Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Corinthians 11:15
But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for [her] hair is given her for a covering.
15. it is a glory to her ] The true glory of every creature of God is to fulfil the law of its being. Whatever helps woman to discharge the duties of modesty and submissiveness assigned to her by God is a glory to her.
for her hair is given her for a covering ] A mantle, or cloak. Literally, something flung around the body. It is worthy of remark that the Vestal Virgins at Rome wore their hair short, or confined by a fillet. They may, however, have been regarded as protected by their sacred character.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
It is a glory unto her – It is an ornament, and adorning. The same instinctive promptings of nature which make it proper for a man to wear short hair, make it proper that the woman should suffer hers to grow long.
For a covering – Margin, veil. It is given to her as a sort of natural veil, and to indicate the propriety of her wearing a veil. It answered the purposes of a veil when it was allowed to grow long, and to spread over the shoulders and ever parts of the face, before the arts of dress were invented or needed. There may also be an allusion here to the fact that the hair of women naturally grows longer than that of men. See Rosenmuller. The value which eastern females put on their long hair may be learned from the fact that when Ptolemy Euergetes, king of Egypt, was about to march against Seleucus Callinicus, his queen Berenice vowed, as the most precious sacrifice which she could make, to cut off and consecrate her hair if he returned in safety. The eastern ladies, says Harmer, are remarkable for the length and the great number of the tresses of their hair. The men there, on the contrary, wear very little hair on their heads. Lady M. W. Montague thus speaks concerning the hair of the women: Their hair hangs at full length behind, divided into tresses, braided with pearl or riband, which is always in great quantity. I never saw in my life so many fine heads of hair. In one ladys I have counted one hundred and ten of these tresses, all natural; but it must be owned that every kind of beauty is more common here than with us. The men there, on the contrary, shave all the hair off their heads, excepting one lock; and those that wear hair are thought effeminate. Both these particulars are mentioned by Chardin, who says they are agreeable to the custom of the East: the men are shaved; the women nourish their hair with great fondness, which they lengthen, by tresses and tufts of silk, down to the heels. The young men who wear their hair in the East are looked upon as effeminate and infamous.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 15. But if a woman have long hair] The Author of their being has given a larger proportion of hair to the head of women than to that of men; and to them it is an especial ornament, and may in various cases serve as a veil.
It is a certain fact that a man’s long hair renders him contemptible, and a woman’s long hair renders her more amiable. Nature and the apostle speak the same language; we may account for it as we please.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
But, he saith, if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her. Long hair is comely for the woman, and accounted to her for a beauty or ornament, for God hath
given her her hair for a covering. There have been books written about the lawfulness or unlawfulness of mens wearing long hair, and the due or undue lengths of mens hair, the substance of which were too much to transcribe here. That which in these verses seemeth to be commended to us, as the will of God in this matter, is:
1. That men and women should so order their hair, as by it to preserve the distinction of sexes.
2. That men should not wear their hair after the manner of women, either dishevelled, or curled, and tricked up about their heads, which speaks too much of an unmanly and effeminate temper, much more was what became not Christians. And if this be forbidden men, as to the use of their own hair, they stand concerned to consider whether it be lawful for them thus to wear and adorn themselves with the hair of other men and women.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
15. her hair . . . for acoveringNot that she does not need additional covering. Nay,her long hair shows she ought to cover her head as much as possible.The will ought to accord with nature [BENGEL].
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
But if a woman have long hair,…. And wears it, without cutting it, as men do:
it is a glory to her; it is comely and beautiful; it is agreeable to her sex, she looks like herself; it becomes and adorns her:
for her hair is given her for a covering; not instead of a covering for her head, or any other part of her body, so that she needs no other: we read indeed of the daughter of Nicodemus ben Gorion, that she was obliged to make use of her hair for a covering in such a sense l;
“it happened to R. Jochanan ben Zaccai that he rode upon an ass, and went out of Jerusalem, and his disciples went after him; he saw a young woman gathering barley corns out of the dung of the Arabian cattle; when she saw him,
, “she covered herself with her hair”, and stood before him:”
but this covering was made use of, not of choice, but by force, through her poverty, she having no other; this was not the custom of the nation, nor was the hair given to women for a covering in this sense, nor used by them as such, unless by Eve before the fall; but is rather an indication that they want another covering for their head, it not being so decent that their long hair should be seen. The Jewish women used to esteem it an immodest thing for their hair to be seen, and therefore they took care, as much as possible, to hide it under another covering;
“one woman, whose name was Kimchith, had seven sons, and they all ministered in the high priesthood; the wise men said unto her, what hast thou done, that thou art so worthy? she replied to them, all my days the beams of my house never saw , “the plaits of my hair” m;”
that is, they were never seen by any person, even within her house.
l T. Bab. Cetubot, fol. 66. 2. m T. Bab. Yoma, fol. 47. 1.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Have long hair (). Present active subjunctive of (from , hair), old verb, same contraction (-=) as the indicative ( = ), but subjunctive here with in third class condition. Long hair is a glory to a woman and a disgrace to a man (as we still feel). The long-haired man! There is a papyrus example of a priest accused of letting his hair grow long and of wearing woollen garments.
