Have you ever wondered about whether a woman should wear a head covering?  This study focuses on this issue. Admittedly, this is a touchy issue, and comes from a confusing and obscure passage. Hopefully, our study will throw some light on this subject for those who are seeking to know what Paul was teaching on this subject.

Teaching Notes:

Why Head Coverings?

1 Corinthians 11:2-16

Intro: This passage has long baffled me. I’ve read it dozens of time and never could make sense out of it because 11:3-13 (which teaches a woman should cover her head)  seemed to contradict 11:14-16 which says that a woman’s long hair is given to her for a covering. Which is it? Should she wear a cloth covering, or is her long hair her covering? Recently I saw vs.15 in a new light. Instead of contradicting everything Paul had said earlier about wearing a cloth covering, Paul seems to be illustrating what he had already said.  Since a woman already has been given her hair for a covering in the natural realm, that should teach us the propriety of her wearing a covering in the spiritual realm. In other words, Vs. 15 is an illustration of vs. 3-13.

In 11:2 Paul praises them. They remembered him in the traditions (things handed down). These traditions might be verbal teaching or established practices in the early church. The latter seems likely since Paul goes on to speak of head coverings, the Lord’s Supper, and spiritual gifts.  Although they were doing well in remembering the traditions, they needed to make some adjustments to their practice of these traditions.  Paul begins vs. 3 with “But.”

Paul seems to be enforcing the propriety of the woman having a covering on her head in this section. In his teaching Paul gives 5 reasons for this:

1.   Because Of The Divine Order: 11:3-6.

Vs. 3: The Divine Order is God – Christ – man – woman.  It is important to notice that headship does not equal superiority.  God the Father is not superior to Jesus Christ, but He is the head of Christ. Jesus willingly submits to His Father, yet both share the Divine Essence. So too, the woman willingly submits to male headship, but she is equal to the man in the sight of God in worth and value.

Vs.4: Disgraces his head: 2 possible interpretations.  1) Disgraces Himself:  Acts 18:6 “your blood be upon your own heads!”  Parallel in vs.14. Dishonor = disgrace.  Or 2) Disgraces his authority, Christ:  This follows well from vs.3 in which Christ is the head of the man. If the man covered his head he would confuse himself with the woman by adorning himself the way a woman would.

Vs.5-6: Disgraces her head: herself or the man.  Perhaps these 2 are not mutually exclusive. If a woman failed to wear a head covering and so dressed like a man, she brought shame on herself and her man, by demonstrating rebellion and independence to everyone present in worship.  While praying or prophesying: note that Paul allowed women to be involved in spiritual ministry in public settings. The context favors that this was in a public setting for the following issues of the Lord’s Supper and spiritual gifts are in a public setting. Also, prophecy was given to edify the church when it assembled (1Cor.14:1-5, 29-33). It was not a gift to be exercised in private. Whose head is shaved: since it would be disgraceful for a woman to appear in public worship with a shaved head like a man, then she should cover her head. If a woman won’t cover her head, and so wants to appear like a man, then she should go all the way and shave her head! But since that would be disgraceful, let her cover her head.

2.   Because Of Creation: 11:7-9.

Vs.7: Man is the glory of God – he should honor Him because He is his authority. Woman is the glory of the man – she should honor him because he is her authority. One should honor and respect the source from which they came. Woman honors may by wearing a head covering, thereby showing man is her head (authority).

Vs.8: God created man first, then the woman from the man.

Vs.9: God created the woman for the man – to be the man’s helper, demonstrating that he was the leader, and she was the supporter.

Summary: The creation account shows that God created man as head, by creating him first, and then creating woman for his sake. Thus it is right for the woman to honor him by covering her head.

3.  Because Of The Angels: 11:10.

Symbol of authority: the covering is a symbol that she is under her man’s authority, which makes sense from the divine order (11:3), and from creation (11:7-9).

Because of the Angels: unfortunately Paul does not explain this, so we are left to some conjecture of our own. Since Paul mentions this directly after the Creation account, apparently the angels were present at creation and witnessed God create the man first, and then the woman for the man. Then the angels saw the woman usurp her place by making the decision that their husband should have made (whether to eat). The angels are sensitive to insubordination, having seen Lucifer rebel against God, and a third of the heavenly host fell with him to eternal judgment. Apparently, women should wear a covering on their heads because God wants the angels to see the woman acting in subjection to the man, and indicating this by the outward sign on her head.

Parenthesis To Correct a Possible Misunderstanding: 11:11-12.  Paul feared the Corinthians might deduce that he was teaching that men were superior to women and didn’t need them. No! They are mutually interdependent on each other, both needing each other. It is wrong to speak of a “superior gender.”

4.  Because Of Nature: 11:13-15.

Vs.13: but how were they to judge whether it was proper or not? Vs.14 – by looking at Nature.

Vs.14: what does Nature teach? It teaches that men typically have shorter hair than women, and that their hair falls out sooner. Thus, for a man to have long hair dishonors him, because he looks like a woman (similar to it being a disgrace for a woman to have her head shaved so that she looks like a man).

Vs.15: However, if a woman has long hair, it is not a dishonor, but her glory. God, in Nature, has given a woman long hair for a natural covering for her head to illustrate the propriety of a woman having another covering on her head.

5.  Because of the Universal Practice Of All The Churches: 11:16.

Either some of the Corinthian women had already become contentious about the head covering and were not wearing it in the public assemblies, or Paul knew they would become contentious about it after receiving this letter. But if they become contentious about this, they need to realize that they are the ones who are bucking the system. All the other churches have fallen in line and have conformed to the practice.

Questions To Consider:

1.  Should Women Wear Head Coverings Today? Scholars are divided at this point. Some believe that in Paul’s day everyone in that culture understood that for a woman to cover her head meant she had voluntarily placed herself in submission to her husband or father, whereas today that would not be understood by this symbol. It must be admitted, however, that all of the reasons Paul gives for the woman wearing the head covering are non-cultural (Divine Order – Creation – Angels – Nature – Universal Practice of the Churches).  The only one of those 5 reasons which has changed in 2,000 years is the Universal Practice of the Churches. The other 4 reasons remain intact. Thus, it seems a little risky to ignore this practice based on culture alone.  It seems to me that the reality behind the symbolism of the head covering would be easily understood in any culture (as it is with the Amish, Muslims, Old Brethren, etc.).

2.  When Should A Woman Wear A Head Covering? Well, vs. 5 mentions it being a disgrace for her to pray or prophesy with her head uncovered. Vs.13 mentions it being improper  for a woman to pray with head uncovered. Thus, it seems Paul’s concern is for the public assemblies where women might pray or prophesy as being chiefly in view. Chapters 11-14 all deal with what takes place in the public assemblies of the saints (Head Coverings – Lord’s Supper – Spiritual Gifts).  Since, this passage is stressing the importance of headship and submission in arenas where prayer or prophecy would be offered, the head covering would not need to be worn unless believers had come together and spiritual ministry was taking place.

Important Considerations:

1.  Paul is not as vehement about this issue as he is with others: Notice the difference between this issue and the Lord’s Supper to follow. In his address on the Lord’s Supper, Paul is vehement (vs.22), and gives imperatives that must be obeyed (vs.33).  This shows that the head covering issue was not as important issue in Paul’s mind as the issue of the right observance of the Lord’s Supper.

2.  This is the only place in Scripture which mentions women wearing head coverings: Thus, we must not be dogmatic on this subject. The conclusions we arrive at, we must hold graciously, allowing for difference of convictions on this point. If we had more than one section of Scripture to compare on this subject, we could be more certain of our final interpretations.

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