CHAPTER 6:
A CLOSER LOOK—IS A WOMAN’S “LENGTH OF HAIR” REALLY THAT IMPORTANT TO GOD?
POCKETSERMONS.org
By Rick Cutter (contact)
In Chapter 3 it was demonstrated that every reputable English translation committee correctly translated the verb “koma” to be a state of being verb (rather than an action verb).
In other words—for a woman to comply with God’s Word—she must maintain a “state of having long hair.” And since “length of hair” is plainly necessary to identify if a person “has long hair” or not, this fact alone destroys any notion that length of hair would not matter to God.
But—as a former Uncut Hair believer—virtually every Christian around me seemed to believe (as I had too) that “length of hair” was totally immaterial to God, an irrelevant byproduct of “letting a woman’s hair grow.” I’d been taught that a woman could have her long hair sheared or shaved one minute, say a prayer of repentance the next, and then consider herself valid in the sight of God the following—because “length of hair did not matter one bit to God.” It didn’t matter what the length of her hair was before, during, or after cutting it. Nor did it matter to God if she prayed in this condition. I believed (because my church believed) that a woman simply needed (per Thayer’s lexicon definition of komao), “to let her hair grow [continuously]”—meaning (or so I thought), uncut hair. (This thinking was debunked in Chapter 5.)
But the point here is that the Bible has plainly stated that length of hair is relevant. Here’s what God’s Word says:
1 Corinthians 11:14-15 ESV
Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man HAS LONG HAIR (koma), it is a disgrace to him, but if a woman HAS LONG HAIR (koma), it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering.
Since it has been amply demonstrated above that koma has been accurately translated in these two verses, then obviously, any notion that “length of hair” is irrelevant is destroyed. Please also consider 1 Corinthians 11:6b:
1 Corinthians 11:6b
But if it is SHAMEFUL for a woman to be shorn (keiro) or shaved, let her be covered. (Keiro means “shear as a sheep” or “cut short”; it does not mean “to barely trim.”)
When I read this verse, I found it impossible to conclude that the length of hair on a woman’s head was “irrelevant to God.” That’s because God Himself said plainly—in the Bible—that it certainly did matter to Him. Here in verse 6 God clearly states that if a woman’s hair is shaved off or cut close (as a farmer shears a sheep), this is a shameful state for her to be in (when praying or prophesying* to/from God, v. 5). (IMPORTANT NOTE: In Chapter 7 it is proved that keiro, along with all the other words in this passage, has been accurately translated; again, it literally means to shear, not to barely trim.)
Please understand: The words “shearing” and “shaving” clearly indicate (in many cases) radical removal of hair. And in all cases, they result in visible hair being “very short” or “non-existent.” They are the opposites of “long hair”—which the Bible said was a “glory” for a woman to have (v. 15). This means that “length of hair” is extremely relevant. Failure to understand this by a woman will almost certainly result in sin.
So, summarizing what the Bible says for the Christian woman:
Short hair = shameful/disgraceful (v. 6b)
Long hair = glorious (v. 15)
But for the Christian man, the exact opposite is the case:
Short hair = acceptable (by inference/context, v. 4; v. 14)
Long hair = shameful (v. 14)
So, again, not only is “length of hair” indeed relevant—it is absolutely vital to understand (for both men and women) for proper obedience to God. It is very important that we understand this clearly, to prevent ourselves from sinning against God, and to make sure our prayers are being heard!
But What if a Woman Cannot Have “Long Hair?”
Finally, if you’re wondering what a woman should do who can’t achieve long hair, Paul necessarily infers the answer in 1 Corinthians 11:15:
1 Corinthians 11:15 NASB
…if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her, for her hair is given to her as (anti) a covering (peribolaion, meaning basically, an “artificial covering”).
The NIV may be even clearer:
1 Corinthians 11:15 NIV
…but that if a woman HAS LONG HAIR, it is her glory? For LONG HAIR is given to her FOR A COVERING (peribolaion, again, meaning “artificial covering”).
In other words, Paul seems to be teaching that if a woman has long hair (downward directional, see v. 4, and Chapter 9), it serves as her covering whenever she prays/prophesies.* Otherwise, she should be covered with an appropriate artificial covering. For more on this, please read Chapter 11.
Veil Position Side Note
Some of our good brethren of Veil Position believe that a woman must cover her glory (with a veil or the like) when worshiping God, so as not to compete with God’s glory. But the Bible teaches the exact opposite of this. The Bible teaches (see again vs. 5-6) that a woman should cover her head because it is a shame to her to have a shorn/shaven head. Again, she is not to cover her glory (long hair is her glory, per v. 15); she is to cover her shame (per vs. 5-6). If we are required to cover our glory in worship so as not to compete with God’s glory, then men must cover their wives during worship, because the woman is the glory of the man (v. 7). Since this would nonsensical, this doctrine is invalid. (For more information, please also read: APPENDIX A: Fact-Checking the “Veil Position”)
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*PROPHESYING: To prophesy means “to speak forth the words of God.” In our day, in the absence of miraculous prophecy, I believe prophesying equates to “speaking forth the Word of God” whenever we read it aloud or teach others from it (for a more detailed explanation, please see the COMMENTARY below for 1 Corinthians 11:4). Regarding women speaking forth the Word of God today, while all women should be active private teachers (Hebrews 5:11-14; Acts 8:1-4; 18:26; etc.), they may not speak in the public worship assembly (1 Corinthians 14:34-35; 1 Timothy 2:11-12).
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