“3 But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. 4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. 5 But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved. 6 For if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off; but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should cover her head. 7 A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. 8 For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; 9 neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. 10 It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own head, because of the angels. 11 Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. 12 For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.13 Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14 Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, 15 but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering. 16 If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice—nor do the churches of God.” (NIV)
What do these verses often get misunderstood to mean?
Men are the God-ordained authority figures over women, and women are required to wear some kind of head covering to show that they are under that authority.
In one sentence, what do these verses mean?
Because (at the time) head coverings were a way of showing authority and elevated status, all women should be allowed to wear them to show their own authority over themselves.
Explanation
Corinth – Sin City of the Ancient World
The book of the Bible we know as 1 Corinthians was originally a letter written by Paul, an early church leader. This letter was written to a church in the city of Corinth, instructing them about specific issues people were facing. In order to understand the importance of head coverings, we need to understand a little bit about Corinth.
Corinth was the capital of the Roman province Achaia, and it was known for being a bustling cultural hub, not all of which was acceptable culture in the budding Christian church. Corinth was known for having a very sexual society with a double standard for men that often encouraged or excused promiscuity.
This was a culture where a woman’s dignity was wholly defined by her relationship to a man. Husbands were seen as patrons of their wives, meaning they were the source of all their wives’ financial and physical needs. This is what Paul describes as being the head in verse 3. See the explanation of Ephesians 5:21-29 to learn more about what the word “head” means. One of the things a husband provided to his wife was the right to wear a head covering. But why is that important, and what does a head covering even mean?
What Was the Point of a Head Covering?
A head covering meant that a woman was spoken for and protected because she was under the authority of a man. It granted her dignity and safety, because without it, she was vulnerable. If a woman was married, her head covering signified that she was spoken for by her husband. If she were unmarried, it meant she was under her father’s household. Remember also that women weren’t recognized as their own legal entities. So having a head covering meant that the woman had a patron: a male familial relationship who could legally protect her and represent her.
What this means is that if a man tried to assault a covered woman, he would face consequences. Wearing a head covering meant, “if you try to hurt me, my husband/father will come after you physically and legally.” The power of a head covering was so potent that if a married woman went out in public with her hair uncovered and a man assaulted her, that man would not be held liable because she didn’t have her covering on. That is how crucial it was for a woman to wear a covering. Without it, she had no protection.
Why Didn’t All Women Wear One?
Not every woman was legally allowed to wear a head covering. Only a woman who was spoken for by a man was allowed the honor of wearing one. Lower-class women or women who were in difficult circumstances were not allowed to cover, leaving them vulnerable to the whims of Corinth culture.
The Power of Hair
Additionally, head coverings were a reflection of the beauty standard of the time. In the Greco-Roman world, hair was considered a woman’s most alluring feature. This is why a woman with her hair out was a way of saying that she was single and ready to mingle, but when a woman got married, she would cover her hair to show sexual fidelity to her husband.
Because of the sexual implications of uncovered hair, a lower-class woman who was not allowed to wear a covering was not just vulnerable; she was embarrassed and exposed. In our modern-day context, this might look like a woman being forced to wear a bikini everywhere she goes and not being allowed to cover up.
That being said, for a woman to stand up and pray or prophesy or speak in church without wearing a head covering would have been mortifying for her due to the shame and sexual implications of what uncovered hair meant. Paul empathizes with this embarrassment and explains it to others by likening it to a woman being bald in verses 5-6. In verse 5, He is saying that just as a woman would feel embarrassed to be bald in front of everyone (remember the beauty standard of the time revolving around hair), the lower-class, uncovered women were feeling embarrassed in church. Paul’s discourse about hair and baldness is him acknowledging, empathizing, and explaining the uncovered women’s position to other members of the church.
The More Beautiful Half of Humanity
Paul goes even further to honor women by calling them the glory of man in verse 7. Glory meant radiant beauty. By being a part of humanity, women reflect God’s glory, but Paul additionally recognizes women as being the more beautiful half of mankind. Rather than treating a woman’s beauty as a temptuous problem to be hidden away lest it become a threat to men’s purity, Paul reveres it in verses 7 and 15 as something that brings glory to God and should therefore be honored and protected from those who would abuse it, as was commonly happening in Corinthian culture.
