• Following Paul's prohibition of "false worship" (idolatry), Paul addresses three items that cause disruptions in their worship assemblies:

(a) 11:2-16    women's head covering or hairstyle when praying and prophesying,

(b) 11:17-34    the abuse of the poor at the Lord's Table,

(c) chapters 12-14    the abuse of speaking tongues in the assembly. This last item is discussed in a separate section on spiritual gifts.

• 1Co 11:2-16 contains numerous exegetical difficulties:
(a)    the difficult logic of the argument;
(b)    uncertainty about the meaning of some crucial terms: "head" (v.3-5), "having down the head" (v.4), "uncovered" (v.5,13), "glory" (v.7), "authority over her head" (v.10), "because of the angels" (v.10), "in the place of a shawl" (v.15), "such a custom" (v.16);
(c)    uncertainty about prevailing customs, both in the culture and in the church of NT times.
 
• Because of these problems, there are at least 3 different interpretations of the passage:

(A)    Traditionally, this passage has been interpreted to mean that men are required to wear their hair short and keep their heads uncovered during worship, while women are to cover their heads, perhaps with a veil. The covering is a symbol of subordination, that is, woman as a whole is subordinate to man.

(B)    Paul tells the Corinthian women to follow the custom and put some covering on their head for the sake of propriety in worship. He argues mainly against those women who deliberately do not put on a head cover in order to break down the distinction between the sexes, as the result of their new "spirituality".

(C)    The passage refers to married women only (the Greek word here for "woman" is the same as that for "wife"; if Paul intends to teach all females he could have chosen other words). In NT times, married women were obligated to keep their hair bound up on their heads or else covered over whenever they appeared in public. It was a symbol of their married state, just like our wedding ring. Paul directs his teaching to those wives who appeared in public worship with hair hanging loose and without head covering. It was the same as if they had their hair cut close (the style of prostitutes) or as if they had their heads shaved. To take such a liberty with her hair would shame a wife's "head", her husband.

Context:  In order to keep an orderly worship, Paul tells the women to have head coverings.
 

• 11:2-6    Paul argues from culture and shame.
• 11:7-12    Paul argues from creation.
• 11:13-16    Paul argues from propriety and the nature of things.
 
11:3
The metaphorical use of "head" does not imply structures of authority because:
 
(a) the only appearance of the word "authority" refers to woman's own authority in v.10.
 
(b) 11:11-12 explicitly qualify v.8-9 so that they will not be understood in this way.
 
(c) Paul chooses the Greek word kephale for head, meaning physical head or "one who precedes another into battle"; if he wants the word to denote boss or chief, he could have used arche (such as in Col 1:18 for Christ). Here, the word "head" refers to source of life. Thus, Christ is the source of every Christian man in salvation (see 2Co 5:17); the man (Adam) is the source of the woman's (Eve) life (v.12) in creation; God is the source of Christ in his incarnation.
11:4
Paul teaching is contrary to the tradition of the Jews who always cover their head (men and women) with a prayer shawl (tallit, symbolic of Moses's veil on Mt. Sinai) when worshipping. Since this is not a Greek tradition, his teaching may also be intended for order in worship.

If man were to "have down the head" (likely some cloth covering) in worship, he would bring shame to the relationship established by Christ's being his "head". {difficult logic}

11:5
The woman brings shame on her "head" (the man) if she prays or prophesies with no covering, thus blurring male/female relationships in general and sexual distinctions in particular.

11:7
Because in creation, man (Adam) was created directly from the dust of the ground, he is God's image and glory, while the woman (Eve) was created through the man. "Being God's glory" is not in the creation accounts. Possible meaning: man, being God's image, is somehow a reflection of God himself and his glory. What is difficult here is why being God's glory means no head covering. {difficult logic} On the other hand, woman, by disregarding distinctions between the sexes, brings shame on the man whose glory she is intended to be.

11:8-9
The woman's was created to be a companion or help for the man, not a subordinate.

11:10
Literal translation: the woman ought to have "authority over" (not "sign of authority on") her head. There is no known evidence that "authority" is ever used in the passive sense.

Tradition view: the "authority" is the "veil"; the woman ought to use a veil because angels are present at the Christian assembly as "watchers of the created order" (4:9).

Alternate interpretation: the woman ought to have the authority or freedom over her own head, to do as she wishes. But because of the watching angels, they should exercise that freedom or authority in the proper way by maintaining the custom of being covered.

Another alternate: since these same women will someday judge angels (6:3), they should already exercise authority over their heads and have total freedom on this matter.

11:11
Paul says that the man and woman are not independent and that she must take into account this relationship to exercise her authority. Furthermore, this is not a chief/subordinate relationship. Woman is neither independent of nor subordinate to man.

11:14
Man by nature has short hair; having long hair is a disgrace to him. {difficult logic}

11:15
Long hair distinguishes the splendour of the woman. Since women have by nature been given long hair as a covering, that in itself points to their need to be covered in worship.

11:16
Literal translation: we have "no such" practice (not "no other"). Paul appeals to custom used in the "churches of God". He is dealing strictly with custom. "No such practice" may mean that other churches adopt the custom of head coverings OR that other churches (such as those in Asia Minor where Paul wrote the letter) do not use head coverings and they are free to decide.

• Should veiling for women in worship be practised today?

 
• Paul's objective is to eliminate disruptions in worship. In cultures where women's heads are seldom covered, the enforcement of head coverings in the church would cause disruptions. However, some still argue that head coverings are still mandatory for women in worship today and some churches still follow this custom. The matter is non-essential.

• The Christian religion sanctions national customs wherever these are not against the great principles of truth and holiness.