10. For this reason the woman ought to have authority on her head because of the angels.
a. “For this reason.” Paul continues his discourse, tightly connecting this verse to the preceding ones (vv. 7–9). The conjunction
for (v. 8) explains verse 7, and the word
indeed (v. 9) shows that verse 9 gives additional support to verse 8. The conjunction in verse 10 serves to bind the verse to the larger argument.
b. “The woman ought to have authority on her head because of the angels.” The translation of this part of the text is problematic, as is evident from these representative versions:
“a sign of authority” (NIV)
“the sign of her authority” (REB)
“a sign of submission” (NAB)
“a covering over her head to show that she is under her husband’s authority” (GNB).
It is obvious that translators are forced to interpret the Greek text. The wording in the original is terse and obscure. At the head of this section, I present a literal translation, which I readily admit lacks elegance and clarity. My version omits the phrase
a sign of and fails to indicate whether the expression
authority means the woman’s authority or that of her husband.
When we try to clarify this passage, we must consider the preceding and the succeeding context. Thus far Paul has stated the principle that man is the head of woman just as Christ is the head of man and God the head of Christ. He has given directions on how men and women should conduct themselves while praying or prophesying. Paul has told women to cover their heads so they do not shame their “heads,” namely, their husbands. And he has defended his words by appealing to the creation account in the first two chapters of Genesis. Now Paul concludes this segment of his discussion by saying that “the woman ought to have authority on her head because of the angels.”
This verse has been the subject of study by numerous scholars, yet every writer has to admit that his or her explanation of the text displays weaknesses. In spite of all the suggestions that have been offered, the text remains enigmatic and fails to communicate. These are some of the proposed interpretations:
1. When a woman in public worship prays or prophesies, she displays the new freedom she has in Christ. The woman derives her authority from God, and with her headcovering she is able to demonstrate that power.35 The weakness of this suggestion is that a discussion on equality fits Galatians 3:28 but in the current passage Paul says nothing about freedom.
2. “A sign of authority.” Many translations have enhanced the reading by adding the phrase
sign of or simply
veil.36 Numerous commentators assert that the word
authority relates not to the authority of the woman but to that of her husband. The context speaks of the husband being the wife’s head, and this interpretation leaves the impression that the term
authority is equivalent to submission. In Greek, however, the term
exousia never has an objective or a passive sense, that is, being under someone else’s authority. It always has a subjective or an active sense relating to one’s own authority. And last, with this interpretation the Greek preposition
epi, which means “on,” now has the meaning
over. The husband has authority over his wife. Paul has said as much earlier (v. 3), but he is not saying this in verse 10.
3. The expression
authority has been linked to the creation account of Adam and Eve in Genesis 1:26–28. This passage states that both male and female received the mandate to rule (have authority over) the fish, birds, and every living creature on this earth.37 This ingenious explanation makes the woman an active participant with man in exercising authority, but the text itself gives the explanation insufficient support.
4. While praying or prophesying in a worship service, a woman receives spiritual authority. Instead, she ought to accept the position assigned to her since creation, to recognize her husband as head. She is unable to pray in the Spirit when rebelling “against the order of creation hallowed by God’s Spirit.”38 Here is a plausible explanation that does justice to the concept
authority. Nonetheless, this concept must relate to the last phrase in the text, “because of the angels.”
5. Could it be that Paul with his rabbinical training is asking women to be covered with a veil because of the angels? With the evidence gleaned from Qumran, we know that an unveiled woman in a sacred assembly “is like a bodily defect which should be excluded.”39 The reason for this exclusion is that holy angels who are present at worship services are offended by defects. This approach may shed some light on the reference to the angels, but it does nothing for interpreting the meaning of “authority.”
All these suggestions are helpful in understanding aspects of the problems we encounter in verse 10, yet all show weaknesses. Scholars must conclude that a satisfactory explanation is not available. In all humility, I confess that I really do not know what Paul intended to say in this verse.
c. “Because of the angels.” This short verse has two causal expressions: the first one is translated “for this reason” and the second one “because.” Some translators combine these two causal expressions with the word
and or
also. Whether we supply a connection or follow the Greek word order, the fact remains that scholars simply do not know what the reference to angels means. In I Corinthians, the word
angels occurs four times (4:9; 6:3; 11:10; 13:1). But a study of this word in the context of these passages fails to give us an idea what Paul has in mind. Interpreters must admit that, all the research aside, they have no acceptable explanation for this particular clause.
Although translators encounter a mystery in verse 10, we nevertheless must see it in the light of the preceding and succeeding context. Paul writes that “man was not created for the sake of the woman but woman for the sake of the man” (v. 9) and “for this reason, the woman ought to have authority on her head because of the angels” (v. 10). In verse 11, which begins with the adversative
however, Paul changes the discussion to emphasize an important point: “In the Lord neither is woman [anything] apart from man, nor man [anything] apart from woman.” This verse is a continuation of verse 9, where Paul speaks of the creation account. In verse 11, Paul implies spiritual
recreation and says that man and woman depend on each other “in the Lord.” Between these two verses, Paul places the enigmatic words of verse 10 that ascribe authority to a woman. She may pray or prophesy provided her head is covered (vv. 5, 13). Thus, a woman possesses authority as she shows respect in the presence of God’s angels.40<sup>[1]</sup>
NIV New International Version
REB Revised English Bible
NAB New American Bible
GNB Good News Bible
35 Consult Morna D. Hooker, “Authority on Her Head: An Examination of I Cor. XI.10,”
NTS 10 (1963–64): 415–16.
36 SB, vol. 3, pp. 435–36; Werner Foerster,
TDNT, vol. 2, pp. 573–74.
37 Refer to Hurley, “Veils,” pp. 211–12.
38 Neuer,
Man and Woman, p. 115.
39 Joseph A. Fitzmyer, “A Feature of Qumran Angelology and the Angels of I Cor. XI.10,”
NTS 4 (1957–58): 48–58.
40 Compare Annie Jaubert, “Le Voile des Femmes (I Cor. XI.2–16),”
NTS 18 (1971–72): 419–30.
<sup>[1]</sup> Simon J. Kistemaker and William Hendriksen,
Exposition of the First Epistle to the Corinthians, vol. 18, New Testament Commentary
