1 Corinthians 11
11
1follow me in this attitude, my brethren, as I follow the Christ.
Paul’s views on woman in the church
2You do remember and mark my words, I know, and you do keep the rules and the instructions which I lay down. I commend you as an obedient flock, and therefore listen now to another rule, a tradition I wish to be observed in our churches. 3Let men be bareheaded at our meetings, but let the women still wear the head-covering, as has always been the custom, and not thinking themselves free, as they begin to do, appear bareheaded like to men. 4-9And why? There is a reason. If a woman is to appear bareheaded like a man, then let her cut her hair, and wear it in the way that men wear theirs. That would be ugly, you say, and I agree. There is then a difference between the man and the woman; and what is our interpretation of it? Mine is this. Man stands for God; but woman stands for man. The head of the man is the type of Christ governing the body, and the head of Christ is God. The man then in every way stands as the type of the divine, the image and likeness of God, and with unveiled head he stands in the presence of God. 10But woman represents the glory of man; and in the presence of the angels of God man’s glory should be veiled. A woman’s beauty is her modesty. Her long hair is her glory, because it clothes and covers her. 11The male comes first as the representative of God, and the female next as the representative of man. 12In the second chapter of Genesis the difference made between the creation of man and of woman lies, as I interpret it, in these two different types, the one of God, the other of man; 13-15and so I advise you to keep the old custom whereby men wear their hair short, and bare their heads in prayer or preaching, but women wear their hair long, and in praying or in preaching they keep their heads covered. 16I advise you, I say, to keep this rule, but if you intend to argue the point with me — then I declare I am ignorant of any such custom, and the churches of God know it not!
Divisions and abuses at the Lord’s table
17Now in this next point I cannot add any commendation to the advice I am going to give you, for the reason that things are far from well, and that you are receiving harm where you ought to get only good. 18It is an excellent thing that you assemble yourselves together that you may get mutual profit thereby, but not if thereby differences and divisions arise amongst you. This I have heard to be the case, and so in a measure I believe it to be; 19because these divisions, it would seem, have a part to play in our faith, whereby the false are separated from the true, and true faith is tried and tested. 20-21Similarly taking food and drink in common, arriving at this meal hungry and thirsty, is no part of our faith. To dine all together is not to eat the supper of the Lord, especially when some are far better provided than others, and there are great differences in the way you fare at this common feast, and excess even and want are found seated at the same table. 22I like not such customs as that. Why not take your meals in the ordinary way at home? To eat and drink in such a way is to hasten the doom that is coming on all flesh — that doom and judgment of the flesh which is seen in the sickness, the ill-health and the death that still is found amongst your numbers. Now through the eternal body and blood of the Christ we are released from that fate and judgment that come upon the flesh. We look forward to the appearance and coming of the eternal Christ, and we show forth that peculiar death of his which overcame death and releases us from it.
The last supper described
23That is what the Lord Jesus meant by his words at that last supper the night on which they took him, when he handed the cup to his disciples, and broke the bread for them. I taught you his words and his action on that occasion, as they were given me by those who were present. 24After taking the bread, he gave thanks, spoke the usual blessing, and handed it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is surrendered on your behalf. In future, when you break bread thus, and give thanks, remember my body, remember me.” 25-26In handing the cup after dinner, he said, “This is the new covenant, sealed in my blood. In future, whenever you take wine thus together, think of this new covenant, remember my blood.”
