1 Corinthians 11:13

THE MESSAGE

Don't you agree there is something naturally powerful in the symbolism—a woman, her beautiful hair reminiscent of angels, praying in adoration; a man, his head bared in reverence, praying in submission? I hope you're not going to be argumentative about this. All God's churches see it this way; I don't want you standing out as an exception.

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
Decide this for yourselves: Is it right for a woman to pray to God without something on her head?

Revised Standard Version
Judge for yourselves; is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Iudge in youre selves whether it be coly yt a woman praye vnto god bare heeded.

Hebrew Names Version
Judge for yourselves. Is it appropriate that a woman pray to God unveiled?

International Standard Version
Decide for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?It is proper . . . uncovered, isn't it?">[fn]

New American Standard Bible
Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?

New Century Version
Decide this for yourselves: Is it right for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?

Update Bible Version
Judge in yourselves: is it seemly that a woman prays to God unveiled?

Webster's Bible Translation
Judge in yourselves: Is it comely that a woman should pray to God uncovered?

English Standard Version
Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a wife to pray to God with her head uncovered?

World English Bible
Judge for yourselves. Is it appropriate that a woman pray to God unveiled?

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Judge of yourselves: is it decent for a woman to pray to God uncovered?

Weymouth's New Testament
Judge of this for your own selves: is it seemly for a woman to pray to God when she is unveiled?

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Deme ye you silf; bisemeth it a womman not hilid on the heed to preye God?

English Revised Version
Judge ye in yourselves: is it seemly that a woman pray unto God unveiled?

Berean Standard Bible
Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?

Contemporary English Version
Ask yourselves if it is proper for a woman to pray without something on her head.

Amplified Bible
Judge for yourselves; is it proper for a woman to offer prayer to God [publicly] with her head uncovered?

American Standard Version
Judge ye in yourselves: is it seemly that a woman pray unto God unveiled?

Bible in Basic English
Be judges yourselves of the question: does it seem right for a woman to take part in prayer unveiled?

Complete Jewish Bible
Decide for yourselves: is it appropriate for a woman to pray to God when she is unveiled?

Darby Translation
Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman should pray to God uncovered?

Etheridge Translation
Judge among yourselves, Is it comely for a woman with her head revealed to pray to Aloha?

Murdock Translation
Judge for yourselves, among yourselves; is it becoming, that a woman pray to God with her head uncovered?

King James Version (1611)
Iudge in your selues, is it comely that a woman pray vnto God vncouered?

New Living Translation
Judge for yourselves. Is it right for a woman to pray to God in public without covering her head?

New Life Bible
Think this over yourselves. Does it look right for a woman to pray with no covering on her head?

New Revised Standard
Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head unveiled?

Geneva Bible (1587)
Iudge in your selues, Is it comely that a woman pray vnto God vncouered?

George Lamsa Translation
Judge for yourselves, Is it comely for a woman to pray to God with uncovered head?

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Among your own selves, judge ye, - Is it becoming for a woman, - unveiled, to be praying unto God?

Douay-Rheims Bible
You yourselves judge. Doth it become a woman to pray unto God uncovered?

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Iudge in your selues, whether it be comely that a woman pray vnto God bare headed?

Good News Translation
Judge for yourselves whether it is proper for a woman to pray to God in public worship with nothing on her head.

Christian Standard Bible®
Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?

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

Lexham English Bible
You judge for yourselves: is it fitting for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?

Literal Translation
You judge among yourselves: is it fitting for a woman to pray to God unveiled?

Young's Literal Translation
In your own selves judge ye; is it seemly for a woman uncovered to pray to God?

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Iudge ye by yor selues, whether it be comly, yt a woma praye before God bare headed?

Mace New Testament (1729)
Be you yourselves judges: is it decent for a woman to pray to God without a veil?

New English Translation
Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?

New King James Version
Judge among yourselves. Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?

Simplified Cowboy Version
See if this ain't right, a woman shouldn't be going to God in prayer or say she rides for the brand without doing things the way God said to do 'em.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?

Legacy Standard Bible
Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?

Contextual Overview

¹It pleases me that you continue to remember and honor me by keeping up the traditions of the faith I taught you. All actual authority stems from Christ. ³In a marriage relationship, there is authority from Christ to husband, and from husband to wife. The authority of Christ is the authority of God. Any man who speaks with God or about God in a way that shows a lack of respect for the authority of Christ, dishonors Christ. In the same way, a wife who speaks with God in a way that shows a lack of respect for the authority of her husband, dishonors her husband. Worse, she dishonors herself—an ugly sight, like a woman with her head shaved. This is basically the origin of these customs we have of women wearing head coverings in worship, while men take their hats off. By these symbolic acts, men and women, who far too often butt heads with each other, submit their "heads" to the Head: God. ¹⁰Don't, by the way, read too much into the differences here between men and women. Neither man nor woman can go it alone or claim priority. Man was created first, as a beautiful shining reflection of God—that is true. But the head on a woman's body clearly outshines in beauty the head of her "head," her husband. The first woman came from man, true—but ever since then, every man comes from a woman! And since virtually everything comes from God anyway, let's quit going through these "who's first" routines. ¹³Don't you agree there is something naturally powerful in the symbolism—a woman, her beautiful hair reminiscent of angels, praying in adoration; a man, his head bared in reverence, praying in submission? I hope you're not going to be argumentative about this. All God's churches see it this way; I don't want you standing out as an exception.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

1 Corinthians 10:15, Luke 12:57, John 7:24

Reciprocal: Romans 14:13 - but 1 Corinthians 13:5 - behave

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Judge in yourselves,.... The apostle having gone through a variety of reasoning and arguments, showing the superiority of the man to the woman, by which he would prove, that the one should be covered, and the other uncovered, returns to his subject again, and appeals to the common sense and understanding of the Corinthians, and makes them themselves judges of the matter; suggesting that the thing was so clear, and he so certain of what he had advanced being right, that he leaves it with them, not doubting but that they would, upon a little reflection within themselves, join with him in this point:

is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered? in you judgment you can never think so, however pleasing and gratifying such a sight may be, to the lust of the flesh, and to the lust of the eye; he does not mention prophesying, only instances in praying; but it is to be understood of one, as of another; and his meaning is, that it is an uncomely thing in a woman to appear in public service with her head uncovered, whether it be in joining in the public prayers, or in singing of psalms, or in hearing the word expounded; and though the apostle does not put the case of the man's praying to God, or prophesying in his name with his head covered, yet his sense is the same of that, as of the woman's.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Judge in yourselves - Or, “Judge among yourselves.” I appeal to you. I appeal to your natural sense of what is proper and right. Paul had used various arguments to show them the impropriety of their females speaking unveiled in public. He now appeals to their natural sense of what was decent and right, according to established and acknowledged customs and habits.

Is it comely ... - Is it decent, or becoming? The Grecian women, except their priestesses, were accustomed to appear in public with a veil - Doddridge. Paul alludes to that established and proper habit, and asks whether it does not accord with their own views of propriety that women in Christian assemblies should also wear the same symbol of modesty.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Corinthians 11:13. Judge in yourselves — Consider the subject in your own common sense, and then say whether it be decent for a woman to pray in public without a veil on her head? The heathen priestesses prayed or delivered their oracles bare-headed or with dishevelled hair, non comptae mansere comae, as in the case of the Cumaean Sibyl, AEn. vi., ver. 48, and otherwise in great disorder: to be conformed to them would be very disgraceful to Christian women. And in reference to such things as these, the apostle appeals to their sense of honour and decency.