1 Corinthians 11

Concerning Head Coverings in Worship

1 Become imitators of me, just as I also [am] of Christ.
2 Now 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].
3 But 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.
4 Every man who prays or prophesies [while] having [something] on [his] head dishonors his head,
5 but 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.
6 For 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] shorn or shaved, let her cover her [head].
7 For indeed a man ought not to cover his head, [because he] is the image and glory of God, but the woman is the glory of the man.
8 For man is not from woman, but woman from man.
9 For indeed man was not created for the sake of the woman, but woman for the sake of the man.
10 Because of this, the woman ought to have [a symbol of] authority on her head, on account of the angels.
11 Nevertheless, neither [is] woman [anything] apart from man, nor [is] man [anything] apart from woman in the Lord.
12 For just as the woman [is] from the man, thus also the man [is] through the woman. But all [things] [are] from God.
13 You judge {for yourselves}: is it fitting for a woman to pray to God [with her head] uncovered?
14 And does not nature itself teach you that a man, if he wears long hair, it is a dishonor to him?
15 But a woman, if she wears long hair, it is her glory, because her hair is given for a covering.
16 But 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

17 But in giving this instruction I do not praise [you], because you come together not for the better but for the worse.
18 For in the first place, [when you] come together as a church, I hear there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it.
19 For indeed it is necessary that there be factions among you, in order that those who are approved may become evident among you.
20 Therefore, [when] you come together in the same [place], it is not to eat the Lord's supper.
21 For [when you] eat [it], each one of you goes ahead to take his own supper, and one is hungry and another is drunk.
22 For 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]!
23 For 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,
24 and [after he] had given thanks, he broke [it] and said, "This is my body which [is] for you. Do this in remembrance of me."
25 Likewise 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."
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
27 So 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.
28 But let a person examine himself, and in this way let him eat from the bread and let him drink from the cup.
29 For the one who eats and drinks, [if he] does not recognize the body, eats and drinks judgment against himself.
30 Because of this, many [are] weak and sick among you, and quite a few {have died}.
31 But if we were evaluating ourselves, we would not be judged.
32 But [if we] are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined, in order that we will not be condemned with the world.
33 So then, my brothers, [when you] come together in order to eat [the Lord's supper], wait for one another.
34 If 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.

Footnotes 17

  • [a]. *Here "[while]" is supplied as a component of the participle ("having") which is understood as temporal
  • [b]. *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
  • [c]. Literally "to be"
  • [d]. Literally "herself"
  • [e]. *Here "[because]" is supplied as a component of the participle ("is") which is understood as causal
  • [f]. Literally "in you yourselves"
  • [g]. *Here the words "[with her head]" have been supplied as a necessary clarification
  • [h]. Some manuscripts have "is given to her"
  • [i]. *Here "[when]" is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle ("come together")
  • [j]. *Here "[when]" is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle ("come together")
  • [k]. *Here "when" is supplied as a component of the temporal infinitive ("eat")
  • [l]. *Here "[after]" is supplied as a component of the participle ("had given thanks") which is understood as temporal
  • [m]. *Here "[if]" is supplied as a component of the participle ("recognize") which is understood as conditional
  • [n]. Literally "have fallen asleep"
  • [o]. *Here "[if]" is supplied as a component of the participle ("are judged") which is understood as conditional
  • [p]. *Here "[when]" is supplied as a component of the participle ("come together") which is understood as temporal
  • [q]. *Here the direct object ("the Lord's supper") is supplied from context in the English translation

1 Corinthians 11 Commentaries

Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.