Its spiritual meaning explained
27Do you then my brethren, when you come together, eating and drinking, with the intention of carrying out his injunction, and recalling his words, do you really discern beneath this semblance and type of bread and wine the eternal body of Christ to which we belong? Do you really celebrate that wondrous death of his, which differed from all other deaths in that it is to be followed by his second coming and eternal presence in the world? 28Examine yourselves on these points, and assemble together in that spirit only. Otherwise you will only eat and drink the doom of all flesh, as it comes upon the whole world. 29But if you discerned that infinite eternal body, if you understood the meaning of Christ’s death in the flesh, and what is signified by the shedding of his blood, and the giving up of his mortal life and material body — 30-31then, my brethren, there would not be so much sickness and disease and death in your midst as there still is. 32-33You would not be bound up with the world in the common doom of perishing mortality, but by first judging yourselves, you would then escape the general ruin. 34Such feasts as you observe, where the eating and drinking predominate over the teaching, have little in keeping with the Lord’s supper and this can be avoided by eating first at home, and then when you come together, giving place to one another, and taking the bread and wine as it comes to you. There are other details in connection with this matter which I will arrange when I see you.
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Translated in 1916, published in 1937.
1 Corinthians 11
11
Concerning Head Coverings in Worship
1 Become imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.
2Now I praise you that you remember me in all things, and just as I handed over to you the traditions, you hold fast to them. 3But I want you to know that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of the woman, and the head of Christ is God. 4Every man who prays or prophesies while#*Here “while” is supplied as a component of the participle (“having”) which is understood as temporal having something#*Here the direct object must be supplied from context, but the exact nature of the object is not clear from the context, so “something” is used in the English translation on his head dishonors his head, 5but every woman who prays or prophesies with uncovered head dishonors her head, for she is one and the same with the one whose head is shaved. 6For if a woman does not cover herself, let her hair be shorn off. But if it is shameful for a woman to have her head#Literally “to be” shorn or shaved, let her cover her head.#Literally “herself” 7For indeed a man ought not to cover his head, because he#*Here “because” is supplied as a component of the participle (“is”) which is understood as causal is the image and glory of God, but the woman is the glory of the man. 8For man is not from woman, but woman from man. 9For indeed man was not created for the sake of the woman, but woman for the sake of the man. 10Because of this, the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, on account of the angels. 11Nevertheless, neither is woman anything apart from man, nor is man anything apart from woman in the Lord. 12For just as the woman is from the man, thus also the man is through the woman. But all things are from God. 13You judge for yourselves#Literally “in you yourselves”: is it fitting for a woman to pray to God with her head#*Here the words “with her head” have been supplied as a necessary clarification uncovered? 14And does not nature itself teach you that a man, if he wears long hair, it is a dishonor to him? 15But a woman, if she wears long hair, it is her glory, because her hair is given#Some manuscripts have “is given to her” for a covering. 16But if anyone is disposed to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God.
Improper Conduct at the Lord’s Supper
17But in giving this instruction I do not praise you, because you come together not for the better but for the worse. 18For in the first place, when you#*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“come together”) come together as a church, I hear there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. 19For indeed it is necessary that there be factions among you, in order that those who are approved may become evident among you. 20Therefore, when#*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“come together”) you come together in the same place, it is not to eat the Lord’s supper. 21For when you#*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the temporal infinitive (“eat”) eat it, each one of you goes ahead to take his own supper, and one is hungry and another is drunk. 22For do you not have houses for eating and drinking? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who do not have anything? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? In this I will not praise you!
23For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night in which he was betrayed, took bread, 24and after he#*Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“had given thanks”) which is understood as temporal had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25Likewise also the cup, after they had eaten, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 27So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. 28But let a person examine himself, and in this way let him eat from the bread and let him drink from the cup. 29For the one who eats and drinks, if he#*Here “if” is supplied as a component of the participle (“recognize”) which is understood as conditional does not recognize the body, eats and drinks judgment against himself. 30Because of this, many are weak and sick among you, and quite a few have died#Literally “have fallen asleep”. 31But if we were evaluating ourselves, we would not be judged. 32But if we#*Here “if” is supplied as a component of the participle (“are judged”) which is understood as conditional are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined, in order that we will not be condemned with the world.
33So then, my brothers, when you#*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“come together”) which is understood as temporal come together in order to eat the Lord’s supper,#*Here the direct object (“the Lord’s supper”) is supplied from context in the English translation wait for one another. 34If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest you come together for judgment. And I will give directions about the remaining matters whenever I come.
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