For a covering ( ). Old word from to fling around, as a mantle (Heb 1:12) or a covering or veil as here. It is not in the place of a veil, but answering to (, in the sense of in Joh 1:16), as a permanent endowment (, perfect passive indicative).
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
1) “But if a woman have long hair.” (gune de ean koma) “But if a woman wears her hair long.” The terms “long” and “short” and “how long” and “how short” the hair of the man and the woman is to be is not specified, except that there is and should be a distinguishable difference.
2) “it is a glory to her.” (doksa aute estin) “It is a glory to her.” The woman’s “long hair,” longer comparatively than a man’s is a crown and ensign of glory and beauty to her.
3) “For her hair is given her for a covering.” (hoti he kome anti peribolaiou dedotai aute) “Because the long hair, instead of a veil, has been given to her,” (Gk. phusis, by nature), 1Co 11:14. Not as a substitute for a veil, but as a covering by nature to distinguish her always, whether with or without a veil, from a man.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(15) But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her.We should follow the suggestions of Nature. If a woman has naturally long hair, which is given to her as a covering for her head, the covering of her head can be no shame to her; therefore let her wear a veil. The will ought to correspond to Nature.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
15. A glory to her And beauty is the rightful prerogative of womanhood, as force is that of manhood. And this divine gift of beauty it is her right to cultivate within the laws of modesty; and, united with cultured gifts of mind and character, it forms a loveliness which is the true source of her rightful power.
A covering The apostle sees, even in the glory of the woman’s long hair, the symbol of concealment and of modesty. It is nature’s sign, suggesting, if it does not require, that art and custom should follow and add a covering to the female head.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
1Co 11:15. But if a woman have, &c. This should be read with an interrogation, connecting it with the former verse,But that if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her?For, &c.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
15 But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.
Ver. 15. Her hair is given her ] Now it is a vile thing to go against nature. Cyprian and Austin say that garish apparel is worse than whoredom; because whoredom only corrupts chastity, but this corrupts nature.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
15. ] See on 1Co 11:14 ; compare Milton, Par. Lost. iv. 304 ff.
, properly a wrapper , or enveloping garment: see reff., and Eurip. Herc. fur. 549, and in a metaphorical sense, 1269. “In this passage,” says Stanley, “the Apostle would refer to the ‘peplum,’ which the Grecian women used ordinarily as a shawl, but on public occasions as a hood also, especially at funerals and marriages,” See a woodcut in Smith’s Dict. of Antt. art. ‘peplum.’
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
hair. Greek. kome. Only here.
is = has been.
for = instead of. App-104.
covering. Greek. peribolaion. Only here and Heb 1:12 (vesture).
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
15.] See on 1Co 11:14; compare Milton, Par. Lost. iv. 304 ff.
, properly a wrapper, or enveloping garment: see reff., and Eurip. Herc. fur. 549, and in a metaphorical sense, 1269. In this passage, says Stanley, the Apostle would refer to the peplum, which the Grecian women used ordinarily as a shawl, but on public occasions as a hood also, especially at funerals and marriages, See a woodcut in Smiths Dict. of Antt. art. peplum.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
1Co 11:15. , for a covering) Not but that an artificial covering ought to be added, but because her longer hair is a proof of covering the head as much as possible: the will ought to correspond to nature.-[94] , has been given) by nature.
[94] The word , the omission of which was thrust down by the marg. of 2d edition from the mark to the mark , is exhibited in the Germ. Ver.-E. B.
is read by Lachm. with ABg after , and before it, in CH and later Syr. and Vulg. Tisch. omits it with D ()Gfg.-ED.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
1Co 11:15
1Co 11:15
But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.-[From the creation God intended that woman should wear a veil as a symbol of her subjection to man, but instead of an artificial covering he gave her a covering of long hair, a covering of glory, in which she could take pride. When woman sinned he gave her a second veil of covering, which is a sign of authority to which she must submit as a memorial of her transgression. The reason for the two veils or coverings becomes apparent when we get before us womans relation to man and Gods will concerning them. Paul directed woman to learn in quietness with all subjection for two reasons: (1) Adam was first formed, then Eve; (2) Adam was not beguiled, but the woman being beguiled hath fallen into transgression (1Ti 2:11-14); that is, when woman was created, she was created for man (1Co 11:8-9), and was subjected to him (Eph 5:22-24), not as a slave, but as the weaker vessel (1Pe 3:7). Then when Eve transgressed, God placed her under a curse and said: I will greatly multiply thy pain and thy conception; in pain thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. (Gen 3:16). Thus twice was woman subjected to man. Hence the argument is: Since it is a glory for woman to wear a covering of hair which God gave her at creation instead of an artificial covering, she should wear also an artificial covering when she approaches God in prayer.]
