Deuteronomy 29:29 says, “The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever.” The issue of hair covering is one of those beautiful gifts of knowledge that God has clearly revealed for our benefit and for future generations. It is not something to dismiss as a “grey area” practice but rather a teaching that deserves thoughtful study. Scripture reminds us in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 that “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine… that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” With this foundation, we can approach 1 Corinthians 11:1-16 not as a legalistic debate but as a gift from God.
A Symbol of submission
Contrary to the modern outbursts of women against male authority, the Bible teaches that women should be submissive to their husbands and men should love their wives. This shouldn’t make you cringe or provoke fear because it is an illustration of something divine and something beautiful, the GODHEAD. “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 Corinthians 11:3) Christ was made as an example of submission. Philippians 2:6 emphasized that He is equal with God and yet He didn’t find it humiliating to say “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.” John 5:30
The veling of a woman’s hair in worship is a beautiful symbol of this relationship to be humbly accepted “for the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man” 1 Corinthians 11: 8,9 lest we misinterpret this to be inequality of value or dignity, Paul adds in verse 11 “Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord. For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God”
Ellen White puts it thus,
“…Eve was created from a rib taken from the side of Adam, signifying that she was not to control him as the head, nor to be trampled under his feet as an inferior, but to stand by his side as an equal, to be loved and protected by him. A part of man, bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh, she was his second self, showing the close union and the affectionate attachment that should exist in this relation. “For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it.” Ephesians 5:29… “ (Patriarchs and Prophets, page 46, paragraph 2)
“…Eve was told of the sorrow and pain that must henceforth be her portion. And the Lord said, “Thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.” In the creation God had made her the equal of Adam…. sin had brought discord, and now their union could be maintained and harmony preserved only by submission on the part of the one or the other…. Had the principles joined in the law of God been cherished by the fallen race, this sentence, though growing out of the results of sin, would have proved a blessing to them; but man’s abuse of the supremacy thus given him has too often rendered the lot of woman very bitter and made her life a burden.” (Patriarchs and Prophets 58.3 abridged)
Simply put, hair covering is a symbol of this order. A woman is the glory of a man (1 Corinthians 11:7) and when praying and prophesying it is God’s order that she covers her own glory- her hair (1 Corinthians 11:15) as a sign of humble acceptance of her position and the authority of the man over her.
A symbol of reverence
Psalm 95:6 says, “O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.” Just as bowing down and kneeling in worship are acts of reverence, so too is the act of uncovering the head for men and covering the head for women. In 1 Corinthians 11:4-5, Paul writes, “Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head. 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.” The phrase “dishonoureth her head” implies irreverence, both toward her symbolic head (her husband or father) and by implication, Christ.
Verse 7 says “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.” Here, Paul explains that the man does not need to cover his head because he is the image of God and the woman, not his hair, is his glory. In verse 15, he adds that “if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her.” Thus, the woman’s hair, as her glory, is covered in worship as a sign of reverence.
Even the angels, who are glorious and exalted beings, veil their glory in worship before the Lord. In Revelation 7:11-12, And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. In Revelation 4:10-11, we read, “The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”
Isaiah 6:2 says of the seraphim, “Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.”
If angels, who are without sin and dwell in God’s presence, cover themselves as an act of worship, how much more should we approach God with similar acts of reverence?
Far from being a restriction, the covering of a woman’s head in worship symbolizes submission, recognition of God’s order, and reverence. It reflects a profound humility, where we set aside our own glory to honor God fully in worship.
Come reverently before your maker
The next time you enter worship with your head covered as a woman, or uncovered as a man, let it point you to the humility and submission of Christ to the Father. As a man, remember the expectation to lead with deep, sacrificial love, just as Christ loves the church. And as a woman, embrace the call to possess a meek and quiet spirit—not only in the church but also as a reflection of godly character in the home.
