1 Corinthians 11:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering.

NIV: but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering.

NASB: but if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her? For her hair is given to her as a covering.

CSB: but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her as a covering.

NLT: And isn’t long hair a woman’s pride and joy? For it has been given to her as a covering.

KJV: But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.

NKJV: But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given to her for a covering.

Paul is making one last argument in favor of women covering their heads when praying or prophesying in Corinthian worship services. He pointed out in the previous verse that nature demonstrates the male tendency to keep hair shorter. Relatively speaking, "shorter" hair is typically considered a male trait, and "longer" hair a female trait. Men are disgraced when they violate this standard, as most cultures see this as an expression of femininity.

Now he says that, even from the natural perspective, long hair is glory for a woman. In most cultures and times, women naturally wear their hair "longer," particularly in comparison to men. In this way, it serves as a natural covering. Paul does not seem to be saying that long hair is a substitute for an additional head covering when the Corinthian women are praying or prophesying in church services. Rather, his point is that the near-universal association of "longer" hair with femininity supports the idea that a covering is needed.

The general principle Paul has revealed in all of this is that of modesty with respect to culture. Christians ought not send "mixed signals" with their behavior, dress, or personal style. In the era when Paul wrote these words, a woman with an uncovered head in public was not unlike a modern-era woman wearing a revealing bathing suit to church. Obviously, specific cultural standards have changed; the principle remains the same. Believers—both male and female (1 Corinthians 11:4–5)—are obligated to consider the social implications of their appearance.

First Corinthians 11:2–16 describes Paul's correction of an inappropriate practice of some women in the Corinthian church. Contrary to social norms of that era, they were not wearing head coverings when praying or prophesying before the church. Paul insists that both women and men consider what their chosen appearance implies about their relationship with God. Cultural details may vary, but the principle does not: Christian men and women ought to be ''respectable'' in their manners and dress. In parallel, this teaching also touches on the concept of spiritual leadership.

Paul confronts two issues the church in Corinth was failing to practice correctly. First, some women were not wearing head coverings while praying or prophesying in their meetings. Paul insisted they must do so, and that men must not, based on mankind's relationship to God and the social implications of that covering. Second, Paul describes the reasons for observing the Lord's Supper and how it should be done. The Corinthian Christians had brought God's judgment on themselves for practicing communion in a way which dishonored Christ's sacrifice for sin and humiliated the poor among them.

After concluding his teaching on meat offered to idols, Paul turns to two issues the church in Corinth was getting wrong. The first was head coverings when praying or prophesying in their meetings. Differences between men and women in that regard are because of both spiritual and social reasons. Paul also corrects the disastrous way in which they were practicing the observance of the Lord's Supper. They were dishonoring Christ's sacrifice for sin as well as the poor in the body of Christ, the church. Despite having more to say on communion, Paul will move on to the topic of spiritual gifts in chapter 12.

First Corinthians is one of the more practical books of the New Testament. Paul writes to a church immersed in a city associated with trade, but also with corruption and immorality. These believers are struggling to properly apply spiritual gifts and to resist the ungodly practices of the surrounding culture. Paul's letter gives instructions for real-life concerns such as marriage and spirituality. He also deals with the importance of unity and gives one of the Bible's more well-known descriptions of love in chapter 13.