Lessons #367 and 368
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+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual delivery not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GW = God’s Word Translation, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New English Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+AMP = Amplified Bible, UBS = United Bible Society +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
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Head Covering: Concept of Hierarchy (1 Cor 11:3-16)
… 4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. 5 And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is just as though her head were shaved. 6 If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head. 7 A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. 8 For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; 9 neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. 10 For this reason, and because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head. 11 In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. 12 For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God. 13 Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14 Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, 15 but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering. 16 If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice—nor do the churches of God.
The message of this section that is concerned with head covering we have be considering is that Men should not have their head covered during prayer and likewise women who wear their hair the way God has given it to them, but they should cover it if they either cut or shave it.
Expounding this message involves understanding of three parts knowledge the Holy Spirit through the apostle wants us to have. The first part concerns the concept of hierarchy given in verses 3 to 10. The second involves the relationship between men and women given in verses 11 and 12. The third concerns lessons learned from nature given in verses 13 to 15. Our last two studies have focused on the first concept of hierarchy that we stated the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul wants us to know which is that there is such a thing as the concept of hierarchy both in heaven and on earth although this concept is introduced using the literal word “head.” This concept of hierarchy we stated previously is developed by focusing on three elements. The first element concerned three relationships of Christ to man, man to woman, specifically husband and wife, and Christ to God that bear out the concept of hierarchy. The second element in the concept of hierarchy concerns the dishonoring of the head or hierarchy given in verses 4 and 5a. The third concerns the instructions related to the concept of head or hierarchy that are given in verses 5b to 10. We ended our last study as we were considering the second element that concerns the dishonoring of the head or hierarchy. We stated that when Apostle Paul wrote the sentence of 1 Corinthians 11:4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head, he meant that a man who covers his head during prayer or as he prophesies rejects the concept of authority or hierarchy which he is under. In effect, he rejects the concept of hierarchy that God has set. We ended by promising to continue with this point of rejecting the concept of hierarchy that God has set in our next study. It is with this that we continue our study today.
Recall that at the beginning of our last study, we indicated that there are differences between men and women regarding some spiritual activities or functions. This assertion is supported by the different interpretations give to head covering during prayer or during prophesying by men and women. We have noted that a man who covers his head during any of these two activities shows disrespect to the authority of Christ he represents but the opposite is said regarding a woman in the first sentence of 1 Corinthians 11:5 And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head.
As we noted in verse 4, the word “head” used twice is subject to two interpretations. The first word “head” is used literally for the part of the body that contains the brain. This is because of the word “uncovered” is translated from a Greek adjective (akatakalyptos) that pertains to not being covered. Thus, the word is concerned with a woman that does not have a covering on the head. Although the apostle meant here a literal covering of the head that involves cloth of some form but there is probably more to what the apostle meant because of what he said later about a woman’s hair in verse 15. Because the word is concerned with a covering other than the woman’s hair, the first usage of the word “head” is in a literal sense. However, the second usage of the word “head” in the verbal phrase dishonors her head could be understood in a literal sense referring to a woman’s physical head or figuratively to refer to the concept of authority or to both. It is probably that the Holy Spirit wants us to understand the second use of the word “head” both in literal and figurative senses because of what dishonoring the head implies. There are two ways a woman, especially one that is married, who does not have her head covered could dishonor her head that are intertwined with each other. If she has no covering on her head, she dishonors her head by making herself look like a man and so she blurs the distinction between a man and a woman. But that is not all, for the married woman, not covering her head is a way to disgrace her husband by implying she is not under his authority. This being the case, the woman dishonors her husband’s authority by not having a covering on her head or in case she is unmarried she has no respect for the concept of authority or hierarchy God had set up. Thus, it is probably better to interpret the verbal phrase dishonors her head to mean that the woman disrespects the symbol of her husband’s authority or simply the concept of authority by having her head uncovered. The interpretation that the primary concern in dishonoring the head is rejection of the concept of authority or hierarchy God has set, enables the dishonoring of the head to apply to unmarried or married woman although with emphasis on the married woman. Anyway, we have noted that dishonoring the concept of authority is reflected in the man by having a covering on his head while praying or prophesying but the opposite is the case with a woman in that she dishonors the concept of authority by carrying out the same activities with a head uncovered. By the way, the praying or prophesying is one that takes place in a local congregation because prophesying is an activity for believers assembled for worship than for an individual. This brings us to the third element in the concept of hierarchy that concerns the instructions related to the concept of head or hierarchy given in verses 5b to 10.
