But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.
A woman's long hair is her glory and honor, given to her by God and by nature for a covering and veil and for ornament and beauty. When she wears the long hair designed for her, her hair itself can serve as a sufficient covering, so she need not wear an additional veil. Others teach that the hair is not itself the veil at issue but an analogy from nature's provision supporting the customary covering of the head, so the woman is to confirm what nature teaches by adding the head covering as the proper covering and token of subjection. Its lasting lesson is modesty, reverence, decorum, order, and visible distinction between the sexes in dress and honoring God, rebuking copying of the manners and extravagances of Gentile and idolatrous women. The chapter authorizes women to pray, prophesy, bear testimony, and proclaim truth in public and in social meetings, with becoming dress and covered head while speaking under influence from God, which proves Paul does not forbid all speaking by women but corrects disorderly assuming of authority to teach and rule.
Hair as Covering
A woman's long hair is her glory and honor, given to her by God and by nature for a covering or veil and for ornament and beauty. The word for having long hair is found nowhere else and does not mean hair in the ordinary sense but wearing tresses arranged as decoration, so it is right for a woman to make her hair an ornament. When she wears the long hair designed for her, her hair itself can serve as a sufficient covering, so she need not wear an additional veil. A woman with short hair should wear a head covering, with modesty and honoring God and visible distinction between the sexes in dress as the principle.
On the other understanding, the hair is not itself the veil at issue but an analogy from nature's provision supporting the customary covering of the head. What nature teaches by giving long hair for a covering she is to confirm of her own will by adding the head covering as the proper covering and token of subjection. To cut off her hair like a man would be indecorous, so to lay aside the head covering like a man is similarly indecorous. The verse in this sense gives no binding instruction about a particular way to wear the hair, and its lasting lesson is modesty and reverence, with appearance and dress reflecting proper decorum and order.
Having long hair means hair dressed in fanciful style the way women dress their hair, not the long uncut hair worn by Nazarites. The same kind of long, elaborately dressed hair is a dishonor when worn by men as an extreme copied from women, and in idolatrous Corinth it belonged to Paul's call for Christian women not to follow unseemly extravagances of idolatrous women but to be modest and seemly with a veil as the proper head covering. It is shameful for a man to spend the time and care arranging his hair that a woman spends on hers, and in general men wore their hair middling short, though not as short as men wear it now. The reference to a woman's hair does not answer whether Jesus wore long hair and does not rule out long hair under the separate Nazarite vow to let the hair grow, illustrated by Samson's consecration. Jesus as set apart to the Lord is pictured as a Nazarite, which is why artists depict him with long hair, which may have been his appearance.
At the time written long hair symbolized virtue while short hair signified the opposite, and cutting a woman's hair was a punishment for crime and a badge of infamy. That custom has passed away and does not affect how hair is worn today. In the East an uncovered woman was regarded as if shaven, a mark of prostitution, so the rule about a covered head addresses that Eastern custom of the veil. Dress in Grecian cities differed from Judea where men themselves were covered, and the instruction has reference to customs proper for that time and place.
Custom and Modest Order
Whether sisters may cut their hair short instead of wearing it long, and whether a woman must cover her head while praying or prophesying, belongs more to the taste, custom, and opinions of society and the church at the time than to divine authority or apostolic injunction to perpetuate that taste, custom, or opinion. As the command to anoint the head and wash the face when fasting was given so as not to appear to men to fast, yet would now have the opposite effect and make one appear to fast, so the rule about hair and covering reverses with custom.
The question of wearing hats in church and of becoming length and style of hair is largely a matter of custom to be left to each person rather than enforced. Hair length and style were not made a test of fellowship, though some styles were more becoming than others, with long hair becoming for a woman by nature and short hair becoming for a man. The reference to long hair and a covered head concerns women praying or prophesying in public assembly, where veiling was customary.
