I Corinthians – Chapter 11

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.

(*) Can also be rendered as “through”.

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 for a covering.

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

(*) The principle underlying this custom of “men reveal the heads, women cover the heads”, is let the glory of the Lord be shown, and let our glory be covered as a token of humility, like the angels used their wings to cover their heads and their bodies before the Lord in [23] Isaiah 6:2. The man is the glory of the Lord, and the Lord is the head of the man, so let the man’s head be revealed. The woman on the other hand, is the glory of the man, her long hair is her own glory as well, and thus the let glory of mankind in general be covered before the Lord. In many western churches, women simply wear a large hat in places of worship, or pin their hair up.

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.

(*) This word “heresies” and the word “parties/factions” are the same word.

(**) Meaning thanks to the heresies that were allowed to come in, those that have been tested and approved in Christ can be manifested in their endeavor to fight them back, and those that were not actually His can be seen as they accept and promote them, so the true believers can beware. If not for these heresies so that those who are not the Lord’s can accept and be revealed, there might be no other way to detect them until they have caused devastating damages to the church. Achan in [06] Joshua 7 causing 36 people to die was one grand example.

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.

(*) They did not eat together like modern churches do, but each would bring their own food, so the rich had plenty to eat and drink, while the poor had none. Thus the poor were humiliated when their circumstances were brought out in marked contrast to that of their richer brethren.

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 the 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.