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Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents
11:2-14:40 Divisions over Corporate Worship. Paul addresses three issues that have come to his attention, either through the Corinthians' letter to him (7:1; 12:1) or through an oral report (11:18). All three issues relate to the conduct of the Corinthians when they gather for worship.
11:2-16 Head Coverings and Worship. Paul first comments on whether certain women, probably wives, may continue to pray and prophesy in corporate worship with their heads uncovered (see v. 13). By uncovering their heads in public worship, Paul says, they bring shame instead of glory to their husbands, and this is not proper.
11:3 But shows that Paul has quickly moved from commendation (in v. 2) to correction. wife. See ESV footnote. Since a woman's head covering in Roman society was a sign of marriage, Paul's practical concern in this passage is not with the relationship between women and men generally but with the relationship between husband and wife. head. It is sometimes said that this term (Gk. kephalē) means "source," but in over
11:4 head covered. The Greek phrase (kata kephalēs) literally means "down from the head" and may refer either to long hair that hangs loose (vv. 14-15), or to a veil that covers the face, or to a piece of cloth pulled over the head (like a modern shawl or scarf) that leaves the face revealed. As background for understanding Paul's point in this verse, Roman men sometimes practiced the custom of pulling the loose folds of their toga over their head as an act of piety in the worship of pagan gods. Paul thus draws on the example of this pagan custom (which everyone in the Corinthian church would have thought absurd) to make the point that men should not dishonor Christ by praying according to pagan custom (8:4). He then uses the idea to prepare the way for his argument that it is equally absurd for wives to pray or prophesy in public with their heads uncovered (11:5, 11).
11:5-6 head uncovered. A married woman who uncovered her head in public would have brought shame to her husband. The action may have connoted sexual availability or may simply have been a sign of being unmarried. In cultures where women's head coverings are not a sign of being married, wives do not need to cover their heads in worship, but they could obey this command by wearing some other physical symbol of being married (such as a wedding ring). While a shaven head or short hair was considered shameful for a woman in Corinth, long hair was considered to be a woman's "glory" (see v. 15).
11:7-9 See Gen. 1:26-27; 5:1; 9:6. Woman is the glory of man probably uses "glory" in the sense of "one who shows the excellence of." Paul argues that a woman, by the excellence of her being, also shows how excellent man is, since she was taken out of man at the beginning (1 Cor. 11:8) and also was created as a helper for man at the beginning (v. 9; see also Gen. 2:20-24). Paul does not deny that the woman was also made in God's image, something that Gen. 1:27 explicitly affirms, nor does he deny that the woman reflects God's glory. Paul probably continues to think primarily of husband and wife here since the first man and woman were also the first married couple (Gen. 2:24; Eph. 5:31). Paul's appeal to the order of creation (cf. also 1 Cor. 11:3, 11-12) shows that his words are not merely directed to the cultural situation of his day. The principle of male headship in marriage continues through all generations, though some cultural expressions of that principle (e.g., that women should wear head coverings) may vary.
11:10 wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head. More literally, a "wife ought to have authority [Gk. exousia] over her head," where the word "authority" refers to a head covering, which was a symbol of authority. This probably means, in the context of the Corinthian church, that the wife should wear a covering over her head as a sign that she is under her husband's authority. Others, however, suggest that a head covering is a sign of the woman's authority to prophesy in church, or to participate generally in the church assembly. because of the angels. This probably refers to the invisible heavenly beings (6:3; Heb. 1:7) who are present with the Corinthians when they worship (cf. Ps. 138:1) and whose presence makes propriety in worship that much more important. The NT elsewhere uses the fact that angels are watching as one motive for obeying God's commands (see 1 Tim. 5:21; Heb. 13:2; 1 Pet. 1:12).
11:11-12 nevertheless. Paul does not want what he has just said to be misinterpreted as a diminution of the importance of women. Women and men are both God's creation and are mutually interdependent at a basic level.
11:14 Here the word nature probably means "your natural sense of what is appropriate for men and women": it would be a disgrace for a man to look like a woman because of his hair style. Although the norms of appropriate hair style (and dress) may vary from culture to culture, Paul's point is that men should look like men in that culture, and women should look like women in that culture, rather than seeking to deny or disparage the God-given differences between the sexes.
11:16 See 1:2; 4:17; 7:17; 14:33, 36 for Paul's appeal to the practice of other churches. no such practice. That is, "no such practice" as that of those who disagree with Paul (therefore some translations render this "no other practice," giving about the same sense). Paul's objective is to bring the Corinthians into conformity with generally accepted Christian behavior.