Countercultural Unity in Christ
In verse 9, Paul counterculturally states that men need women. At this time in history, men were the patrons and women relied on them for everything. But by reminding the church of Corinth of the creation order, Paul was showing scripturally that men needed women (Genesis 2:18). Women are therefore not an accessory to men but a necessary part of humanity that men needed.
In verses 11-12, Paul speaks to the mutual dependence and interconnectedness of the two sexes. He does not entertain any competition over who is more important (verse 16). He asserts that both men and women have value and that both should be treated as such. To honor one is to honor the other, to shame one is to shame the other, because in God’s house we are one (1 Corinthians 12:24-27). Hearing this unifying rhetoric in the male-centered, ancient world would have been shocking.
Whose Authority is She Under?
This all culminates to the driving point Paul makes in verse 10. There is a crucial grammatical implication in the original Greek that is often lost in most English translations. You can see this most clearly when comparing a translation that added extra English words to make the sentence sound more readable versus one that did not add any extra words. Compare the NLT and the KJV.
NLT: “For this reason, and because the angels are watching, a woman should wear a covering on her head to show she is under authority.”
KJV: “For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.”
In the KJV, no extra English words were added, which makes the sentence sound clunkier, but it is closer to the original message of the Greek.
In the NLT translation, it would imply to us English speakers that the woman is under someone else’s authority, presumably a man’s. But the Greek text states simply that a woman should have authority on or over her head. Let’s look at the original Greek words.
Grammar Lesson
The word for authority used here is exousia (ἐξουσία). It is used over 100 times in the New Testament and translated as authority, right, freedom, or liberty. In every instance of the word, it is always used in an active voice, meaning the subject of the sentence is the doer of the verb. Exousia is never structured with a passive voice.
For example, Mark 3:14-15. “And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons.” (ESV)
This verse uses the same Greek words as 1 Corinthians 11:10: Exousia (authority) and echein (ἔχειν), meaning to have. As stated, exousia is always used in the active voice, meaning the subject of the sentence performs the verb. In Mark 3:14-15, it means the disciples (the subject of the sentence) are the holders of the authority (they perform the action).
Applying this new Greek grammar knowledge to 1 Corinthians 11:10, the meaning is changed. It is the woman who holds the authority over herself. She is the subject of the sentence, so she performs the action of holding authority. Paul is saying that every woman should be allowed to wear a covering regardless of if she is spoken for by a man, because she is under her own God-given authority.
Why Don’t Men Wear One?
In Roman pagan worship, men would cover their heads with their toga. A man having his head covered was a symbol of pagan worship. Paul addresses the men in verses 4 and 7. He is saying that both men and women should be dressed honorably towards God and towards themselves. Because of the specific culture they were operating in, this meant women covering their hair and men not covering theirs.
Verse 14 is another reference to the cultural beauty standard of the time. It would have been considered feminine for a man to have long hair. Paul is remarking on this to further explain to why women who were not allowed to cover their hair were feeling embarrassed.
What do Angels Have to do With This?
Scholars offer a couple of possible explanations for the brief mention of angels in verse 10. The word “angels” could either mean divine heavenly beings or human messengers. Paul could be referencing a belief that angels were present during church gatherings (Psalm 138:1), and therefore, in order to be reverent, women needed to be allowed to wear a head covering. Alternatively, it could mean human messenger, as in Paul wanted the church to make a good impression on outsiders looking at how Christians were treating each other.
Either way, Paul is urging the congregation to treat the lower-class women with dignity because of the accountability that angels/messengers provide.
Conclusion
Head coverings were an empowering thing for women, and Paul is advocating for all women of that time to be allowed to wear them as a reflection of a woman’s God-given value and dignity. It doesn’t matter where you came from; who you are in Christ eclipses any shame that the world may try to put on you.
Sources
https://www.bibleref.com/1-Corinthians/11/1-Corinthians-11-7.html
https://orthodoxchristiantheology.com/2014/05/13/because-of-the-angels-tackling-1-corinthians-1110/
https://margmowczko.com/women-authority-exousia-subordination-1-corinthians-11-10/
https://biblehub.com/text/mark/3-15.htm