There are two instructions given in verses 5b to 10 in relationship to the head during prayer or prophesying. The first is to the woman to have her head covered and the second to the man not to cover his head. Before the apostle gets to the first instruction that is concerned with a woman having her head covered during prayer or prophesying, he gave an interpretation or explanation of what an uncovered head in a woman means. We say this because the second clause of 1 Corinthians 11:5 begins with a Greek conjunction (gar) that is not explicitly translated in the NIV that generally indicates a causal relation between two statements, whereby the second statement gives a reason for or explains the first and so it is often translated “for” in our English version as it is done in majority of English versions of the verse we are considering. The conjunction is used here to provide not only an additional reason a woman without a head covering dishonors her head but also to explain what a head uncovered in a woman praying or prophesying means.
A woman who prays without her head covered is in the same condition as a woman who shaved off her hair in that she suffers the same humiliation or disgrace associated with a woman shaving her head. It is this explanation that is given in the last sentence of 1 Corinthians 11:5 it is just as though her head were shaved. Literally, the Greek reads for it is one and the same as being shaved. The word “is” here further enables us to understand that the clause in the Greek provides not only added reason for a woman not to have uncovered head but an explanation of what it means when a woman prays without a covering on her head. This is because the word “is,” is translated from a Greek verb (eimi) that basically means “to be” but with other nuances. For example, it is used for explanation of how something is to be understood and so may be translated “to mean” as it is used in the demands of some of Athenians to Apostle Paul to explain what he was preaching about resurrection of Jesus Christ, as we read in Acts 17:20:
You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.”
The sentence what they mean is literally these things want to be. Because the Greek verb used in 1 Corinthians 11:5 could have the meaning “to mean” supports the fact that the apostle explained what it means for a woman to pray or prophesy without a covering on her head since the literal clause for it is one and the same reads for it means one and the same. His explanation is that such a woman is in the same condition or state of humiliation or disgrace with a woman that has shaved her hair as the last clause of 1 Corinthians 11:5 it is just as though her head were shaved. Here the word “head” is used in a literal sense because of the word “shaved” that is translated from a Greek word (xyraō) that appears three times in the Greek NT with the meaning “to shave.” It is used twice by Apostle Paul in verses 5 and 6 of 1 Corinthians 11. The other usage of the word appears in Luke’s description of the advice offered to Apostle Paul to join some Jews who were undergoing a ritual of purification and to help pay their expenses for that process to help quell the charge levied against him of teaching Jews to abandon the Mosaic traditions as we read in Acts 21:24:
Take these men, join in their purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everybody will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law.
Anyway, the Greek word used in 1 Corinthians 11:5 means “to be shaven,” that is, “to be or become characterized by having the beard or hair cut off close to the skin.”
Shaving of the head of a woman or cutting the hair short is not common, at least among the Israelites. There are three clear examples of occasions when a woman’s hair was shaved. The first is the case of a woman captured in war that the man who captured her wants to marry. In this case, she was required to shave her head as indicated in Deuteronomy 21:11–13:
11 if you notice among the captives a beautiful woman and are attracted to her, you may take her as your wife. 12 Bring her into your home and have her shave her head, trim her nails 13 and put aside the clothes she was wearing when captured. After she has lived in your house and mourned her father and mother for a full month, then you may go to her and be her husband and she shall be your wife.
A second occasion is when a person dies suddenly before a woman who had undertaken the Nazirite vow as we read in Numbers 6:9:
“‘If someone dies suddenly in his presence, thus defiling the hair he has dedicated, he must shave his head on the day of his cleansing—the seventh day.
The pronoun he should be understood as referring either to a man or a woman as we may gather from what is given in Numbers 6:2:
“Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘If a man or woman wants to make a special vow, a vow of separation to the LORD as a Nazirite.