It gives no binding instruction about a particular way to wear the hair, and does not prescribe a particular way for women to wear their hair. Its lasting lesson is modesty and reverence, with proper decorum and order in appearance and dress, and the abiding principles of dignity and manliness on the part of men and womanliness and modesty on the part of women. There is to be a visible distinction between the sexes in dress, honoring God, with long splendid wealth of hair as a glory perfectly proper for a woman and given for a covering, while the same kind of long, elaborately dressed hair is a dishonor when worn by men as an extreme copied from women. It requires proper decorum from women in the church and rebukes Christian copying of the manners of Gentile women and the unseemly extravagances and fanciful styles of idolatrous women in Corinth, calling instead for simple, modest dress fitting to faith and for seemliness with a veil as the proper head covering. In that setting long hair could serve as the covering, while a woman with short hair should wear a head covering.
A man worships uncovered because Christ to whom he is subject is unseen, while a woman wears a seen covering because the man for whom she has regard is seen, so that his covering under Christ is unseen and hers under man is seen. The head covering is the emblem of maiden modesty before man and of conjugal chastity, and to uncover the head indicates withdrawal from the power of the husband, as when a suspected wife is uncovered by the priest. To cut off her hair like a man would be indecorous, so to lay aside the head covering like a man is similarly indecorous, and what nature teaches by giving long hair for a covering and a glory she is to confirm of her own will by adding the head covering in token of subjection to man, since to be uncovered acts against the divine ordinance and modest propriety becoming to her. Sin brought disparagement between husband and wife, with the wife placed in subjection and the husband ruling over her, in contrast to creation when husband and wife bore the moral image of God equally and lived in harmony as one flesh. The instruction has reference to customs proper for that time and place, since dress in Grecian cities differed from Judea where men themselves were covered.
It stands in teaching on ordinances that must be kept as they were delivered and preserved pure according to their intention. Keeping the ordinances brings praise and perverting one brings deep blame, for it is no light thing to trifle with divine ordinances and he who administers them improperly does so at his peril. Both candidate and administrator must look well to the teachings of the gospel, with baptism as an ordinance whose importance demands such carefulness in its observance.
Speaking and Daily Care
The chapter authorizes women to pray and prophesy and to bear testimony, help in the work, and proclaim truth in public assembly and in social and prayer meetings. It does so by giving explicit directions for regulating dress and becoming appearance while speaking under influence from God, requiring a woman praying or prophesying to have her head covered, with long hair given for glory and covering. In that setting the covered head refers to a veil, since in the East an uncovered woman was regarded as if shaven, a mark of prostitution, so the rule about a covered head addresses that Eastern custom and does not apply to contemporary fashions. This proves Paul does not forbid all speaking by women and does not conflict with the command to silence in 1 Corinthians 14:34-35. That silence corrects the abuses of disorderly women at Corinth who were out of place in assuming authority to teach and rule, rather than forbidding faithful women to praise God and to speak in decency and in order in womanly, Christian ways.
The instruction requires true Christian conduct that is modest and humble, learning willingly and not usurping authority over man or over the church. It requires proper decorum from women in the church and rebukes copying the manners of Gentile women. Because hair is given as a covering for the head, there is nothing wrong with women attending evening services with heads uncovered.
A woman's long hair as her glory and covering is to be kept long and cared for gently by keeping the pores open and the skin clean and healthy and letting nature supply the oil. It is to receive no artificial preparations, to be fastened with blunt rather than sharp-pointed pins that cut the hair, and to be braided or coiled not so tightly as to strain the roots. Hair should be arranged simply, whether long or short, without elaborate additions or fashions that bring needless heat and discomfort, so that appearance does not take the place of sense, ability, or inward character. Its natural beauty as a God-given ornament and fitting adornment is preferable to an artificial wreath or display of vanity. It is to be kept shining and well dressed as a becoming frame for the face instead of twisted into a knob behind the head for lack of hairpins, each woman finding the style that suits her best, with brief daily care such as five minutes twice a day that blesses husband, children, and the whole home life.
A woman's long hair as her crown of glory is shown when Mary used her hair to wipe Jesus' feet after anointing them.
