Troublesome Topic: Was the Hair the Same as a Veil? 1 Cor 11

1 Corinthians 11:15

Translation

but, if a woman has long hair, it is her glory?

For long hair was given to her as a substitute for a veil.

Paraphrase

while if a woman has long hair, it is a source of glory for her? She was given the ability to look good with long hair because it coincides with, and looks like a veil, which you understand as a sign of respect and submission.

WAS THE HAIR THE SAME AS A VEIL?

It appears that long hair was not the same as a veil, but it was similar. It was a substitute in times when the veil was not worn, such as in the home. It did not replace the use of the veil in ancient times, but it agreed with the expressed purpose of the veil. The two worked together.

The next lesson is: Is it Wrong for Today’s Women to Cut Their Hair Short? 1 Cor 11

Footnotes

1

Verse 14 and the first part of 15 are one question which asks about the accepted understanding of their cultures about the length of hair for a man and for a woman. I placed some comments after verse 14 because that is where they fit best, but doing so had the negative effect of breaking up the question.