By Sidharth Mohandas
In this issue I will be dealing with the topic of “covering of the head” as Paul has explained in 1 Corinthians 11.
Key 1: The heads
The key to the entire section on covering one’s head is found in the third verse of 1 Corinthians 11.
But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ.
Before Paul begins, he gives us the purpose for writing this: “I want you to understand…”. Now, I’m sure most of you would wonder what’s so unique about that. Let me explain. The Greek word used for “understand” carries a specific meaning to it. It stands for ”to see something clearly” or “to visualize something”. See “what” clearly? See that “Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman and God is the head of Christ”. In other words, what Paul writes from verse 4 to verse 15 is something he uses to express the truth in verse 3.
Let’s simplify the truth in verse 3 like this:
head of man = Christ
head of woman = man
head of Christ = God
Key 2: What Covering?
What type of covering was Paul speaking about? Was he referring to a physical head cover ? In verses 14 & 15 he talks about the covering he was referring to – “long hair was given to her as a covering. While it was considered a disgrace for man to have long hair”. Note that there is no mention of an external veil in the entire passage.
Thus, Paul uses Key 2 to express the truth in Key 1.
Applying the keys:
Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. [1 Corinthians 11:4].
From Key 1, who is the head of man? It is Christ. Therefore, the man who covers Christ [his head] dishonors Christ [his head]
And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is just as though her head were shaved. [1 Cor 11:5]
From Key 1, who is the head of woman? It is the man. Therefore, the above verse would mean: the woman who covers not the man [her head] dishonors the man [her head]. Paul goes onto say that a woman who does not cover her head [the man], is like one whose head is shaved off. Or in other words, she is like a woman who does not have the covering of long hair.
The Truth
What does it mean for a man not to cover his head and for a woman to cover her head?
The answer can be found in Ephesians 5:22-25
Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her [Note: Greek for man and woman is the same for husband and wife]
For a woman to cover the man, refers to her coming under the lordship of her husband and being submissive to him, thereby acknowledging the order of authority that God has instituted. Whereas for a man to not cover his head, would be for him to unveil Christ, and love his wife as Christ loved the church. The husband is to portray the character of Christ, while the wife is to portray the character of the Church.
Whether you want to cover your head using a scarf or a hat is totally upto you. However, to use this passage to prove that a woman needs a physical head covering, is absolutely unscriptural. In fact, as I said earlier, there is no reference to an external covering in the entire passage. I encourage you to dwell on this passage and receive greater revelations on the truth which Paul goes onto say is a profound mystery.
In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. [Ephesians 5:28-30]
Covering is huge topic. Many believers want or need the covering of their local church, when in reality the covering is simply other belivers praying for each other.
When a woman is in ministry, its important to have the covering of her husband. In having his covering, she is then under his protection.
Yvette
excellent stuff! Love it! thanks for this Sid.
Good teaching, This is a topic that has been misunderstood by the Church alot
Godbless you Sid
Amen, Yvette, it is very important to be under the covering of a local body.
In 1 Corinthians 5, we read Paul pass a severe judgment of handing a person over to satan. Paul goes onto describe how this would be done….by removing the covering of the church. He instructs the believers to stop fellowshipping with this particular man. It’s like a man thrown out of his kingdom, exposed to the attacks of the opponent kingdom.
However, the passage of 1 Corinthians 11 is not dealing with this. It is specifically dealing with a husband-wife relationship.
It’s also quite interesting that he relates this with praying and prophecy. In both these activities angelic beings are actively involved. As we all know, the word “angelos” means “messenger”. Angels are involved in bringing prophetic utterance. Angels are also involved in holding our prayers before God. [Rev 8:3]
This is why Paul says, “For this reason the woman should have authority on her head, because of the angels.” [1 Cor 11:10].
Among the Jews and also among early Christians it was believed that angels were present where God’s people gathered together, and any form of offense during these gatherings would result in their disapproval and even departure. I believe it is with this in mind that Paul tells the woman to maintain the order of authority while praying and prophesying.
Sidharth
Very enlightening. I had a friend who was concerned about covering her head and almost fell into the legalistic view of needing to literally cover her head. I wish I had this information at that time.
Sidharth, you are such a gifted teacher. God bless you.
Sid,
I wonder whether you got my message. When you refer to covering in the case of a woman , it is not cloth but man, the head of the woman. When it is refering to Man covering his head it is not cloth but it is not Christ either though Christ is his head. Now the whole aspect of covering comes when you are talking about praying and prophesying. Right!! If that is so Prophettess like Anna or a praying person like her cannot either pray or prophesy because she does’nt have the covering of a man. So could it be a cloth???
Hi Sid…That was a revelation. Took away so many confusions. God Bless.
Very good Sidharth!
In the U.S. most Churches do not have a requirement for a woman to cover her head with a scarf or hat. We did go to a home church that had a rule that the women should cover their heads with a scarf while praying for others. The woman covering herself with a scarf was a rule of that particular Church to signify the spiritual authority that these Scriptures talks about. It was just a rule that THIS PARTICULAR CHURCH had received from the Lord for them, and was not a mandate for everyone.
Dear Alex uncle,
Anna was a widow.
1 Corinthians 11 is specifically referring to a particular relationship….”husband-wife relationship.”.
In the Greek language, the word used for “man” is the same used for “husband”, and the word used for “woman” is the same used for “wife”. Does that mean we should replace every where the word ‘man” and “woman” comes to “husband” and “wife”? No. However, if you compare Eph 5:22-30 and 1 Cor 11:3-16 [and many other passages] you will be able to see that the “husband” is the head of the “wife”, not just any man. And Paul was specifically referring to maintaining this God-instituted order in the lives of husbands and wives.