A third occasion when a woman could shave her head would be when she lost someone either through death or exile as we find, for example, in Micah 1:16:
Shave your heads in mourning for the children in whom you delight; make yourselves as bald as the vulture, for they will go from you into exile.
Other than these occasions we have cited, it is rare for a woman to shave her head as implied in what Apostle Paul stated later in 1 Corinthians 11:6. The apostle was acquainted with these occasions and also of Roman practices where some believe that for a woman to shave her head draws attention to her as an available woman. Such a thing would be considered disgraceful by the apostle and so a woman who shaves her head is a woman who is without her dignity for the woman to be advertising herself to men.
In any case, the apostle gives an instruction to a woman that he did not intend to be carried out but one that he gave to indicate through the shock value of what he said that a woman needs a head covering when praying or prophesying. It is this instruction that is given in the first conditional clause of 1 Corinthians 11:6 If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off. The translators of the 1984 edition of the NIV omitted translating a Greek conjunction (gar) at the beginning of verse 6 that they also omitted in the second clause of 1 Corinthians 11:5 as we stated previously. However, the 2011 edition of the NIV translated the Greek conjunction with the word “for” so that they began verse 6 with the word “for” as done in many of our English versions. The problem with the use of the word “for” to begin verse 6 is that the Greek conjunction used when translated “for” could mean that it is used as a marker of reason or as marker of clarification, that is, that it is used to provide explanation. The Greek conjunction used in 1 Corinthians 11:6 could be understood either as providing an explanation of what was said in the last clause of verse 5 about a woman who does not cover her head or that it is used as a marker of inference derived from what was said in the last clause of verse 5. The later interpretation would lead to translating the Greek conjunction with the word “so” or “then.” Three English versions, the HCSB, the GW, and the ISV began verse 6 with the word “so” implying that they understood the Greek conjunction to be used to introduce an inference drawn from the last clause of verse 5. The NLT began verse 6 with the word “Yes” while the NJB began with “indeed.” Both translations imply that the translators interpreted the Greek conjunction as a marker of inference. It seems that the apostle used the Greek conjunction to draw an inference from what he said in verse 5. He indicated that a woman who does not cover her head during prayer or while prophesying is the same as a woman with her head shaved. Therefore, based on this statement, the apostle then gives the instruction that requires a woman shaving her head.
The instruction the apostle gives to the woman that refused to have her head covered is preceded by a conditional clause of 1 Corinthians 11:6 If a woman does not cover her head. This clause assumes that what is stated is true or has occurred since the word “if” is translated from a Greek conditional particle (ei) that is used to express a condition thought of as real or to denote assumptions relating to what has already happened. The condition assumed to be real is that a woman has not covered her head during prayer or while prophesying. The word “covered is translated from a Greek word (katakalyptō) that means “to cover, veil.” The word is used in the Septuagint to describe the Seraphs in Prophet Isaiah’s vision in Isaiah 6:2:
Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 11:6, the word is used in the sense of “to be covered” or “to be veiled.” Hence, the situation is that a woman is not veiled or have her head covered. The apostle used a passive voice implying that someone was responsible for having the woman’s head covered. In effect, there is a subject that is responsible for the woman having her head covered. The subject is not identified but the implication is that God is the subject. Thus, the apostle is already hinting on what he said later in verse 15 about the woman’s hair being a covering for her head.
The assumption that a woman is praying or prophesying with her head uncovered leads to the instruction that is given in the next sentence of the NIV of 1 Corinthians 11:6 she should have her hair cut off. The 1984 edition of the NIV and some of our English versions did not translate a Greek conjunction (kai) that begins the clause that is often translated “and” in our English versions. This is probably because they considered the Greek conjunction as an apodosis, that is, as introducing the main clause of the conditional sentence of the first half of verse 6. A handful of our English versions such as, the ESV, used the meaning “then” to indicate that what follows is an apodosis. These interpretations of the Greek conjunction notwithstanding, it seems that the apostle used it as a marker of an additional action that is to be taken by a woman who prays or prophesies without her head covered, in which case the conjunction may be translated “also, in addition.” This interpretation seems to be that adopted by the 2011 edition of the NIV and many other English versions that used the phrase “as well” in their translation. The action that should be taken by such a believing woman is given in the verbal phrase have her hair cut off.
