Hair and Headship – 1 Corinthians 11:1-16

Exposition of Paul’s teaching on headship, head coverings and hair. The primary theme of this section is headship (authority) (Vs. 3), and the discussion concerning head coverings is connected to that theme. Maintaining the God-ordained distinction between the sexes is a very important outward symbol of submission to God’s created order (Vs. 14-15).

In this chapter, there is a Word of Commendation (Vs. 1-16) and a Word of Correction (Vs. 17-34).

Key words – ‘head’ (9 times), ‘covered’ (5 times), ‘hair’ (3 times), ‘uncovered’ (2 times) and ‘covering’ (1 time).

This passage was very important for the Corinthian church! Carnal churches and carnal Christians tend to kick against God-ordained authorities, and evidently this was an issue at Corinth. The Corinthian church was also surrounded by a very wicked culture in which there was a breakdown of the distinctions between the sexes (See 1 Cor. 6:9), including androgynous gods and goddesses.

The message of this passage is just as needed and relevant in our day! We are living in an age in blatant rebellion against God’s ordained authority structure for the home and the church, and in open rebellion against God’s created order for the sexes. Androgyny is alive and well, and its most recent manifestation is in the transgender movement. The two issues are interconnected – our outward appearance communicates a message.

We will study this section under three headings.

Headship (Vs. 1-3)

The Lead in to the Instruction (Vs. 1-2)

1. The Command to follow Paul (Vs. 1)
   1. The word ‘follower’ comes from the Greek word ‘μιμητής’ (mimētēs) meaning “imitator, follower”; “a person who copies the words or behaviour of another” (Logos).
   2. Paul had special authority as an Apostle. This naturally leads into the discourse that follows on the theme of authority. They needed to accept Paul’s inspired instructions.
   3. They could follow Paul with confidence because Paul was following Christ.
2. The Commendation for following Paul (Vs. 2)
   1. They remembered Paul (Vs. 2a)
   2. They regarded Paul (Vs. 2b)
   3. Paul wisely commends them before he corrects them. “When we reprove what is amiss in any, it is very prudent and fit to commend what is good in them; it will show that the reproof is not from ill-will, and a humour of censuring and finding fault; and it will therefore procure the more regard to it.” (Matthew Henry)

The Lesson of the Instruction (Vs. 3)

This is the key verse for this section.

1. The Desire behind the Instruction (Vs. 3a)
   1. “I would have you know” = A recurring theme of Paul’s. In several places in this Epistle, he expresses his desire that they not be ‘ignorant’ of certain truths (10:1, 12:1, 14:38)
   2. Christian practice must flow out of godly knowledge. We need to think right in order to live right!
2. The Details of the Instruction (Vs. 3b) Paul outlines God’s ordained structure of headship:
   1. The head of every man is Christ – Christ is the head of every Christian man. This is mentioned first!
   2. The head of the woman is the man – this is God’s order for the home and the church. Leadership is male. The man is not superior to the woman. Both are equal before the Lord, and in Christ, there is spiritual oneness. However, the functional order for marriage and the home is that the husband be the head.
   3. The head of Christ is God – there is an authority structure within the Godhead itself; therefore, we should not be surprised that our Creator established lines of authority for mankind created in His image. It is a part of His nature.
   4. Note: All members of the Godhead are equal, yet there is headship within the Godhead, in which the Son submits to the Father. Headship has nothing to do with equality! All three members of the Godhead are equal. The Father is called God (Eph. 1:3), the Son is called God (Heb. 1:8), and the Spirit is called God (Acts 5:3-4).

Head Coverings (Vs. 4-12)

The issue of covering the head is connected to headship, and as we will see, hair is the primary thing in view here. “Hair length is brought into 1 Corinthians 11 because it is symbolic of one’s standing in this world under God. The man is to have short hair because he is the image and glory of God, and his head is Christ (1 Cor. 11:3-4, 7). The woman is to have long hair as a sign of her submission to the man under God (1 Cor. 11:3-5).” (D. Cloud)

The Proposition regarding Head Coverings (Vs. 4-6)