Sidhu
It’s funny you should write about this because I came across this scripture the other day, and I was wondering what exactly it was talking about…
Does this mean that Jesus didn’t have long hair?
This is quite interesting, but I noticed that it seems to pertain more to married women.
Question: In the case of single women, which man’s authority do they submit to in order to “cover their heads”?
Several historical commentaries on this particular passage seem to suggest that Paul wrote that in response to how Corinthian women wore their hair, and was instructing them in some ways on how they should do so such that they separate themselves from heathen practices.
Nonetheless, I think your study makes a good point; I’m not for head coverings per se either, but how is the issue on single women that I brought up above addressed?
Hi Justin,
It’s insignificant to know if Jesus had long hair or not, but I’m under the impression He didn’t. He was not a Nazarite since He did not go by the Nazarite vow of not drinking wine, vinegar or touching a corpse.
Sidharth
Hi Isaiah,
The Corinthian Church was a Church known for lack of order. Paul’s main concern in this mail was to restore order to the church [the church was divided over many issues- leaders, minor doctrinal issues, authorities, the Lord's supper, the use of spiritual gifts, resurrection etc.].
So our concern is not who is above a single woman. It could be her father or mother, it could be her uncle or aunt or her Rabbi, that’s not the issue. The issue is, whoever is above her, she should be submissive to them.
Sidharth
In which case, the case of submission does not apply only to women but men as well as in submission to authority, does it not?
I’m not intentionally being picky here, but the point in your post was about the woman being submissive to her husband which equates covering her head (with his authority) as she is under the lordship of her husband.
That’s where I have an issue reconciling your explanation on the head covering with its application across the board for all women in the Corinthian church.
Shalom Aleichem.
Isaiah,
Again let me make it very clear to you…the passage in 1 Cor 11 is not referring to women in general, but a husband-wife relationship.
You asked me who a single woman should be submissive to, and I explained in my previous comment that that is not the focus in this passage. However, if the single woman is under some authority she should be submissive to it. The same applies to men who are under some authority.
Paul in this passage, however, is not dealing with single women or men. He has focused his instructions on husbands and wives.
I think it is wise not to deviate from it for the time being.
Sidharth
Hey Sidarth; it’s just me. I am impressed that you got your own website! Congrats. It’s just wonderful and I just love all of your knowledge and writings. I am going to try to find time to read all of your posts and comments. You really are blessed with a special gift! Thankyou for helping make the world a better place.
Blessings, Sheila
Some recent commentators have suggested that the Greek words for “man” and “woman” used here (???? and ????) may be understood in the limited sense of “husband and wife,” but for several reasons it is better to understand the whole discussion as pertaining to the relationship between the sexes in general. Ordinarily a pronoun is used with the Greek words when they have the sense “husband” and “wife” (i.e. her man means her husband, and his woman means his wife), but there is no pronoun here. It is very unlikely that Paul is referring only to married men when he says “Every man who prays or prophesies with anything down over his head dishonors his head” in verse 4, and if ???? does not mean “husband” there, we would not expect ???? to mean “wife” in the following verse. We would expect the terms to be correlated in sense when they occur together — either “man and woman” or “husband and wife,” but not “man and wife” or “husband and woman.” Paul proceeds to make arguments based not upon the special circumstances of marriage but upon creation and the very nature of woman. The analogy he draws between the headcovering and the long hair of women (verses 6 and 15) would apply to all women. It does not make sense to limit the meaning of ???? to “wife” in the phrase, “since it is disgraceful for a ???? to be shorn or shaven” (verse 6), and so the conclusion, “let her be covered” cannot be restricted to married women either. In verse 12 the phrase ? ???? ??? ??? ???????? cannot mean “the husband is born through the wife.” It should also be kept in mind that in ancient times single women were not independent, but under the authority of their fathers (unmarried women did not live alone, and the only independent women were the hetaerae — prostitutes of the upper class). Even if it is felt that Paul must have in mind the marriage relationship here, it should be understood that this relationship is paradigmatic of the relationship of men to women generally (3)
As it was well stated…vs. 3 is the topic and the answer to this topic. Whether a woman physically covers her head is a personal choice. But, remember Pauls words…anything we do not fully convinced in our own minds is sin.
So, if we do anything before God in honor to Him, is good. I want to always keep in true doctrinal message. Sid, you have. Yes ,we can debate whether these verses are refering to the married or nonmarried, But in the end, we must always , as you words led me to believe you are, keep focused on solid doctrinal truths.
Thank you for your insightful comments, Bob. I agree with you on the general order of authority within the church, and that woman in general must be under the covering of a man. And of course, if she’s married, her head is her husband.
The paramount is love. Love builds, knowledge puffs up (1 Corinthians 8:1). I may know the truth about covering of head, and in turn condemn a fellow brother/sister who believes that one should use a physical veil. Paul’s instruction in 1 Cor 8-10 and Romans 14 gives us the right attitude to such menial issues: one person believes it is physical head covering, another believes its not. But how do things change if you wear a veil? (Not that I believe in wearing a physical veil)
My mother, though she knows the truth about “head” covering. When she’s in a group that believes that women should cover their head with a veil, she does so. Because whats more important is love.
Thanks again for your comment.
Sidharth