1 Corinthians 11:1-16

1 Corinthians 11:1-16 states: (King James Version)

1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.
2 Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.
3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.
4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoreth his head.
5 But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoreth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.
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.
7 For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.
8 For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man.
9 Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.
10 For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.
11 Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.
12 For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God.
13 Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered?
14 Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?
15 But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.
16 But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.
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What does this all mean? Well, it depends on if you look at it in English like is listed above, or if we look at it in Greek like the New Testament was originally written in.

We need to look at six key verses in the Greek, all of which use the word "covered" or "uncovered".

Verse 4: pas anēr proseuchomai ē prophēteuō, echō kephalē kata, kataischynō autos kephalē
Verse 5: de pas gunē proseuchomai ē prophēteuō kephalē akatakaluptos kataischunō heautou kephalē: gar eimi autos heis kai xuraō
Verse 6: gar ei gynē katakalyptō, keirō: de aischron gynē keirō ē xyraō katakalyptō
Verse 7: gar anēr men opheilō ou katakalyptō kephalē, hyparchō eikōn kai doxa theos de gynē esti doxa anēr
Verse 13: krinō en autos esti prepō gynē proseuchomai theos akatakalyptos
Verse 15: de ean gynē komaō, esti doxa autos: hoti komē didōmi autos anti peribolaion.

Okay, now, we need to evaluate the use of covered/uncovered in each of these verses. The bolded words are the equivalent of covered or uncovered depending on the verse. Kata (in verse 4) is a derivative of katakalyptō (in verse 6 and 7). The preface of "a" in verse 6 and 13 is for the "un" before covered. This means that the greek "covered" in verses 4, 6, 7, 13 are of the same root!! Look at the word "covering" in verse 15 when Paul says that the woman's hair is given to her as a "covering". It is a different word and different root all together. That is all that I have ever needed in order to understand that my hair is not my covering. But in case you are not quite convinced just yet, I'll go one step further :)

The wonderful website which I have been using to help me with the Greek translation is greattreasures.org. It also tells where that word occurs everywhere else in the Bible. Akatakaluptos is repeated only twice throughout the Bible. Both in 1 Corinthians 11, one in verse 5 and the other in verse 13. Katakalyptō occurs 3 times, again, all in 1 Corinthians 11, twice in verse 6 and once in verse 7. Peribolian is repeated twice in the Bible, once in 1 Cor 11:15 and the second? Hebrews 1:12 where it is used as "a vesture". Hmmm... odd? Well, maybe. One lady who has been covering for 20 plus years, believes that in the english 1 Cor 11:15, it should say that a woman's hair is given to her as a vest, emphasizing the "length" of the hair instead of it being the "covering". That's one possibility. I do not know. But the Greek has been enough for me to realize that my hair is NOT my covering!!

There is so much more on this topic...so many more questions that are begged to be answered. But for now, this is all I am going to share. I wish for you to pray and meditate on the scripture and what God wants for you to do. Not what you want to do, but what He wants for you to do.

Blessings in Christ,
Chelsea