What is the rationale behind this scriptural passage? Why does God want a woman's head covered in Church?

Question

Should a woman's head be covered when she is in Church? Or is it an outdated, irrelevant teaching? Do you practice it today? Here's the passage:

1 Corinthians 11:4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.

1 Corinthians 11:5 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.

1 Corinthians 11: 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.

1 Corinthians 11: 7 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.

1 Corinthians 11:8 For the man is not of the woman: but the woman of the man.

1 Corinthians 11:9 Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.

1 Corinthians 11:10 For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.

YES. I do think Paul means hair, and not a head dress. That's how a lot of other people interpret this scripture.

And think about it, why would it be important to God that females wear hats in Church?

Answer 1

I suspect it was more of a cultural matter than anything. But this custom remains today in many settings. Many require a man to take his hat off to pray with a group even today. That is a custom that has endured the ages.

I suspect there may also be a spirit of modesty in addition to what the verses say about the woman being made for man. Women are beautiful, sexy, and lovely to behold and when you are in the presence of God you may not want to be distracted by the sexuality of another man's wife-the beautiful, glossy long hair framing her gorgeous face and cascading across her shoulders and down her back. . .

In this sense it is good advice to minimize the coveting of your brother's wife. That is likely what Paul is getting at. When you pray, you want to concentrate on the Lord, and not on someone else's wife next to you.

Answer 2

Paul's first letter to the church of Corinth in chapter 11 states:

But any woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled brings shame upon her head, for it is one and the same thing as if she had had her head shaved.

This section of Paul's letter is devoted to regulation of conduct at the liturgy and, in particular, with the dress of women in the church assembly.

Women have been participating in worship at Corinth without the head-covering normal for honorable women in Greek society of the period.

Paul's stated goal is to bring them back into conformity with contemporary practice and propriety.

This does not mean that women have to wear head coverings today but that they should conform with contemporary practice and propriety of honorable women of their culture.

With love in Christ.

Answer 3

It is traditional in the Jewish religion for men to cover their heads when they pray with a prayer shawl. This demonstrates deference to the Almighty (just as today, men remove their hats in church to show respect.). Asking women to cover their heads in church was simply asking them to follow the same rules that were in place for men.

Answer 4

And just to throw in my 2 cents worth, I always have a headcovering on. Many women I know follow this particular piece of scripture very carefully.

Answer 5

What bothers me is that you see this as relevant. What is in her head is far more important than what is on it. It was written for a point in time and cannot be extrapolated to mean anything to you. It was the accepted thing to do. Then. Case in point: Do you sacrifice sheep at church? Why not? It's in the bible.

Answer 6

1 Corinthians 11:3-16 addresses the issue of women and head coverings. The context of the entire passage of 1 Corinthians 11:3-16 is submission to the God-given order and "chain of command." A "covering" on a woman's head is used as an illustration of the order, headship, and the authority of God. The key verse of this passage is 1 Corinthians 11:3 "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 implications of this verse are found in the rest of the passage. The order is: God the Father, God the Son, the man or husband, and the woman or wife. The veil or covering on the head of a believing Corinthian wife showed that she was under the authority of her husband, and therefore under submission to God.



Within the context of this passage is this verse, "For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels." The word "power" in this verse in the Greek means "jurisdiction" or "authority," and the covering is a sign that a wife is under the authority of her husband. Why is that important to angels? The relationship of God with men is something that angels watch and learn from (1 Peter 1:12). Therefore, a woman's submission to God's delegated "power" over her is an illustration to angels. The holy angels, who are in perfect and total submission to God, expect that we, as followers of Christ, do the same.



This covering not only means a cloth but also can refer to a woman's hair length. How can we say that? We must take this verse in the context or the setting in which it is presented. "Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering" (1 Corinthians 11:14-15). Therefore, in the context of this passage, a woman who is wearing her hair longer marks herself out distinctively as a woman and not a man. The Apostle Paul is saying here that in the Corinthian culture, when a wife's hair was longer than her husband's, it showed her submission to his headship. The roles of the male and female are designed by God to portray a profound spiritual lesson, that is of submission to the will and the order of God.



But, why is hair an issue in this passage? The Apostle Paul is addressing something in the Corinthian culture that was being allowed to disrupt the church. Women in service in the pagan temples had their heads shaved. It marked them as pagan temple prostitutes. The Apostle Paul says in this passage that a woman who is shorn or shaved should be covered (1 Corinthians 11:6), for woman shorn or shaved of her hair had lost her "glory," and she was not under the protection of a husband. A shorn head with out a covering was equivalent to saying, "I refuse to submit to God's order." Therefore, the Apostle Paul is teaching the Corinthians that hair length or the wearing of a "covering" by the woman was an outward indication of a heart attitude of submission to God and to His established authority. This was important for the Corinthian church was to be separate from the established culture of Corinth (2 Corinthians 6:17).



God's order is that the husband is the head of the wife as God is the head of Christ - and there is no in equality here or inferiority. God and Christ are equal and united, just as the husband and the wife are one. This is not a passage that teaches that the woman is inferior to man or that she should be submissive to every man. It is teaching God's order and spiritual headship in the marriage relationship. In the Corinthian culture, a woman who covered her head during worship or when she was in public displayed her submission to authority.



In today's culture, we no longer view a woman's wearing of a head covering as a sign of submission. In most modern societies, scarves and hats are fashion accessories. A woman has the choice to wear a head covering if she views it as a sign of her submission to the authority of her husband. However, it is a personal choice and not something that should be used to judge spirituality. The real issue here is the heart attitude of obedience to God's authority and submission to His established order as "unto the LORD." God is far more concerned with an attitude of submission, than an outward display of submission via a head covering. 1 Timothy 2:9-10, "I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God."

Recommended Resource: Two Views on Women in Ministry edited by Blomberg and Beck.

Answer 7

Whatever it means, I don't think that it is outdated because of the reference to angels in verse 10.

Answer 8

it is about modesty and obedience, and yes many women in this day and age actually obey and cover their head, its also a way for a woman to remember to be humble and not be filled with pride, pride is a deadly sin.

,,,,,,,,
kay

Answer 9

Sounds alot like a control issue. No different than "your not supposed to wear a hat in school etc...".

Answer 10

Read more carefully, this is talking about hair, not a garment