A man dishonors his head if he covers his head while praying or prophesying.
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.
- BSB Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors 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.
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 15:30David went up by the ascent of the Mount of Olives, and wept as he went up; and he had his head covered, and went barefoot: and all the people who were with him each covered his head, and they went up, weeping as they went up.
- 1 Cor 11:14Doesn’t even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him?
- 1 Cor 12:10and to another workings of miracles; and to another prophecy; and to another discerning of spirits; to another different kinds of languages; and to another the interpretation of languages.
- 2 Sam 19:4The king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, “My son Absalom, Absalom, my son, my son!”
- 1 Cor 12:28God has set some in the assembly: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracle workers, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, and various kinds of languages.
- 1 Cor 14:1–25Follow after love, and earnestly desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.
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.