1 Corinthians 11:6, commentary and pictures

The verse argues that if a woman will not be covered she might as well be shorn, but since being shorn or shaven is shameful for a woman she should be covered, treating an uncovered head as dishonoring and shameful like cut hair. The covering meant is a veil distinct from a woman's hair, worn as the sign of modesty and willing subjection, while long hair itself was given by God as a woman's covering and glory so that it may be sufficient without an additional veil. To pray or prophesy uncovered dishonors her head, that is her husband, and being shorn or shaven was a badge of infamy and shame associated with adultery and yielded virtue. The direction for women praying and prophesying assumes and permits that women may do so in public worship, requiring that when they pray, prophesy, or teach publicly they do so covered and in modesty, humility, and order without usurping the authority placed in man. The abiding lesson is modest, reverent, gender-distinct conduct in dress and hair, with long hair the woman's glory and short hair becoming for the man, yet length of hair and wearing of the veil are matters of what is becoming and are not made a test of fellowship.

Words and Ancient Setting

Paul's argument is that a woman who refuses to be covered might as well be shorn, and since being shorn or shaven is shameful for a woman she ought to be covered, so that an uncovered head in prayer or prophecy is dishonoring and shameful like cut hair. If she will not cover her head she might as well have her hair cut off, and appearing uncovered in the public assembly is treated as a public dishonor equivalent to being shorn. An uncovered woman was regarded as though she were shaven.

The covering meant is a veil, a proper garment distinct from a woman's hair and not itself a way of wearing the hair. It was worn as the sign of modesty and seemly conduct and of willing subjection, common for women to veil themselves in the presence of men. To pray or prophesy with head unveiled dishonored her head, and therefore she must be veiled.

Long hair was given to a woman by God as her covering and glory, and may itself be sufficient so that a woman with long hair need not wear an additional veil. A woman with short hair should wear a head covering, while her long hair served as a covering, and cutting off her hair like a man's would be shameful. Women should not wear short hair, with long hair distinguishing women from men in dress and appearance. The additional covering showed willing subjection to man, while the long hair naturally served as a covering.

Being shorn or shaven was a badge of infamy and shame, a punishment for adultery associated with prostitution and yielded virtue. To refuse the veil was to present an immodest appearance, and to appear unveiled was the same as being shaved, referring to the Israelite rule that a woman who had yielded her virtue should be shaved. Under the law of Moses a woman suspected of adultery was deprived of her veil, and at that time being shorn of her hair was a punishment for adultery. In the Eastern setting an uncovered woman was regarded as though she were shaven, and shaven hair was a mark of prostitution.

To pray or prophesy uncovered dishonors her head, that is her husband who is her head. A woman appearing uncovered dishonored her husband, since appearing uncovered was immodest and shameful as being shorn or shaven.

The instruction was given at Corinth, a proud rich idolatrous city with celebrated games and shrines of polluting idolatry. There idolatrous women went to all kinds of unseemly extravagances in conduct, word, manner and dress, and Christian women were tempted to do the same, with women in the church failing to act with proper decorum and imitating the manners of Gentile women in the matter of the covering. Converted heathen women acted like heathen priestesses, and heathen women and heathen priestesses dressed in certain ways so that rules were given lest God's people appear like the heathen. In apostolic times custom demanded that women should be veiled, among Greeks and Romans all women of modest deportment and virtuous character wore a veil and only women of opposite character appeared without one, so that no woman but a bold or immodest woman ever appeared in public unveiled.

The outward form reflects local customs of time and place among Greeks, Romans, Eastern peoples and others, which differed among peoples and changed over time. What modest and respectable dress required could differ in another place, and the outward custom was shaped by place and time rather than being a universal hard-and-fast rule. It does not lay down an absolute fixed rule or one universal fixed fashion for every place and time, and the rule about the veil does not apply to modern fashions. The question of wearing or removing hats in church is largely a matter of custom to be left to each person.

Women Praying and Prophesying

The verse regulates women praying, prophesying, testifying and teaching in public assemblies and worship, and by giving directions for how they are to appear when they do so it assumes and permits that they may do so rather than forbidding all public ministry. The directions concern manner and dress and covering of the head, showing that public prayer and prophesying, testimony to God's goodness, encouragement of others by experience, and speaking and teaching when the Lord bids are not prohibited. An uncovered appearance in such public speaking is treated as dishonoring, like being shorn, and since being shorn or shaven is shameful the woman should be covered, with covering and shame understood as public signs.