The expression “have hair cut off” is translated from a Greek word (keirō) that may mean “to cut the hair of a person or animal hence the word means “to cut hair, to shear.” The word is used four times in the NT; twice in 1 Corinthians 11:6 and twice in the book of Acts. In the first usage in Acts, it is with the meaning “to shear” although it is used as a participle in a quotation from the OT Scripture of the passage the Ethiopian eunuch was reading before the evangelist Philip joined him as we read Acts 8:32:
The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
The other usage is in connection with Apostle Paul shaving his hair at the conclusion of a Nazirite vow he must have taken as we read in Acts 18:18:
Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchrea because of a vow he had taken.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 11:6, it is used with the meaning “to shear,” that is, to cut the hair or have it clipped as if with shears.
The instruction of the apostle given in 1 Corinthians 11:6 she should have her hair cut off portrays the sense of an action that should immediately go into effect since the apostle’s instruction is given with an aorist tense in the Greek. In other words, if indeed a woman prays or prophesizes without her head covered then she should immediately cut off her hair. This would be in keeping with the interpretation of the apostle regarding the meaning of a woman not having head covered while praying or prophesying. Of course, as we have stated, it does not seem that the apostle’s instruction is something that he expects to be carried out but one that conveys the seriousness of woman not having a covering on her head while she prays or prophesizes.
The apostle’s concern is that a woman should have a head covering while praying or prophesying. To continue to make his case for such requirement, the apostle states something that is not a norm with women, as we have stated previously, which is to have their hair cut short or shaved. It is that he stated with the next conditional clause of 1 Corinthians 11:6 and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off.
The conditional clause and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off is really a way that the apostle makes his point clearer to the readers. In effect, the apostle is really saying something like “here then is my point.” This the apostle did first with a Greek particle (de)
that is used to connect one clause to another, either to express contrast or simple continuation. Although it is often translated “but” in the English when there is a perceived contrast between two clauses, but it has other meanings such as “now,” “then,” “and,” “that is” when it is used to link segments of a narrative. It can also be used to indicate transition to something new. In our verse, the Greek particle is used to contrast the preceding instruction of a woman having her hair cut off with an expanded, explanatory thought of the apostle. This being the case, the Greek particle could be translated “and” or “but” as it is done in many of our English versions. The point is that the apostle by using the Greek conjunction that may be translated “but” or “and” wants to make clearer that his point was not really for a woman to cut her hair but to do what the apostle commanded later. A second way the apostle conveyed that his point was not that a woman should cut her hair short or shave it is indicated with the conditional particle (ei) that, as we stated previously, is used to express a condition thought of as real or to denote assumptions relating to what has already happened. However, in its usage in this second time, it has the sense of stating something that is true or a reason for the instruction the apostle gives so that it may be translated “since” as reflected in such English versions as the ESV and the NCV, among others. Thus, by using the Greek particle translated “if” in the NIV, the apostle conveyed that his point was not that a woman should cut her hair or shave her head because it is a disgrace for a woman to do so.
The word “disgrace” in verse 6 is translated from a Greek word (aischros) that is a term especially significant in honor-shame oriented society; generally, in reference to that which fails to meet expected moral and cultural standards. Hence, the word pertains to “being socially or morally unacceptable,” hence means “shameful, base.” The meaning “shameful” is used for hidden, sinful activities of unbelievers in Ephesians 5:12:
For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.
It is used with the meaning “dishonest” in connection with gain in Titus 1:11:
They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 11:6, it means “disgraceful,” that is, giving offense to moral sensibilities and injurious to reputation.”
