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1 Corinthians 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.

1
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.

1
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.

1
8

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

1
9

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

10

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

1
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?

1
15

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

16

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

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.

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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.

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19

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

20

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

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21

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

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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.

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.

1
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 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.

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1 Corinthians 11

First Corinthians 11 addresses two liturgical disorders that have divided the community: the practice of head coverings and the conduct of the Lord's Supper. The head-covering section establishes a theological order — the head of the woman is the man, the head of the man is Christ, the head of Christ is God — while Paul's argument from creation, nature, and apostolic practice reflects a concern for honor and shame in the public gathering that has generated extensive scholarly discussion about its cultural particularity versus permanent normativity. The Lord's Supper section is the chapter's weightier concern: the Corinthian celebration has become a social disaster in which the wealthy eat and drink to excess while the poor go hungry, so that the gathering is doing more harm than good. Paul transmits the tradition he received — on the night he was betrayed, Jesus took bread, broke it, saying this is my body which is for you; do this in remembrance of me; likewise the cup after supper, this cup is the new covenant in my blood — framing the Supper as a proclamation of the Lord's death until he comes. The failure to discern the body — whether meaning the physical body of Christ in the elements or the ecclesial body of believers present at the table — brings judgment, evidenced in the community by the presence of weakness, illness, and death among them. The corrective is self-examination before eating and drinking: if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged, but when we are judged by the Lord we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. The chapter exposes the radical social-ethical stakes of Eucharistic practice: to eat the Lord's Supper while humiliating the poor is to eat judgment upon oneself, because the meal's meaning is inseparable from the community it creates and sustains.

1 Corinthians 11:4

Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head — in the Roman world, a man covering his head in worship inverts the symbolic order, suggesting subordination where headship should be displayed; the covered head obscures the mark of the uncovered man's authority in the created order.

1 Corinthians 11:31

But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment — Paul offers a remedy: proper self-examination (diakrinō heautous) would forestall the divine discipline; the path from judgment is available through honest self-assessment and repentance.

1 Corinthians 11:5

But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head — it is just as if her head were shaved — the unveiled woman in public worship violates the cultural boundary that marks her as a woman under covering; the shaved head was the mark of a prostitute or adulteress in Roman society, making Paul's comparison culturally pointed about shame and honor.

1 Corinthians 11:1

Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ — Paul grounds authority not in his own person but in Christ, establishing a chain of imitation (mimetes) that flows from the transcendent pattern of Christ through apostolic example to the congregation. This is not mere behavior modification but participation in a pattern of self-renouncing love.

1 Corinthians 11:2

I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the traditions just as I passed them on to you — Paul acknowledges the Corinthians' fidelity to his teaching (paradosis), the transmitted deposit of faith, establishing that what follows is not innovation but apostolic tradition rooted in the Lord himself.

1 Corinthians 11:3

Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God — the Greek word kephale (head) carries both authority and source meaning; Paul establishes a hierarchical structure not of oppression but of ordered headship under Christ, who himself submits to the Father, modeling submission within the Godhead.

1 Corinthians 11:6

For if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off; but if it is a shame for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should cover her head — Paul grounds his argument in the principle of shame; if the unveiled head is shameful, then the covering is required not as arbitrary rule but as protection of honor in the social world.

1 Corinthians 11:7

A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man — Paul distinguishes the man's uncovered status as reflecting directly God's image (eikon), while woman, though also made in God's image, bears this through her relation to man as his glory (doxa), which is not diminishment but the overflow of his own imaging of God.

1 Corinthians 11:8

For man did not come from woman, but woman from man — Paul appeals to the creation narrative (Gen 2), where woman is drawn from man's rib; the point is not inferiority but origination from, which Paul uses to ground the symbolic order of coverings in the created order before sin.

1 Corinthians 11:9

Neither was man created for woman, but woman for woman — the Greek is ambiguous here, likely meaning woman was created as a helper for man, not man for woman; this grounds the asymmetry of the headship structure in the original purposiveness of creation.

1 Corinthians 11:10

It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own head, because of the angels — the phrase exousia epi tes kephales autees is debated; it may mean the woman ought to have authority over her head (in the sense of self-control and propriety) or the sign of authority over herself, with the phrase about angels suggesting either the presence of angelic observers in worship or a protection against angelic violation, connecting to Jewish tradition about the Genesis account.

1 Corinthians 11:11

Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman — having established the symbolic order of creation, Paul immediately qualifies it with a profound interdependence in the Lord; the covering issue must not obscure the essential mutuality and co-dependence of the sexes.

1 Corinthians 11:12

For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God — Paul reverses the Genesis logic: yes, woman came from man, but now every man is born of woman, creating a circle of mutual dependence that prevents any permanent hierarchy; all originates in God's creative will.

1 Corinthians 11:13

Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? — Paul invokes the Corinthians' own judgment (krinete) and sense of propriety, appealing to what they already know about honor, shame, and social convention in their world; this is not abstract principle but embedded practice.

1 Corinthians 11:14

Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him — Paul appeals to phusis (nature, custom, conventional understanding), which would have been obvious to Corinthian eyes; long hair on men was associated with effeminacy or oriental excess in Greco-Roman culture.

