Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered?
Judge in yourselves whether it is fitting for a woman to pray to God uncovered, with the man to pray uncovered and the woman to pray covered. To be uncovered is to have laid aside the customary veil, which dishonors her head, and at Corinth respectable women worshiped veiled while shameless women went uncovered, so the church reproved those who copied Gentile manners and acted like heathen priestesses. A woman's long hair is given to her for a covering and illustrates the point, yet the rule concerns a custom that differed between places such as Greek cities and Judea and does not lay the same dress requirement on every place. The lasting requirement is comely worship in modesty, reverence, and order, with men and women dressed simply and fittingly rather than after idolatrous or disorderly fashions. By directing how women should pray and prophesy, it shows women are permitted to pray, bear testimony, and preach in congregation and prayer meeting, to do so covered and becomingly one by one without confusion, and without taking authority to teach and rule over man, since the command for silence in 1 Corinthians 14 concerns disputes in church courts.
Meaning and Customs
Judge in yourselves whether it is proper and seemly for a woman to pray to God uncovered. In the custom of the time and place the man prayed uncovered and the woman was expected to have her head covered. Uncovered means the customary veil has been removed. To pray so dishonors her head, the man. The argument concerns the veil, while the later appeal to the hair illustrates the point.
At Corinth respectable women appeared veiled while shameless women appeared uncovered, and the women of the church were not to look like them or disregard the Lord's order. The correction met women in the church who failed to act with proper decorum by imitating the manners of Gentile females. It was needed where women converted out of wicked idolatry were haranguing like heathen priestesses and treating the church like a heathen temple. A woman's long hair is given as a covering and may itself be sufficient.
These instructions address customs that differed between communities, including between Greek cities and Judea. They address that setting and do not establish the same clothing rule for every place, since local customs differ. The enduring lesson is proper decorum in worship rather than a binding rule about a particular way of wearing the hair. That lesson is modesty and reverence. Christian women and men should dress simply and modestly, in a way that is commendable and fitting, rather than copying customs associated with idolatrous or disorderly people. As guidance for considering whether women should remove hats in church, the head-covering matter is largely customary and not as a rule to enforce. Removing hats may be more reverent, yet the choice is left to each person, with kindness and education preferred to compulsion.
Worship, Order, and Life
The verse belongs to directions about the dress, appearance and manner of women who pray and prophesy or teach publicly, regulating how that public work is to be conducted. It gives instruction on how women should appear when they pray and speak in public, asking whether it is proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered. That instruction addresses the manner of public praying and prophesying rather than forbidding participation in public worship or service.
By giving directions for women when they pray and prophesy, the verse proves that women are permitted to pray, speak, bear testimony, help in the work and preach in the congregation and in social and prayer meetings. Confessing God is demanded as a duty and granted as a privilege from which no soul is debarred, and a woman who receives influence from God to enable her to teach is to obey it. A woman may pray or prophesy in the church provided she has her head covered, and she may speak to edify, comfort and build up the church. This authorization to preach is not removed by the instruction for women to keep silent in 1 Corinthians 14, since that instruction concerns discussion of church matters rather than ordinary public worship.
That permission is to be exercised comely and covered, with modest, humble, true Christian conduct and womanly appearance and deportment. Women are to take part as willing learners, speaking becomingly one by one in order and not in confusion, decently and in order. The covering instruction corrected the abuse at Corinth where women converted out of wicked idolatry were haranguing like heathen priestesses and treating the church like a heathen temple. Modesty therefore rejects assuming authority the Lord has not given, while permitting a woman to pray publicly and to speak and work for God when done decently and in order.
Speaking or praying in a meeting does not by itself mean teaching or usurping authority over man or over the church, and assuming authority to teach and rule is unwomanly and unscriptural. The command for women to keep silent in 1 Corinthians 14 concerns discussion of church matters in church courts and corrects blameworthy disorders, not ordinary public worship. It therefore does not conflict with this chapter, nor with 1 Timothy 2:11-12. The appeal to judge in yourselves shows that questions of religious teaching and practice are to be examined by reason, judgment and conscience to assess what is fitting before God.
The passage teaches the woman's relative subordination to the man, with the husband ruling over the wife. This subordination belongs to the fallen order after sin brought disparagement between husband and wife, not to God's original plan where Adam and Eve were equal. Before the fall both bore the moral image of God in full harmony as one flesh, with the woman at the man's side as helpmeet. The Sabbath was given before the fall along with marriage, so it calls the mind back to that original equality and oneness, and it cannot be kept properly in any family where there is discord, especially between a Sabbath-keeping husband and wife who are one flesh and share the same interests.