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
covering: or, veil, 1Co 11:15
Reciprocal: Num 5:18 – uncover Rev 9:8 – hair
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1Co 11:15. This verse is virtually explained in the preceding paragraph. It has the added thought that by having long hair, which nature teaches her that she should have, she is in a condition to observe also what custom has established in the time of the epistle, namely, using that long hair as a veil when praying in man’s presence.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
1Co 11:15. But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for, etc. After laying down the principle that should guide each sex in such matters, he now appeals to their own sense of decency and propriety (compare 1Co 10:15).
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Vv. 15. By giving to the woman a covering of hair, which envelopes her, in a manner, from head to foot, nature itself has shown that it is suitable to her to withdraw as much as possible from view, and to remain concealed. This long and rich hair is given to her , in place of a veil. This substantive does not merely denote, as would do, an ornament for the head; it is a vestment enveloping the whole body, a sort of peplum. It is a natural symbol of reserve and modesty, woman’s most beautiful ornament.
It has been objected, not without a touch of irony, that for the very reason that nature has endowed woman with such a covering, she does not need to add a second and artificial one (Holsten). But this is to mistake the real bearing of the apostle’s argument. All is spiritual in his view. He means that nature, by constituting as it has done each of the two sexes, has given both to understand the manner in which they will fulfil their destiny; for man, it will be public and independent action; for woman, life in domestic retirement and silence. Whoever has the least appreciation of the things of nature, will recognise the profound truth of this symbolism.
The Greco-Lat. and Byz. reading omits the at the end of the verse. The meaning is not affected by the omission (contrary to Holsten).
Notwithstanding the unanimity of the Mjj. and Vss. in favour of the text of this passage, Holsten has thought right to propose a whole list of rejections; that, for example, of 1Co 11:5 b and 6, of 1Co 11:10, and even of 1Co 11:13-15. We have refuted this critic’s objections when it seemed to us necessary. They arise from certain general ideas about the passage, which we think false; the first: that Paul has in view only husbands and wives who are Christians; the second: that if the wife is bound to speak veiled it is only in presence of her own husband, to whom she ought to show, that while fulfilling this function, she does not forget her dependence on him; the third: that on reaching the last section (1Co 11:13-15), the text passes, in a far from logical way, from the domain of moral obligationwhich is Paul’s true standpointto that of social propriety, which, according to Holsten, is the interpolator’s standpoint. But (1) from the outset, and even in 1Co 11:3, it is of the difference of the sexes as such that the apostle is thinking. He is speaking of man and woman in general, regarding young men and young women as naturally destined for marriage. The whole female sex is in his eyes created with a view to its subordination to the male sex, as Tertullian well says (see Heinrici): Si caput mulieris vir est, utique et virginis, de qu fit mulier quoe nupsit. (2) It is not because of her husband only that the woman who speaks in public ought to continue veiled; it is as a woman, and to maintain in her own consciousness and in that of the Church her permanent character of dependence. (3) The passage 1Co 11:13-15 does not give a reason which lies outside of moral obligation. Woman’s physical constitution is a revelation of the Creator’s will regarding her. Not to conform to this indication, is not merely to offend social propriety, it is to transgress the will of the Creator. Thus fall all Holsten’s objections against the authenticity of the text of our passage.
The apostle closes with a sentence which seems to say: Now, enough of discussion; let us have done with it.
Fuente: Godet Commentary (Luke, John, Romans and 1 Corinthians)
But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering. [Instinct should teach us that the head of a woman is more properly covered than that of a man, for nature grants it a greater abundance of hair. In Paul’s time the hair of a man, unless he was under some vow, such as that of the Nazarite, was uniformly cut short. Long hair in a man betokened base and lewd effeminacy, and we find those who wore it ridiculed by Juvenile. Since nature gives a woman more covering than man, her will should accord with nature, and vice versa. Masculine women and effeminate men are alike objectionable. Let each sex keep its place. And in point of attire it is still disgraceful for men and women to appear in public in each other’s garments.]
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
11:15 But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for [her] hair is given her for a {e} covering.
(e) To be a covering for her, and such a covering as should procure another.