1 Corinthians 11:3
Bible Verses. Also called 1 Cor 11:3, 1 Cor. 11:3, The head of the woman is the man, The head of Christ is God.
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.
Scripture quotation from the King James Version (KJV). Read this chapter
A verse stating that the head of every man is Christ, "the head of the woman is the man," and the head of Christ is God. The meaning of "head" (kephalē) continues to be disputed in debates over the roles of men and women, the ordination of women, and order within the Trinity.
About this articleAI draft from a Korean source. No sources listed. Not yet reviewed by a person.
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Drafted by AI from the Korean church.wiki article, then translated and adapted for English readers on 5 November 2026.
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Context
Chapters 11–14 of 1 Corinthians address order in public worship. In the first part of chapter 11 (verses 2–16), Paul instructs that a man should pray or prophesy with his head uncovered, while a woman should cover hers, and he cites the principle of verse 3 as the basis for this instruction. Verse 5 presupposes that women pray or prophesy in public worship ("every woman that prayeth or prophesieth"). In verses 11–12 he adds a note of mutual dependence: "Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord."
Interpretations
- Head as authority: Complementarians (who hold that men and women are equal but have different roles) understand "head" to denote authority and leadership. They treat the verse as grounds for male leadership in the home and the church, citing Ephesians 5:23 alongside it.
- Head as source: Egalitarians argue that kephalē can denote origin, as in the "source" of a river, and read the verse as referring to the creation account in which woman came from man (verse 8). On this reading, relationship and mutual dependence, rather than hierarchy, are central.
- Head as honor and shame: Another view notes that head covering in the culture of the time was associated with honor and shame, and reads the passage as an exhortation to protect one another's honor in worship.
Debates and Issues
Scholars on both sides have produced studies of how kephalē is used in ancient Greek, but no definitive conclusion has been reached. There is also a Trinitarian debate over whether the statement "the head of Christ is God" means that the Son is eternally and functionally subordinate to the Father, or whether it applies only to the incarnate Christ. As for whether head coverings should still be observed today, most Protestant denominations regard them as an expression of the culture of the time, though some churches continue the practice.
This verse is addressed by both opponents and proponents of the ordination of women.
Related Passages
See also 4
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