Judge in yourselves whether it is fitting for a woman to pray to God uncovered, with the man to pray uncovered and the woman to pray covered. To be uncovered is to have laid aside the customary veil, which dishonors her head, and at Corinth respectable women worshiped veiled while shameless women went uncovered, so the church reproved those who copied Gentile manners and acted like heathen priestesses. A woman's long hair is given to her for a covering and illustrates the point, yet the rule concerns a custom that differed between places such as Greek cities and Judea and does not lay the same dress requirement on every place. The lasting requirement is comely worship in modesty, reverence, and order, with men and women dressed simply and fittingly rather than after idolatrous or disorderly fashions. By directing how women should pray and prophesy, it shows women are permitted to pray, bear testimony, and preach in congregation and prayer meeting, to do so covered and becomingly one by one without confusion, and without taking authority to teach and rule over man, since the command for silence in 1 Corinthians 14 concerns disputes in church courts.
Meaning and Customs
Judge in yourselves whether it is proper and seemly for a woman to pray to God uncovered. In the custom of the time and place the man prayed uncovered and the woman was expected to have her head covered. Uncovered means the customary veil has been removed. To pray so dishonors her head, the man. The argument concerns the veil, while the later appeal to the hair illustrates the point.
At Corinth respectable women appeared veiled while shameless women appeared uncovered, and the women of the church were not to look like them or disregard the Lord's order. The correction met women in the church who failed to act with proper decorum by imitating the manners of Gentile females. It was needed where women converted out of wicked idolatry were haranguing like heathen priestesses and treating the church like a heathen temple. A woman's long hair is given as a covering and may itself be sufficient.
These instructions address customs that differed between communities, including between Greek cities and Judea. They address that setting and do not establish the same clothing rule for every place, since local customs differ. The enduring lesson is proper decorum in worship rather than a binding rule about a particular way of wearing the hair. That lesson is modesty and reverence. Christian women and men should dress simply and modestly, in a way that is commendable and fitting, rather than copying customs associated with idolatrous or disorderly people. As guidance for considering whether women should remove hats in church, the head-covering matter is largely customary and not as a rule to enforce. Removing hats may be more reverent, yet the choice is left to each person, with kindness and education preferred to compulsion.
Worship, Order, and Life
The verse belongs to directions about the dress, appearance and manner of women who pray and prophesy or teach publicly, regulating how that public work is to be conducted. It gives instruction on how women should appear when they pray and speak in public, asking whether it is proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered. That instruction addresses the manner of public praying and prophesying rather than forbidding participation in public worship or service.
By giving directions for women when they pray and prophesy, the verse proves that women are permitted to pray, speak, bear testimony, help in the work and preach in the congregation and in social and prayer meetings. Confessing God is demanded as a duty and granted as a privilege from which no soul is debarred, and a woman who receives influence from God to enable her to teach is to obey it. A woman may pray or prophesy in the church provided she has her head covered, and she may speak to edify, comfort and build up the church. This authorization to preach is not removed by the instruction for women to keep silent in 1 Corinthians 14, since that instruction concerns discussion of church matters rather than ordinary public worship.
That permission is to be exercised comely and covered, with modest, humble, true Christian conduct and womanly appearance and deportment. Women are to take part as willing learners, speaking becomingly one by one in order and not in confusion, decently and in order. The covering instruction corrected the abuse at Corinth where women converted out of wicked idolatry were haranguing like heathen priestesses and treating the church like a heathen temple. Modesty therefore rejects assuming authority the Lord has not given, while permitting a woman to pray publicly and to speak and work for God when done decently and in order.
Speaking or praying in a meeting does not by itself mean teaching or usurping authority over man or over the church, and assuming authority to teach and rule is unwomanly and unscriptural. The command for women to keep silent in 1 Corinthians 14 concerns discussion of church matters in church courts and corrects blameworthy disorders, not ordinary public worship. It therefore does not conflict with this chapter, nor with 1 Timothy 2:11-12. The appeal to judge in yourselves shows that questions of religious teaching and practice are to be examined by reason, judgment and conscience to assess what is fitting before God.
The passage teaches the woman's relative subordination to the man, with the husband ruling over the wife. This subordination belongs to the fallen order after sin brought disparagement between husband and wife, not to God's original plan where Adam and Eve were equal. Before the fall both bore the moral image of God in full harmony as one flesh, with the woman at the man's side as helpmeet. The Sabbath was given before the fall along with marriage, so it calls the mind back to that original equality and oneness, and it cannot be kept properly in any family where there is discord, especially between a Sabbath-keeping husband and wife who are one flesh and share the same interests.