The Letters · New Testament

1 Corinthians 11

1 Corinthians 11: heads covered and uncovered, and a supper that shames the poor

General context

The chapter opens "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ", and praises them for keeping the ordinances. An order of heads follows: "the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God." A man praying or prophesying covered "dishonoureth his head"; a woman doing so uncovered dishonours hers, "for that is even all one as if she were shaven", so if she is not covered let her be shorn, and if that is a shame let her be covered. The man "is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man", and "ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels". A qualification follows at once: "neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord", and "all things of God". They are told to judge for themselves, with an appeal to nature about hair, and the section ends on custom. The second half concerns the meal. He will not praise them, because they come together "not for the better, but for the worse", and when they gather "this is not to eat the Lord’s supper", because "every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken". He asks whether they have no houses of their own. He then repeats what he received: on the night he was betrayed the Lord Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it and said "this do in remembrance of me", and did the same with the cup. Eating unworthily brings guilt, so each should examine himself. "For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep." They are told to wait for one another.

1 Corinthians 11 (KJV)

¹Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

²Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.

³But 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.

⁴Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.

⁵But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.

⁶For 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.

⁷For 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.

⁸For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man.

⁹Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.

¹⁰For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.

¹¹Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.

¹²For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God.

¹³Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered?

¹⁴Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?

¹⁵But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.

¹⁶But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.

¹⁷Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse.

¹⁸For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.

¹⁹For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.

²⁰When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord’s supper.

²¹For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken.

²²What? 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.

²³For 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:

²⁴And 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.

²⁵After 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.

²⁶For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.

²⁷Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

²⁸But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

²⁹For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.

³⁰For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.

³¹For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

³²But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

³³Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another.

³⁴And 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.

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Historical context

The chapter states that the supper words are passed on, not composed: "I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you". The scene it reports, "the same night in which he was betrayed", is the only narrative about Jesus in this letter, and it names no place, no other person present and no betrayer. The covering rule is argued from order, from angels and from nature, and then rested on practice, "we have no such custom, neither the churches of God"; what the covering actually was is never described. The report of divisions is second hand and is qualified by the writer himself, "I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it". Sickness and death among the readers are linked to the abuse without naming anyone, and the chapter says explicitly that more instruction is being held back until a visit.

Cited passages: 1 Corinthians 11:2, 1 Corinthians 11:10, 1 Corinthians 11:14, 1 Corinthians 11:16, 1 Corinthians 11:18, 1 Corinthians 11:23, 1 Corinthians 11:30, 1 Corinthians 11:34

Literary context

Both halves are about coming together, and the word praise joins them and then splits them. "Now I praise you" opens the first, "I praise you not" opens the second, and the same phrase returns at verse 22 after a question, so the chapter withdraws its own compliment in stages. Head is used in two senses in adjacent clauses, the part of the body that is covered and the one who stands over another, and the argument depends on both at once. The first half reasons from creation and nature and then, when the reasoning runs out, appeals to custom. The second half moves from complaint to remembered words in direct speech, then to consequences, then to one short practical rule, tarry one for another.

Cited passages: 1 Corinthians 11:2, 1 Corinthians 11:3, 1 Corinthians 11:4, 1 Corinthians 11:5, 1 Corinthians 11:14, 1 Corinthians 11:16, 1 Corinthians 11:17, 1 Corinthians 11:22, 1 Corinthians 11:24, 1 Corinthians 11:25, 1 Corinthians 11:29, 1 Corinthians 11:33

Key moments

An order of heads (1 Corinthians 11:3). A sequence is stated running from God to Christ to man to woman.
Praying and prophesying (1 Corinthians 11:5). Women praying or prophesying is assumed while the covering is disputed.
Neither without the other (1 Corinthians 11:11). A qualification is added to the preceding argument.
I praise you not (1 Corinthians 11:17). The second half opens by withdrawing praise.
One hungry, another drunken (1 Corinthians 11:21). The meal is described as taken separately and unequally.
What I delivered unto you (1 Corinthians 11:23). The supper words are introduced as received and passed on.
Weak and sickly among you (1 Corinthians 11:30). Illness and death are connected to the abuse of the meal.

For reflection

The complaint is not that the meal was neglected but that some ate first while others went hungry. What does the chapter say that did to the gathering itself?

People in this chapter

Jesus Christ