It is offensive or unacceptable, especially, in the ancient world, as it is in many societies today, for a woman to cut her hair or shave her head as in the clause of 1 Corinthians 11:6 for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off. The apostle described two actions related to a woman’s hair that would give offense if she did either. The first is cutting her hair as in the verbal phrase have her hair cut. This action is not merely that a woman trims her hair to make the edges of her hair look nice but that of cutting it short since the Greek word used here is the same Greek word (keirō) used in the first part of the verse that we indicated means “to shear” the hair or in modern terms to cut the hair with scissors. In effect, it is not normal or acceptable for a woman to wear her hair short as the apostle would later imply. The second action of a woman regarding her hair that is not normal or would give offense to people in a society is for her to shave her head as in the phrase or shaved off. The word “shaved” is translated from a Greek word (xyraō) that we first encountered in 1 Corinthians 11:5 that we stated means “to be shaven,” that is, “to be or become characterized by having the beard or hair cut off close to the skin.” The action involved here is one that requires a razor in contrast to perhaps a scissor but not necessarily a clipper that may be used to cut the hair in a way that a person’s scalp is exposed. Of course, we have already noted that when a woman shaves her head it is not normal since that would indicate some form of humiliation due to being captured as a slave or that of mourning for loss of a child. That it is a disgrace or humiliation for a woman to have her hair cut short or shaved may be noted from the description given in the Apocryphal book known as the Testament of Job that described her wife’s humiliation following Job’s loss of his wealth. So, we read from the Testament of Job 24:7-10:
7“So I ventured unashamedly to go into the market, 8even if I was pierced in my heart to do so. And the bread seller said, ‘Give money, and you shall receive.’ 9 But I also showed him our straits and then heard from him, ‘If you have no money, woman, pay with the hair of your head and take three loaves. Perhaps you will live for three more days.’ 10 Being remiss, I said to him, ‘Go ahead, cut my hair.’ So he arose and cut my hair disgracefully in the market, while the crowd stood by and marveled.”[1]
This citation gives us an idea of what a disgrace it was in ancient world for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved. By the way, in our time, a woman’s hair may be shaved due to medical condition and so what we are studying will apply.
Be that as it may, the apostle having made his point that he was not concerned as such with a woman cutting her hair or shaving it off and having indicated that it is not normal for that to take place, gave the command that prohibits a woman praying or prophesying with her head uncovered as in the last command of 1 Corinthians 11:6 she should cover her head. The word “cover” is the same Greek word (katakalyptō) that we indicated previously to mean “to cover, veil.” The command is given in the present tense in the Greek. The implication is that the apostle wants women to train themselves to repeatedly cover their heads when they are praying or prophesying. Of course, once the apostle states what he meant by having a head covering, it would become clearer that the Holy Spirit does not want a woman to shave or cut her hair short as that would violate the instruction for her to cover her head while praying or prophesying. In any event, the first instruction the apostle gave to women is to ensure that they have their head covered when they pray or prophesy. This, as we have stated, would imply that a believing woman should not cut her hair short or shave it so that she would need a cloth covering while she prays or prophesizes as we will note later. This brings us to the instruction given to men as it relates to head covering.
The instruction to men is that they should having no covering of their head either while praying or prophesying. This instruction is given in the first sentence of 1 Corinthians 11:7 A man ought not to cover his head. This sentence indicates that a man either “is under no obligation” or “ought not to” to cover his head while praying or prophesying. We use the word “obligation” because the word “ought” of the NIV is translated from a Greek word (opheilō) that basically means “to owe.” To owe, could mean to be indebted to someone financially, as the word is used in the Parable of the Shrewd Manager recorded in Luke 16:7:
“Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’ “‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied. “He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’
To owe could mean to be under obligation to meet certain social or moral expectations. It is in this sense that Apostle Paul used the word to indicate believers should love others in Romans 13:8:
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.
The instruction Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another in the NIV is more literally Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another. The sense of obligation is best conveyed with the word “ought”, especially when our word is followed by an infinitive, as it is used in our passage of 1 Corinthians 11:7. Hence, in our passage the word has the sense of “to be obliged,” that is, “to be or become bound by obligation.” It is this meaning that is reflected in the TEV and the NJB while the NIV and others used the meaning “ought.” While both meanings are correct but in this particular context where the apostle is concerned with women being obligated to wear a head covering, the apostle would mean that men are not obligated to wear head covering in contrast to women. It is for this reason we believe that the sense of the Greek word in our passage is that of “to be obligated.”