When women pray, prophesy or teach publicly they are to do so covered and with a becoming appearance, in modesty, humility, sweetness, tact and order. Such public speaking is approved when done modestly and without immodest forwardness, disputing, domineering, or usurping the authority God placed in man, in keeping with man's headship and God's order. The requirement is true Christian conduct that does not usurp authority over man or over the church, but is willing to learn from those best fitted to fill important positions.

The instruction corrects abuses and disorder at Corinth, where women converts from a wicked idolatrous city acted like heathen priestesses and treated the church like a heathen temple, causing confusion, and it requires decency, order and subjection to those placed over the churches. For that reason the prohibitions on women's speaking in 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 and 1 Timothy 2:12 reprove disorder and shameful conduct by converted heathen women rather than commanding conscientious women to keep silent altogether. This is read in light of women who prayed or prophesied and of Philip's daughters who prophesied in Acts 21:8-9, with public praise and prayer included in permitted decent and orderly service.

A woman is not debarred from confessing God, since confessing Him is a duty demanded of every soul and a privilege granted to every soul. One who has a testimony for God may bear it on proper occasions in Christ's name with all assurance, by praying and prophesying, bearing testimony for Christ, helping in His work, and proclaiming His truth in womanly Christian ways. Assuming authority to teach and rule in a disorderly, unwomanly, unscriptural, unduly prominent, domineering or arrogant way is forbidden, while becoming modesty rather than self-prominence is required.

Women may pray, prophesy and teach in modesty and proper order when no men capable of teaching are present and the Lord has laid the burden on a woman, as with Deborah, Anna, Philip's four daughters, and Priscilla instructing Apollos. In all ordinary church affairs where men can teach, a woman is to learn in quietness, wait and serve in modesty rather than put herself forward or usurp authority over men.

Christian Order and Application

The abiding lesson is modest, reverent, seemly and gender-distinct conduct, with Christian men and women dressing simply, modestly, suitably and unobtrusively rather than in ways associated with idolatry or disorder. Dignity and manliness belong to men and womanliness and modesty to women, and dress should be suited to the occasion and appropriate to the sex, with the person dominating over the dress so that the dress is not noticed. A woman praying or prophesying is to have her head covered with a veil as the sign of modesty and seemly conduct, for to be uncovered dishonors her head and is as shameful as to be shorn or shaven. The covering meant is distinct from the hair itself, and the reference to being shorn or shaven reflects customs in which a woman's uncovered or disorderly appearance was disgraceful, given against unseemly extravagances in conduct, word, manner and dress that tempted Christian women in proud, rich, idolatrous Corinth with its games and polluting shrines. The verse does not prescribe one universal fixed fashion or exactly how to wear the hair today, and the matter is not to become a cause for contention.

A woman's long wealth of hair is her glory and perfectly proper, and long hair was given by God as a covering, so that a woman with long hair need not wear an additional veil while a woman with short hair should wear a head covering. Long hair is comely and becoming for a woman by nature and short hair is becoming for a man, sustaining a distinction between the sexes in dress and appearance, and women should not wear short hair. Men wearing long hair dressed in fanciful womanish style is condemned, apart from the long hair worn by Nazarites. Length of hair, style of wearing it, and wearing of the veil concern what is becoming but are not made a test of fellowship, and how to apply modesty and simplicity is left to each individual under the general principles given through Timothy and Peter.

In changed customs in the New World where it is no longer a disgrace for a woman to go about without a head covering, the instruction still means a woman should not appear in public without a hat. Whether to wear or remove hats in church is largely a matter of custom to be left to each person, with women commonly wearing hats in religious services though removing them may be more reverent. The ordinances must be kept as they were delivered and preserved pure according to their intention, since keeping them brings praise and perverting one brings strong blame, so both candidate and administrator must heed gospel teaching, especially in baptism observed with carefulness according to its importance, and he who administers improperly does so at his peril.

Marriage was made for man before the fall, parallel to the Sabbath made for man before the fall, so its sacredness does not come from the Decalogue but exists from creation, with the seventh commandment guarding marriage as the fourth guards the Sabbath, and patriarchal violations do not destroy its sacred character. Before sin Adam and Eve bore God's moral image in equality and harmony as one flesh with the wife standing by his side as an equal helpmeet, but sin brought disparagement with the husband ruling over the wife. Marriage and the Sabbath were both given before the fall, so the Sabbath recalls God's original plan for husband and wife and cannot be kept properly where husband and wife live in discord.