1 Corinthians 11:15

But that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering — the woman's long hair functions as her natural veil, her God-given covering that serves as her glory; this appeals to natural instinct and aesthetic convention to ground the practice of the veil.

1 Corinthians 11:16

If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice — nor do the churches of God — Paul closes the discussion by asserting apostolic and catholic practice; this is not mere opinion but the standard across all apostolic churches, and further disputation is fruitless and divisive.

1 Corinthians 11:17

In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good — Paul shifts dramatically from head coverings to a far more serious problem: the Corinthians' conduct at the Lord's Supper itself; their gatherings (synerchomai) have become occasions of division rather than unity, earning stark rebuke.

1 Corinthians 11:18

First, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions (schismata) among you, and to some extent I believe it — the word schismata suggests tearing or rending, deep fractures in the body; Paul has heard reports (and believes them credible) that the Corinthians' assemblies are characterized by conflict rather than communion.

1 Corinthians 11:19

No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God's approval — Paul makes a shocking claim: perhaps these divisions serve a hidden purpose, revealing who has genuine faith and maturity; like gold refined by fire, true character is disclosed through trial and testing.

1 Corinthians 11:20

So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper that you eat — Paul makes a devastating judgment: their meal is no longer the Kuriakos deipnon (the Lord's Supper); the fracture between practice and name is complete—they have emptied the meal of its meaning and made it something other than what it claims to be.

1 Corinthians 11:21

For when you are eating, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk — the Corinthians' problem is stark social inequality; the wealthy eat their full meal (and drink wine to excess) before the poor arrive, who then find little left, creating a parody of communion that mocks the gospel of reconciliation.

1 Corinthians 11:22

Don't you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly not! — Paul's rebuke is withering; they have homes for ordinary meals, yet they bring their class divisions into the gathered assembly, effectively despising (kataphroneite) the church and humiliating (kataischynete) the poor, contradicting the very gospel they profess.

1 Corinthians 11:23

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread — Paul appeals to direct apostolic transmission (paralambano/paradiдōmi) from the Lord, giving us the earliest written account of the Last Supper, predating even the Gospel accounts; the solemnity of the setting (night of betrayal) underscores the gravity of what is instituted.

1 Corinthians 11:24

And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, 'This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me' — Christ's thanksgiving (eucharisteo) over the bread and the breaking (klasma) establish the pattern of the meal; the phrase 'for you' (hyper hymōn) indicates substitution or covenant sacrifice, and 'in remembrance' (anamnesis) is not mere memory but a participatory recalling that makes present the covenant act.

1 Corinthians 11:25

In the same way, after supper he took the cup and said, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me' — the cup is explicitly identified as the new covenant (kainē diathēkē) in his blood, evoking Jeremiah's prophecy and establishing the Supper as the sacramental seal of the new covenant; the repeated 'do this in remembrance' emphasizes the ongoing nature of the practice.

1 Corinthians 11:26

For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes — the Supper is both memorial and proclamation (katangellō); every celebration is a witness to Christ's atoning death and an eschatological cry pointing to his return (hēos hou an elthē), making the meal a hinge between resurrection and parousia.

1 Corinthians 11:27

So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord — to partake anaxiōs (unworthily) is to commit sacrilege against the body and blood themselves, treating the sacred gift with contempt; the connection between disrespect in the meal and guilt against Christ's very person is direct and weighty.

1 Corinthians 11:28

Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink of the cup — Paul calls for self-examination (dokimazō), a testing of one's heart and conduct before participation; this is not permission to exclude others but a call to honest reckoning with one's own worthiness and readiness.

1 Corinthians 11:29

For those who eat and drink without discerning the body eat and drink judgment on themselves — to eat without diakrinō (discerning) the body—that is, without recognizing Christ's real presence and the unity of the body of Christ that the Supper enacts—is to consume judgment (krima) upon oneself; the lack of discernment is not innocence but culpable blindness.

1 Corinthians 11:30

That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep — Paul presents a sobering consequence: the illnesses (astheneō, arrōsteō) and deaths (koimaō, fallen asleep) among them are divine discipline resulting from their irreverent approach to the Supper; the judgment is not eschatological but immediate and tangible.

1 Corinthians 11:32

Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world — Paul reframes the judgment as paideia (discipline, correction), not ultimate condemnation; God's judgment of his people aims at their restoration and salvation, not their ruin, distinguishing Christian discipline from the final condemnation of the world.

1 Corinthians 11:33

So then, my brothers and sisters, when you come together to eat, you should all eat together — Paul's remedy is simple and radical: wait for one another (ekdechomai), making the meal truly common rather than divided by wealth and timing; genuine koinōnia (communion) requires that no one eats alone.

1 Corinthians 11:34

Anyone who is hungry should eat something at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment. And when I come I will give further directions on this matter — Paul accommodates to human need (the hungry may eat beforehand) while protecting the sacred meal from becoming a mere feeding of the poor; his apostolic authority reserves the right to give further instruction on this matter when he visits.