The apostle was firm in declaring that a man is under no obligation to cover his head while praying or prophesying since the word “not” in the sentence A man ought not to cover his head is translated from a Greek word (ou) that is an objective negative, denying the reality of alleged fact and so means “not.” It is a negative that here shuts the possibility of a man covering his head while praying or prophesying. If it is ever permitted for a man to cover his head while praying or prophesying, the apostle would have used the other Greek word (mē) that is subjective that may not completely shut the door of what it negates. The apostle by this instruction to the men, have conveyed that the Christian worship is different from that of the Jews or Romans since men wore head covering in their worship. Anyway, the apostle conveys in no uncertain terms that a man should not have his head covered while praying or prophesying.
There is a distinction between the instruction given to the man about not covering his head to that given to the woman about covering her head beside the obvious fact that the two instructions are opposite each other. The difference is in the word “cover” used in both verses 6 and 7. It is true that the word “cover” in both verses is translated from the same Greek word (katakalyptō) that in both verses means to be covered” or “to be veiled” but there is a difference in the Greek grammatical voice the apostle used in both verses. By grammatical voice, we mean that property of the verb that indicates how the subject is related to the action (or state) expressed by the verb. In verse 6, as we have already noted, the apostle used what is known as “the passive voice” that signifies the subject is acted upon or receives the action expressed by the verb. Consequently, we indicated that the implied agent who acts on the woman is God. However, in verse 7, the apostle used what is known as “middle voice” that signifies that the subject performs or experiences the action expressed by the verb in such a way that emphasizes the subject’s participation, subject acts with a vested interest. The implication of the use of the middle voice in verse 7 is that the man acts in such a way that determines whether his head is covered or not while praying or prophesying. The apostle is then not merely speaking of a covering that involves a hat or any other covering on the head but how the man handles the hair on his head as the apostle eventually stated in verse 14 of how unnatural it is for a man to wear his hair long. Nonetheless, the apostle instructs a man not to have his head covered while praying or prophesying.
It is not simply that the apostle instructs a man not to cover his head while praying or prophesying, he gives the reason for such instruction. The reason the apostle gives is traced to creation of man and so the apostle indicates the reason for a man not to cover his head is that he is the authority figure that represents God and reflects Him. This reason is given in the next clause of 1 Corinthians 11:7 since he is the image and glory of God. Literally, the Greek reads being (the) image and glory of God. The word “being” we used in the literal translation is because we have a participle of a Greek word (hyparchō) that may mean “to be” that we will get to later but for the moment our concern is that the apostle used a participle (verbal adjective). The apostle used a participle to convey the reason a man should not have his head covered, so to reflect this requires introducing the word “since” in the English as the NIV did but the reason he gives indicates that man has a different relationship to God at the point of his creation than the woman. This point of difference we will note later.
In any case, the reason the apostle provided for a man not covering his head is that he is the more direct representation of God’s authority as the ruler of this world and reflects God in the world. It is this reason that is given in the phrase of 1 Corinthians 11:7 the image and glory of God. Our concern is to understand first what the apostle means that man is God’s image and then what he means by saying that the man is God’s glory. We begin by considering the word “image” that is translated from a Greek noun (eikōn) that refers to an object shaped to resemble the form or appearance of something and so means “likeness, portrait” as it is used in question of Jesus Christ to those who wanted to entrap Him regarding payment of taxes, so He wanted to know whose portrait and inscription were on the coin as we read in Luke 20:24:
“Show me a denarius. Whose portrait and inscription are on it?”
The word may mean that which represents something else in terms of basic form and features, hence means “likeness, form, appearance” as it is used in describing transforming of believers to conform to the form of Jesus Christ in 2 Corinthians 3:18:
And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
The word may mean that which has the same form as something else, that is, “living image” as it is used to describe Jesus Christ in relation to God in Colossians 1:15:
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 11:7, the word is used with the meaning “image,” that is, “a visual representation of a person.” This meaning leaves us wondering how man is a representation of God and for this we must go back to man’s creation.