1. Men and head coverings (Vs. 4)
   1. The phrase “having his head covered” literally means “having down from the head”. It can refer to the wearing of a lengthy veil or shawl, but it could also depict long hair, comparable to that of a woman. (Gromacki)
   2. A man praying or preaching (“prophesying”) with his head covered dishonours his head.
2. Women and head coverings (Vs. 5-6)
   1. The woman is the opposite. For her to pray or speak God’s Word with an uncovered head is a shameful thing.
   2. Here, the question arises: What is the woman’s head covering (1 Cor. 11:5-15)? The following excerpt from David Cloud’s article¹ provides a helpful explanation:One of the issues with this passage is discerning the nature of the woman’s covering. It is obvious that God requires that the woman have a token of submission on her head and that she is to be covered. Verse 15 plainly says her hair is given for a covering. The question is whether the hair alone is the woman’s covering or whether an additional covering is spoken of in verses 4-7.Those who believe verses 4-7 refer to a separate veil or head covering point to two things to prove their position:(!) The Greek word in verses 5-7 is different from that which is used in verse 15. In verses 5- 7, the Greek word translated “covered” is “katakalupto,” meaning “to cover wholly, i.e., veil” (Strong). The word is not used anywhere else in the New Testament. In verse 15, the Greek word translated “covering” is “peribolaion,” meaning “something thrown around one, i.e., a mantle, veil” (Strong). The word is only used here and in Heb. 1:12, where it is translated “vesture.” Thus, the Bible says the woman’s hair is given her for a mantle or vesture or veil over her head.ANSWER: I don’t believe the fact that there are two Greek words is significant. The words mean the same thing: a veil, a covering. The Authorised Version correctly translates both words by the same English word, “covering.” That there are two different Greek words does not prove that a different covering is referred to in verses 4-7 as in verse 15. The Greek New Testament frequently uses different Greek words as synonyms, just as we do in the English language.

      (2) Those who believe that a woman should wear a cloth head covering point to the phrasing of verse 6. “For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered.” They argue that the covering here must be something other than her hair.

      ANSWER: Again, it is not necessary to interpret verse 6 as speaking of a separate covering or veil. I believe the verse means this: If a woman refuses to wear her hair long for a proper covering and token of authority, if she wants to bob it like a man’s, let her go ahead and shave it all off. By saying this, the apostle is emphasizing the seriousness of this matter. It is obvious that it is not proper for a woman’s head to be shaved. For a woman to have her head shaved is extremely rare and is contrary to the woman’s natural desire. The Seattle Mariners baseball team hosts an annual Buhner Buzz Cut Night, and anyone who has his or her head shaved can get into the game for free. This is in honour of the Mariners’ star outfielder, Jay Buhner, whose trademark is a shaved head. Each year, there are only a few women who participate in this. In 1997, for example, fewer than 30 of the 5,000 who participated in this promotion were female. When the Germans were defeated at the end of World War II, some of the women in France who had cohabited with the German soldiers were shaved as a sign of disgrace. I remember that when my grandmother had her first heart attack at about age 70, she began to lose her hair. She prayed earnestly to the Lord that He would have mercy on her so she would not be “a bald woman.” God answered her prayer, and her hair grew back out in her old age.

      If Paul is talking about a covering separate from the woman’s hair, it is strange that the Bible does not spell it out. It is not mentioned elsewhere in Scripture, and we are given no information about its proper size, when and how to wear it, at what age it should be worn, and other such things.

      I believe the woman’s long hair is a proper covering in all instances, but if someone is convicted that an extra covering is necessary then it should be a true covering. A small piece of lace or cloth sitting on the top of the hair is not a covering. A little bonnet, such as those worn by the Salvation Army, is not a covering. If the covering is something other than the woman’s long hair, then it must be something that actually covers her head. It should be shawl-like and should be draped over the hair.

      Genuine modesty and feminine shamefacedness are so rare in Western society today, even in Bible-believing churches that preach separation from the world. I would much rather see women come to the church with their heads veiled than to see them in their worldly bobbed hair fashions, which are so prevalent even in fundamental Baptist churches today. It is a disgrace, and it is something that is almost never reproved by the preachers. I am convinced the average preacher studiously avoids preaching anything that would offend the women of his congregation.

The Argumentation regarding Head Coverings (Vs. 7-12)

1. The Core of the Argument (Vs. 7-10) The Apostle grounds his argument in God’s created order.
   1. The man is the image and glory of God (Vs. 7a). “The word ‘glory’ refers to excellence, beauty, magnificence. The man is the image and glory of God, particularly in his role of ruling. In that role, man shows or reflects the glory and excellence of God, whereas the woman was made to be man’s helper, not a ruler directly under God. Adam was made to be the king of the earth under God, whereas Eve was made to be Adam’s queen. Adam’s glory was a reflection of God’s glory, whereas Eve’s glory was a reflection of Adam’s glory.” (Cloud)
   2. The woman is the glory of the man (Vs. 7b)
   3. The woman was made out of man (Vs. 8). Paul interpreted Genesis 2 as literal history. Eve was made from Adam. This disproves the argument that this teaching was just for Paul’s time (i.e., that culture). The order God ordained for men and women has been in place since the beginning of time.
   4. The woman was made for the man (Vs. 9). Wives, you were made for your man! This makes you special, not inferior. You have a special role that a man cannot fulfil. Husbands, your wife is yours to love, cherish and honour, not abuse and misuse.
   5. The angels are interested in this whole matter (Vs. 10). Heaven is interested in your hair! If the angels are interested in this matter, we should be too! It is not a non-issue!
2. The Clarification of the Argument (Vs. 11-12)
   1. The man and the woman are not independent from each other (Vs. 11)
   2. The woman is of the man, and men also come through the instrumentality of women (Vs. 12a). Every man comes into the world through a woman’s womb.
   3. Gromacki writes, “Just as the woman came out of the man in the original creation, so every man since that event has come out of the womb of a woman in procreation. The woman needed the man to begin her existence, and the man needs the woman to continue his existence.” God made male and female to be interconnected and interdependent.
   4. David Cloud notes, “Paul is careful to emphasise that the man and the woman are made to complement one another. There is no idea in Scripture of the man being superior to the woman. Both are spoken of in terms of glory or excellence. Both are made in God’s image. No man exists without a woman, a mother; and no woman exists without a man, a father. The woman is of the man in that Eve was taken out of Adam, but the man is by the woman in that every man is born of a woman.”
   5. All things are of God (Vs. 12b). God is the Divine source of it all!

