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.
Parallel translations
- WEB For a man indeed ought not to have his head covered, because he is the image and glory of God, but the woman is the glory of the man.
- KJV 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.
- NKJV For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man.
- NASB For a man should not have his head covered, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man.
- NLT A man should not wear anything on his head when worshiping, for man is made in God’s image and reflects God’s glory. And woman reflects man’s glory.
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
Man is the image and glory of God and so should not cover his head, while woman is the glory of man. Paul grounds his instruction in the creation order.
Overview
Paul roots the difference in covering practices in Genesis: man bears God's image and glory in a particular representative sense, and woman is the glory of man. This does not deny that women too bear God's image (Genesis 1:27), but highlights an ordering established at creation. The point concerns honor and order in worship, not the relative worth of men and women before God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- 1 Cor 11:3But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.
- Gen 9:6Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man his blood will be shed; for in His own image God has made mankind.
- Gen 1:26–27Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it.”
- Gen 5:1This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in His own likeness.
- Ps 8:6You made him ruler of the works of Your hands; You have placed everything under his feet:
- Gen 3:16To the woman He said: “I will sharply increase your pain in childbirth; in pain you will bring forth children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”
- Jas 3:9With the tongue we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.
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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 11:7 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
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