The creation account of man is given in Genesis 1:26:
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
What does it mean that man was created in the “image” and “likeness”’ of God? It appears to me that the understanding of the phrase in our image, in our likeness depends on how the relationship between “image” and “likeness” is viewed. It is perhaps fair to state that the various interpretations given to the meaning of image lies in part in the failure to recognize the true relationship between these two words. So, it is not surprising that there are many views as to the meaning of image. Some take it to refer to the mental and spiritual faculties that man shares with God. Others either take image as consisting of physical resemblance to God or that which makes man God’s representative on the earth. It seems to me that if we do not press a sharp distinction between the word “image” and “likeness” we can easily interpret the meaning of the phrase in our image, in our likeness by considering the context of the phrase. The context tells us that the two words “image” and “likeness” taken together means that man shares with God in ruling of creation as indicated in the expression and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. Thus, when Apostle Paul described the man as the image of God, he was thinking in terms of the hierarchy in the ruling of the world. Man is a direct representative of God’s authority on this planet. When he carries out this function of ruling then he reflects God.
It is the reflection of God in exercise of authority on this planet that the apostle then means by stating that the man is the glory of God in the phrase of 1 Corinthians 11:7 the image and glory of God. The word “glory” is translated from a Greek word (doxa) that may mean “honor, prestige,” as in John 7:18:
He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.
The word may refer to the state of being magnificent and so means “splendor, greatness” so the word is used to describe the greatness or splendor of the kingdom of the world that Satan offered to Jesus during his temptation of Him in Luke 4:6:
And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.
The word can mean the condition of being bright or shining, hence means “brightness, splendor, radiance.” In a physical sense, it is used to describe the brightness of the light that blinded Apostle Paul when Jesus appeared to him on his way to Damascus to persecute Christians, as indicated in Acts 22:11:
My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me.
Under this meaning of shining, we have the concept of reflection of something. The word may mean “praise” as it is used to describe what believers should bring to God when they accept each other as Christ accepted them, as stated in Romans 15:7:
Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 11:7, the word has the meaning of “reflection.” Thus, the apostle states that man is God’s reflection. As we have indicated, what this means is that whenever man exercises authority in ruling, he reflects God who is the sovereign ruler of the universe.
That our interpretation that the reason the apostle gave for man not covering his head is that he is the more direct representation of God’s authority as the ruler of this world and reflects God in the world may be supported by what the apostle did not say and the word he used. Men and women are given the responsibility of ruling the earth as stated in Genesis 1:28:
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
Because men and women rule the earth, they are God’s image jointly but that is not what the apostle stated. He stated the man as the image of God and not the woman. This is his way of conveying that when it comes to the function of ruling on this earth, the man is the first in the hierarchy of authority. It is for this reason that the apostle only described the man as the image of God. Another reason for our interpretation lies with the Greek word the apostle used in the sentence of 1 Corinthians 11:7 since he is the image and glory of God. The word “is,” is translated from a Greek word (hyparchō) that may mean “to be.” However, there is another Greek word that more commonly means “to be” that the apostle used in verse 5 and later in verse 7 in connection with the woman that he should have used but did not. Instead, he used the Greek word that we are considering. Outside, the NT, our Greek word that originally means “to begin, to be the beginning” but gradually means “to begin doing or being, to begin to be, to come into existence, arise.” In the NT, the word may mean “to possess” as in the apostle’s discourse on love in 1 Corinthians 13:3:
If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
The word may mean “to be” so that it is translated “is” in the passage that the apostle used the word to describe the location of believer’s citizenship as heaven as we read in Philippians 3:20:
But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
The word may mean to be in a state or circumstance, hence “to be” as Apostle Paul used it in his situational advice for people to remain in their marital state because of the crisis they faced at the time of his writing of his epistle to the Corinthians as we read in 1 Corinthians 7:26:
Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for you to remain as you are.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 11:7, the word has the sense of “to be in a state, that is, to be or exist in a state or condition; often of states that are enduring as opposed to temporary.” Remembering that the Greek word originally means “to be the beginning, to begin” then the apostle in using our Greek word wants to convey that the man was the first to be the image of God, being the first to be created. This means that man has preeminence in ruling over the earth. The implication is that the reason a man should not cover his head while praying or prophesying is that he represents and reflects God’s authority on the planet. We will continue verse 7 next study.
11/26//21
[1] Charlesworth, J. H. (1983). The Old Testament pseudepigrapha (Vol. 1, p. 849). New York; London: Yale University Press.