"Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long
hair, it is a shame unto him
"Doth not even nature
itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? But if
a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her:for her hair is given her for a
covering" (I Cor. 11:14-15).
In nearly every New Testament
passage in which the word "hair" occurs, the underlying Greek word is
thrix, meaning hair of any sort. However, in 1 Cor. 11:14-15 there is a
different Greek word for hair which appears only in this one passage in the New
Testament. The Greek word corresponding to the expression "have long
hair" is komao. According to W. E. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New
Testament Words and Greek lexicons by Bagster and by Liddell and Scott, the
word komao means variously:"To have long hair," "to wear the
hair long," "to let the hair grow long." The third occurrence of
the word "hair" in our text comes from a derivative of the same word,
komao, and also has the meaning of "long hair."
Since a single, special Greek
word is used here to express the thought of the hair growing long, it would
seem to imply long hair in an absolute sense. Now, many persons would like to
think of the modifier "long" as a relative term and would make the
verses read thus:’If a man have longer hair than have women, it is a shame
unto him; but if a woman have longer hair than have men, it is a glory to
her." But the alternative meanings of komao, "to wear the hair
long" or "to let the hair grow long," contradict this thought.
Thus one who has just had her hair cut shorter certainly cannot say she is letting
her hair grow long.
Some have also suggested that
God’s reason for specifying long hair for women and short hair for men is that
the sexes may be thus more easily distinguished. The Scripture nowhere gives
this as God’s reason. We rather believe God’s reasons are both spiritual and
deeper than so superficial a thought.
The spiritual reason why wearing
long hair is a glory to the woman is taught in earlier verses of 1 Cor. 11. It
all goes back to creation, where Eve was made from Adam, not vice versa. We
have this in verse 8 of our chapter:"the man is not of (that is, made
from) the woman; but the woman of the man." So in verse 3, "the head
of the woman is the man." The woman’s hair, given as a natural covering
for her head (verse 15), symbolizes her subjection to the man, her true head.
We read in the Scriptures that the woman’s place is a hidden place (1 Peter
3:4), a place of subjection (Eph. 5:22-24, Col. 3:18, 1 Peter 3:1), and of
silence and meekness (1 Peter 3:4, 1 Tun. 2:9-11). Her long hair, as covering
or hiding her head, betokens this bidden, subject place given her in creation.
These are days in which we see
women’s hair being cut off shorter and shorter and men’s hair styles tending to
get longer. Do not we correspondingly see women becoming less subject to their
husbands, and men giving the place of head of the household over to their
wives. How honoring to God to see a woman take her God-given place of
subjection and meekness. Also, how pleasing to the Lord it would be to see more
women let their hair grow long, both as a symbol to others and a reminder to
themselves of their desire to manifest their true place in this life. May
Christian men also be diligent to assume their God-given place of headship and
the attending responsibilities and keep their hair short as symbolizing this
place.
As a final remark it should be
pointed out that the covering mentioned in. verses 4-6 and 13 is not the
natural covering, the hair, but an additional covering, such as a hat, scarf,
or veil, worn on the head when one is praying or prophesying. "Every man
praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoreth his head. But
every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoreth her
head:for that is even all one as if she were shaven. For if the woman be not
covered, let her also be shorn:but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or
shaven, let her be covered." "Judge in yourselves:is it comely that
a woman pray unto God uncovered?" (1 Cor. 11:4-6, 13). This double
covering for the woman seems to emphasize that she owns and acknowledges the
truth of her subjection to the man. A woman might wear long hair, as given her
by nature, without understanding the truth that is in this symbol. Thus when
praying or prophesying, the Scripture teaches that the woman display the added
testimony of a covering, showing her recognition of the truth. The man, on the
other hand, is told in these verses that (in addition to having short hair) he
should remove any other covering from his head when praying or prophesying, as
representing his Head, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Where
there is spirituality, the heart finds a command in the barest hint and the
most remote example of the Word of God; where there is not, all the commands in
both Testaments would be in vain to form Christian obedience.