If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice–nor do the churches of God. (1 Corinthians 11:16) After giving in-depth reasons for the tradition of covering and uncovering from verse 1 to verse 15, Paul ends with this sentence. There are two things to note. 1. The word “other”. The word “other” in the NIV, NLT, NASB, CSB, NET and many other translations is actually incorrect. The ESV, KJV, and NKJV translate the Greek word τοιαύτην correctly as “such”. That creates an apparent problem. When Paul says, “we have no such practice”, it appears that Paul is reneging on his 15-verse exposition of the head covering…

1 Corinthians 11:13-15 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. **My apologies in advance: Usually Christian men preserve women’s modesty by “covering” references to womanly body parts, i.e. speaking indirectly. On this occasion, however, I will need to be a bit more direct, in places embarrassingly so.**   Let’s see if I can make this short and sharp.…

Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? (1 Corinthians 11:13) The main point: This verse supports the position that the head covering tradition is for church meetings. After the aside in 1 Corinthians 11:11-12, Paul restates the main point of the passage, i.e. a woman should wear a covering on her head when she prays. Yet, this time, Paul reduced the parameters of head covering. No longer is Paul talking about covering or uncovering when praying and prophesying, he now speaks only of praying. A synecdoche, you say? Of course. Paul is not now denying that women should cover (and…

And we rely on each other, ah-ha,From one human to another, ah-ha. Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb and Maurice Gibb Sung by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton (Lyrics approximate only). So, this is what Paul has said so far (paraphrased of course): Women should wear a head covering. Women should wear a head covering. Women should wear a head covering. Women should wear a head covering. And then we come to verses 11-12. In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God. And the streamers and…

“It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own head, because of the angels.”(1 Corinthians 11:10 NIV Bible) What’s that stuff about the angels? I’d like to suggest that head covering is a sign of the authority of man over woman to remind the church of God’s created purposes for man and woman in the face of spiritual attack from fallen angels. Here are my reasons: Paul rarely, if ever, drops ideas into his writing out of the blue. Instead, he moves from one idea to another, even if the particular meaning is not 100% clear (e.g. 1 Corinthians 15:29). Therefore, it seems likely…

1 Corinthians 11:10 It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her* head, because of the angels.[*The NIV2011 inserts “own” in this verse. I took it out.]There are three main questions people ask about verse 10: What did Paul mean by, “for this reason”? What did Paul mean by, “a woman ought to have authority over her head”? What did Paul mean by, “because of the angels”? Today I’m just looking at the first question: What did Paul mean by “For this reason”?10 It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her head, because of the angels. Is Paul talking about the…

What did Paul mean by “a woman should have authority over her head”? It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own head, because of the angels. (1 Corinthians 11:10 NIV) Here again, the reluctance to accept the plainest reading has spawned a number of different interpretations, but they basically boil down to three options. Option 1: A woman ought to have authority over her man. Option 2: A woman ought to have authority over her own head (reflected in the NIV). Option 3: A woman should cover her head with authority (i.e. a covering). Option 1: A woman should have authority over her…

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. If the reasoning behind men uncovering their heads and women covering their heads is found in part in the Creation story, head covering was not required in the Old Testament. It’s a great question, but before entering that discussion, people need to know what this part of the passage actually says. That’s what this post is about, even though I’m sure most members of this forum are…

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. if you are a man wearing something on your head while praying or prophesying you dishonour your metaphorical head. On the other hand, if you are a woman not wearing something on your head while praying…

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… In these verses Paul explicitly says that covering or uncovering your head is important when praying and prophesying. But what does Paul mean by “prays and prophesies”? Is he specifically talking about those two activities, or is he using a phrase to encompass the activities of a weekly church meeting? The most likely answer is that Paul is using the phrase, “prays or prophesies” to refer to the activities of a weekly meeting for the following reasons: Paul has begun a new section of the letter…