can do, but that is not the point. What does God want you to do? That is the only thing that really matters.

Women’s organizations today are teaching that a woman can be a real woman without a man, that they don’t need men to hang around them, and mess up their lives. Today, it is being taught that the only reason a woman ought to have a man is to bear children. There are many young girls today that want to have children, but don’t want to have the husband that ought to go along with having children. A lot of young woman want to have children out of wedlock.

Verse 12, For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God. This verse is not contradicting verse 9. Verse 9 is speaking about Adam and the woman created from his rib. This verse is speaking about all the creation since Adam and the first woman. Every man has a mother. See the necessity of both sexes. We are mutually dependent upon one another.

Verse 7, Why does the Bible use the word “covering” when it really means hair? If hair is a covering, then is it against scripture for a man to have hair on his head and come into the worship services? If hair always means a hat or covering of the head, this is an unanswerable question. The word “hair” does refer to a covering. Remember that hair refers to the glory of the individual it is on. If it is on the head of a man, that is his glory. If it is on the head of a woman, that is her glory. There is a difference in the way men and women show their glory. A man shows his glory because he is the image and glory of God. He shows the glory of God by showing his hair. A woman shows the glory of her husband when she covers up her glory (hair) by wearing a clothing covering. She magnifies her office as wife and help meet, showing power (authority) on her head because of the angels that watch worship services.

Verse 13, Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered? Judge in yourselves. Notice what the custom of the day was. It was that a woman pray and teach with her head covered. Paul didn’t answer this question because he knew they knew the answer. Comely means appropriate.

Notice the flow of scripture. Paul never leaves the subject, but he is giving an explanation so we can understand what he is saying. The covering is a grand symbol that the wife is picturing her husband to be her head in Christ.

Verse 14,15 Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? It is interesting to note that nature does not teach a man it is his shame if he has no hair.

Several years ago, back in the “hippie days”, I was riding in a car pool, and I said that the Bible said it was “something” for a man to have long hair. I could not think of the word “shame” for the life of me. I told the place of the scripture, but I couldn’t think of the word. They said they would look it up and show me the next day. The next day they were disappointed to learn that it was only a shame. They thought it ought to be worse!

How long is long hair? How long is a sermon? One fellow said all the Old Testament people had long hair because they didn’t have knives and scissors and such. They had to cut their hair by beating their head against a rock! Some people can be really stupid can’t they? He didn’t understand they fought wars with swords and spears. If you are a child of God, you know how long is long. I know when the hair on my bald spot gets short, so I also know when the hair on the side of my head gets long!

One man got very mad at me after I had preached about long hair on men. He wouldn’t even shake hands with me. He told me I preached on long hair every time he came to church. I told him I preached on long hair every six months, and it had been about that long since he had been.

While I was pastoring at Willow Hill, Bother Bob Jones was preaching about demons and mentioned that demons had long hair, and stated, “There are a couple of them here!” I met one of those men later on the street, and he said he didn’t have a demon, but his hair was too long. He knew, didn’t he?

Verse 15, But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering. Thank God it is just the opposite for a woman, because a man is incomplete, and needs the woman to make him complete.

This can be (but it doesn’t have to be) a very confusing verse to those that believe in a cloth covering for a woman. The truth is that long hair is given to a woman for her covering, and it is a glory to her. This is why she ought to cover it up! She is not supposed to direct attention to herself, but to her husband. Her husband does not wear a head covering in worship services to show that he is the head of the woman, and that his head is Christ. The husband stands in the place of Christ to the woman, not in salvation, or perfection or ruler-ship, but in symbol only.

Many people read this verse and declare that since hair is the covering, a woman ought not wear a cloth covering. If this is so, what does verse 6 mean, which states that if a woman should not wear a covering, let her also be shorn? But if it is a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, then let her be covered.

It is very obvious the woman’s hair is her glory, it is given to her for a covering, therefore she covers up her glory that she might show the glory of her husband, therefore showing the glory of God.

Verse 16, But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God. There is no doubt that nobody in Paul’s day had any strivings about these things. They all agreed to these things. It is important to note that the churches of God didn’t argue about the custom, but readily accepted God’s Word. Today, most churches and church members reject the simple teaching of these scriptures because they don’t want their religion to “stick out” or be obvious.

There are those who interpret these verse to mean that the churches of Christ in Paul’s day had no such custom as wearing a covering. If that is so, the Holy Spirit lead Paul to spent a lot time to say nothing. It would have been better if nothing at all had been said, therefore women wouldn’t even think about wearing a covering.

If this passage isn’t taking about women wearing a covering, what does it mean? Why is it that God put these verses in the Bible, but they don’t mean anything?

Why should we obey? Because the Bible says so. Because of the symbolism it shows.

What is a woman doesn’t obey? It doesn’t mean the woman is saved or lost. It may mean she has never heard this before. If she has heard and still doesn’t obey, it means she is rebelling against the clear commandment of God.

Some people say they have never been convicted about the covering. If the scriptures don’t convict what will? They actually mean they haven’t been oppressed, burden or overloaded with guilt about it. It is not necessary to be “burdened” about a matter to come to the place of believing and practicing it.

Some people say that the hair is the covering for that is what the Bible says in verse 15. See my notes on verse 15 for a full explanation of that verse.

If hair is the covering spoken of in verse 4-7, and verse 15, why are different Greek words used? (It might not be good to pursue this thought as I know no Greek – and many of the common people don’t either.)

The dress of the Levitical priesthood included a mitre and bonnets, Exodus 29. If the Levitical priesthood came before God in the tabernacle, wearing a miter and a bonnet, then some people reason that it is okay for men to come into church services wearing a hat, or cap. Therefore I Corinthians 11:4-7 does not speak of a covering at all, but hair.

The mitre is the head-dress of the high priest. It was made of fine linen: to it was fastened by a lace of blue “the plate of the holy crown of pure gold,” on which was engraved “Holiness to the Lord.” This plate came across the forehead. The mitre was emblematical of the upholding of purity, righteousness and holiness by the Lord Jesus as the Minister of the sanctuary, or holy place. [1]

The bonnet is an additional head-dress of the high priests. It is described as a "head-tire", in Exodus 28:40. It consisted of a long swath of fine white linen wound around the head in oriental fashion. [2]

The problem with the thought is two fold: (1) The Levitical priesthood is not a type of the church, but a type of Jesus Christ, (2) There is no scripture that allows us to jump from Exodus 29 to I Corinthians 11:4-7. All we have is our natural, human, sinful logic. The Levitical priesthood was a type of Christ to come; men are not a type of Christ. The Levitical priesthood relates to the nation of Israel, not the church.

[1] Concise Dictionary – article “mitre”

[2] International Standard Bible Encyclopedia – article “bonnet”