Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head.
Parallel translations
- WEB Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head.
- KJV Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.
- NKJV Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head.
- NASB Every man who has something on his head while praying or prophesying disgraces his head.
- NLT A man dishonors his head if he covers his head while praying or prophesying.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
A man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. Conduct in worship should respect the order Paul has described.
Overview
In the cultural setting of Corinth, a man covering his head in worship would have signaled something dishonoring, perhaps a confusion of God-given roles. Paul ties outward practice to the headship principle of verse 3. While the specific custom was first-century, the abiding principle is that worship should honor the distinctions and order God has established.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- 2 Sam 15:30But David continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went up. His head was covered, and he was walking barefoot. And all the people with him covered their heads and went up, weeping as they went.
- 1 Cor 11:14Doesn’t nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him,
- 1 Cor 12:10to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in various tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.
- 2 Sam 19:4But the king covered his face and cried out at the top of his voice, “O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!”
- 1 Cor 12:28And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, and those with gifts of healing, helping, administration, and various tongues.
- 1 Cor 14:1–25Earnestly pursue love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Christ crucified is the wisdom and power of God; he is our Passover sacrificed for us, the firstfruits of resurrection, the foundation on which everything is built.
How 1 Corinthians 11:4 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.