Hair (Vs. 13-16)

The main point becomes clearer in these verses. It’s all in the hair! This is evident from the mention of a woman praying “uncovered” in verse 13, followed immediately by the discussion of hair length and the statement that a woman’s hair is her ‘covering’. If a woman has short hair, her head is uncovered, and that is shameful. If a man has long hair, his head is covered, and that is shameful. The simple point is that women should have long hair and men should have short hair to reflect God’s created order and structure.

Long Hair on a Male is Wrong! (Vs. 14)

1. It is unnatural (Vs. 14a)
   1. If you recoil at the sight of long hair on a man, that is an appropriate and natural response!
   2. The appeal is again to God’s created order. There is a reason why short hair on men and long hair on women are distinctions maintained by the majority of people, irrespective of language or culture. There is a natural instinct towards this model because of how God has made us.
   3. To go against this is to rebel against God’s created order. A sinful culture normalises what is unnatural.
2. It is shameful (Vs. 14b)
   1. The word ‘shame’ is also translated ‘vile’ (Rom. 1:26), ‘dishonour’ (Rom. 9:21, 1 Cor. 15:43, 2 Cor. 6:8, 2 Tim. 2:20) and ‘reproach’ (2. Cor. 11:21).
   2. Long hair on a woman is glorious. Long hair on a man is ghastly!
   3. Illustration: The rock-and-roll world is a classic example of rebellion against God in this area. From its inception, the blurring of the distinctions between the sexes has been a major part of rock and roll culture, starting with the Beatles in the 60s. That rebellion has carried over into mainstream Christendom in our day (e.g., the CCM world).
   4. Note: Our Lord Jesus had short hair, not long hair! As the living Word, He never contradicted His written Word. As the Creator of male and female, He was masculine in His humanity.

Long Hair on a Woman is Right! (Vs. 13, 15)

1. It is a glory for the woman (Vs. 15a).
   1. God created you to be a feminine, beautiful creature, and your hair is a big part of that. Embrace it!
   2. On a practical level, a man will tend to respond much better to a feminine woman with long hair than to a butch with short hair. If you are married, your husband instinctively likes your hair long.
   3. Note: In light of the above, it is not wrong for a woman to give some time and attention to her hair!
2. It is a covering for the woman (Vs. 15b). The point is clear. Your hair is your head covering as a woman!

Concluding Challenge

1. Ladies, your long hair is a symbol of your submission to God- ordained authority. Men, your short hair is a symbol of your role as head of the woman and as an image bearer of your Creator.
2. Beware of the masculinization of women and the feminisation of men in our day.
   1. Men, avoid anything that tends towards femininity in hairstyles and clothing. Men comb their hair; they don’t style their hair. Real men don’t wear pink. Real men don’t wear jewellery (e.g., earrings, necklaces) except a wedding ring (no diamantes though!). Masculine men don’t use hair dryers or curling wands. Masculine men should be clean and sharp but not womanly! Remember, a good woman cares more about your godliness than your hair gel! She cares more about your character than your car! She cares more about your spirituality than your six- pack! She cares more about your ministry than your muscles!
   2. Ladies, steer clear of hairstyles and clothing that lean towards masculinity. Trousers are for men, not ladies. Short hair is a male hairstyle, not a female one. Older sisters, avoid following the ghastly trend among senior women today (the chopped short style). While you may not be able to grow your hair as long as you did as a young woman, it should still be long enough to be distinct from a man’s. If it’s hard to tell from behind whether you are a man or a woman, it’s too short. Be sure to give your hairdresser clear instructions, as their default approach is often to cut more than necessary!

Conclusion

Are you in submission or rebellion towards headship as established by God? Does your hair reflect submission to God’s created order?

References

1. Excerpt from article by David Cloud – https://www.wayoflife.org/reports/the_womans_hair_and_head_coverings.html

Sermon 28 in 1 Corinthians Series

Sermon Audio Id: 321262132435625