1 Corinthians Chapter 11

At a Glance

  • 1 Corinthians 11 addresses two intertwined domains: public worship and gendered practice within the assembly.
  • Paul’s discussion breaks into two movements: theological reflection on creation-order and the practice that follows—whether it is appropriate for a woman to pray or prophesy with her head uncovered.
  • Historical & Literary Context.
  • 1 Corinthians was written to a church in a cosmopolitan, socially diverse city with a complex cultural backdrop.
  • - The order of creation and divine authority: The relationship between Christ, the man, and the woman.

CHAPTER REFERENCE

Chapter Overview

1 Corinthians 11 addresses two intertwined domains: public worship and gendered practice within the assembly. The chapter opens with Paul urging the church to imitate him as he imitates Christ, establishing authority and a pattern of apostolic teaching. The central portion deals with headship, gender roles, and modesty in worship, especially regarding prayer and prophecy. Paul articulates a hierarchical ordering: the head of every man is Christ, the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God. He then moves to practical expressions of submission and dignity through the visible signs of gender in worship, such as head coverings and the concept of glory and image in creation.

Paul’s discussion breaks into two movements: theological reflection on creation-order and the practice that follows—whether it is appropriate for a woman to pray or prophesy with her head uncovered. He engages cultural norms about gender, appearance, and authority while grounding his instructions in broader theological claims about glory, honor, and the order established by God. He emphasizes that both men and women have a place in the church and that their distinct roles are not grounds for detracting from the gospel but rather reflect the order of creation and the reality of spiritual realities, including the presence of angels. The chapter closes with further guidance on behavior, unity, and propriety, including the Lord’s Supper, where Paul rebukes the Corinthians for their irregular practices and urges discernment, order, and self-examination.

Historical & Literary Context

1 Corinthians was written to a church in a cosmopolitan, socially diverse city with a complex cultural backdrop. Chapter 11 is part of Paul’s exhortations about worship and communal life, where the church’s public behavior reflects its allegiance to Christ. The genre remains pastoral-ethical instruction, including public worship norms and issues of gender, authority, and discernment in the Eucharist. The chapter’s emphasis on head coverings and gendered roles reflects first-century Greco-Roman expectations, yet Paul’s instruction is framed by Christian unity in the body of Christ and the supremacy of love and order in worship.

Key Themes

- The order of creation and divine authority: The relationship between Christ, the man, and the woman.

- Worship decorum and prophetic practice: Modesty, respect, and discernment in public prayer and prophecy.

- The Lord’s Supper as a communal, discerning act: Self-examination and unity over division.

- Honor, glory, and image: Theological framing for how believers present themselves in worship.

Modern Application

Today, 1 Corinthians 11 invites churches to consider how gender norms, leadership roles, and worship practices translate across cultures. It raises questions about appropriate attire, participation in worship, and the balance between cultural sensitivity and theological conviction. The Lord’s Supper section invites congregations to examine how they approach sacred meals, ensuring unity, repentance, and shared participation rather than factions or neglect. The chapter challenges communities to cultivate worship that honors God, maintains reverence, and fosters genuine Christian solidarity, while acknowledging the ongoing conversation about gender roles in diverse contemporary contexts.

- 1 Timothy 2:1-15 (gender instructions in church life)

- Ephesians 5:22-33 (household order)

- 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 (prophecy and order in worship)

- Acts 2:42 (pillar practices of the early church)

Recommended Personas

- Paul (teacher of church order and worship)

- A worship leader (to translate principles into liturgical practice)

- A theologian or rabbi’s voice (to engage in gender questions with sensitivity)

- Jesus (to illuminate the theological center of worship)

Chapter Text

1

Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

2

Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.

3

But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.

4

Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.

5

But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.

6

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.

7

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.

8

For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man.

9

Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.

10

For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.

11

Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.

12

For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God.

13

Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered?

14

Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?

15

But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.

16

But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.

17

Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse.

18

For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.

19

For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.

20

When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord’s supper.

21

For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken.

22

What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.

23

For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:

24

And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.

25

After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

26

For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.

27

Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

28

But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

29

For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.

30

For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.

31

For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

32

But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

33

Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another.

34

And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come.

Discuss This Chapter with Biblical Personas

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