A woman's long hair is her glory and honor, given to her by God and by nature for a covering and veil and for ornament and beauty. When she wears the long hair designed for her, her hair itself can serve as a sufficient covering, so she need not wear an additional veil. Others teach that the hair is not itself the veil at issue but an analogy from nature's provision supporting the customary covering of the head, so the woman is to confirm what nature teaches by adding the head covering as the proper covering and token of subjection. Its lasting lesson is modesty, reverence, decorum, order, and visible distinction between the sexes in dress and honoring God, rebuking copying of the manners and extravagances of Gentile and idolatrous women. The chapter authorizes women to pray, prophesy, bear testimony, and proclaim truth in public and in social meetings, with becoming dress and covered head while speaking under influence from God, which proves Paul does not forbid all speaking by women but corrects disorderly assuming of authority to teach and rule.
Hair as Covering
A woman's long hair is her glory and honor, given to her by God and by nature for a covering or veil and for ornament and beauty. The word for having long hair is found nowhere else and does not mean hair in the ordinary sense but wearing tresses arranged as decoration, so it is right for a woman to make her hair an ornament. When she wears the long hair designed for her, her hair itself can serve as a sufficient covering, so she need not wear an additional veil. A woman with short hair should wear a head covering, with modesty and honoring God and visible distinction between the sexes in dress as the principle.
On the other understanding, the hair is not itself the veil at issue but an analogy from nature's provision supporting the customary covering of the head. What nature teaches by giving long hair for a covering she is to confirm of her own will by adding the head covering as the proper covering and token of subjection. To cut off her hair like a man would be indecorous, so to lay aside the head covering like a man is similarly indecorous. The verse in this sense gives no binding instruction about a particular way to wear the hair, and its lasting lesson is modesty and reverence, with appearance and dress reflecting proper decorum and order.
Having long hair means hair dressed in fanciful style the way women dress their hair, not the long uncut hair worn by Nazarites. The same kind of long, elaborately dressed hair is a dishonor when worn by men as an extreme copied from women, and in idolatrous Corinth it belonged to Paul's call for Christian women not to follow unseemly extravagances of idolatrous women but to be modest and seemly with a veil as the proper head covering. It is shameful for a man to spend the time and care arranging his hair that a woman spends on hers, and in general men wore their hair middling short, though not as short as men wear it now. The reference to a woman's hair does not answer whether Jesus wore long hair and does not rule out long hair under the separate Nazarite vow to let the hair grow, illustrated by Samson's consecration. Jesus as set apart to the Lord is pictured as a Nazarite, which is why artists depict him with long hair, which may have been his appearance.
At the time written long hair symbolized virtue while short hair signified the opposite, and cutting a woman's hair was a punishment for crime and a badge of infamy. That custom has passed away and does not affect how hair is worn today. In the East an uncovered woman was regarded as if shaven, a mark of prostitution, so the rule about a covered head addresses that Eastern custom of the veil. Dress in Grecian cities differed from Judea where men themselves were covered, and the instruction has reference to customs proper for that time and place.
Custom and Modest Order
Whether sisters may cut their hair short instead of wearing it long, and whether a woman must cover her head while praying or prophesying, belongs more to the taste, custom, and opinions of society and the church at the time than to divine authority or apostolic injunction to perpetuate that taste, custom, or opinion. As the command to anoint the head and wash the face when fasting was given so as not to appear to men to fast, yet would now have the opposite effect and make one appear to fast, so the rule about hair and covering reverses with custom.
The question of wearing hats in church and of becoming length and style of hair is largely a matter of custom to be left to each person rather than enforced. Hair length and style were not made a test of fellowship, though some styles were more becoming than others, with long hair becoming for a woman by nature and short hair becoming for a man. The reference to long hair and a covered head concerns women praying or prophesying in public assembly, where veiling was customary.
It gives no binding instruction about a particular way to wear the hair, and does not prescribe a particular way for women to wear their hair. Its lasting lesson is modesty and reverence, with proper decorum and order in appearance and dress, and the abiding principles of dignity and manliness on the part of men and womanliness and modesty on the part of women. There is to be a visible distinction between the sexes in dress, honoring God, with long splendid wealth of hair as a glory perfectly proper for a woman and given for a covering, while the same kind of long, elaborately dressed hair is a dishonor when worn by men as an extreme copied from women. It requires proper decorum from women in the church and rebukes Christian copying of the manners of Gentile women and the unseemly extravagances and fanciful styles of idolatrous women in Corinth, calling instead for simple, modest dress fitting to faith and for seemliness with a veil as the proper head covering. In that setting long hair could serve as the covering, while a woman with short hair should wear a head covering.
A man worships uncovered because Christ to whom he is subject is unseen, while a woman wears a seen covering because the man for whom she has regard is seen, so that his covering under Christ is unseen and hers under man is seen. The head covering is the emblem of maiden modesty before man and of conjugal chastity, and to uncover the head indicates withdrawal from the power of the husband, as when a suspected wife is uncovered by the priest. To cut off her hair like a man would be indecorous, so to lay aside the head covering like a man is similarly indecorous, and what nature teaches by giving long hair for a covering and a glory she is to confirm of her own will by adding the head covering in token of subjection to man, since to be uncovered acts against the divine ordinance and modest propriety becoming to her. Sin brought disparagement between husband and wife, with the wife placed in subjection and the husband ruling over her, in contrast to creation when husband and wife bore the moral image of God equally and lived in harmony as one flesh. The instruction has reference to customs proper for that time and place, since dress in Grecian cities differed from Judea where men themselves were covered.
It stands in teaching on ordinances that must be kept as they were delivered and preserved pure according to their intention. Keeping the ordinances brings praise and perverting one brings deep blame, for it is no light thing to trifle with divine ordinances and he who administers them improperly does so at his peril. Both candidate and administrator must look well to the teachings of the gospel, with baptism as an ordinance whose importance demands such carefulness in its observance.
Speaking and Daily Care
The chapter authorizes women to pray and prophesy and to bear testimony, help in the work, and proclaim truth in public assembly and in social and prayer meetings. It does so by giving explicit directions for regulating dress and becoming appearance while speaking under influence from God, requiring a woman praying or prophesying to have her head covered, with long hair given for glory and covering. In that setting the covered head refers to a veil, since in the East an uncovered woman was regarded as if shaven, a mark of prostitution, so the rule about a covered head addresses that Eastern custom and does not apply to contemporary fashions. This proves Paul does not forbid all speaking by women and does not conflict with the command to silence in 1 Corinthians 14:34-35. That silence corrects the abuses of disorderly women at Corinth who were out of place in assuming authority to teach and rule, rather than forbidding faithful women to praise God and to speak in decency and in order in womanly, Christian ways.
The instruction requires true Christian conduct that is modest and humble, learning willingly and not usurping authority over man or over the church. It requires proper decorum from women in the church and rebukes copying the manners of Gentile women. Because hair is given as a covering for the head, there is nothing wrong with women attending evening services with heads uncovered.
A woman's long hair as her glory and covering is to be kept long and cared for gently by keeping the pores open and the skin clean and healthy and letting nature supply the oil. It is to receive no artificial preparations, to be fastened with blunt rather than sharp-pointed pins that cut the hair, and to be braided or coiled not so tightly as to strain the roots. Hair should be arranged simply, whether long or short, without elaborate additions or fashions that bring needless heat and discomfort, so that appearance does not take the place of sense, ability, or inward character. Its natural beauty as a God-given ornament and fitting adornment is preferable to an artificial wreath or display of vanity. It is to be kept shining and well dressed as a becoming frame for the face instead of twisted into a knob behind the head for lack of hairpins, each woman finding the style that suits her best, with brief daily care such as five minutes twice a day that blesses husband, children, and the whole home life.
A woman's long hair as her crown of glory is shown when Mary used her hair to wipe Jesus' feet after anointing them.