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1 Corinthians 11

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1
Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. ​

Headship and Distinctions in Worship 2–16

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. ​
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.
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. ​
8
For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man.
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. ​
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?
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. ​

Condemnation of Divisions at Meals 17–22

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. ​
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. ​
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. ​
21
For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken. ​
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.

The Institution of the Lord’s Supper 23–26

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. ​
26
For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. ​

Warning Against Unworthy Participation 27–34

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. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for 1 Corinthians 11

Verse 1

Be ye followers of me — Mimetes is an imitator. Paul makes the same appeal in 1 Cor 4:16, 'Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me', but sets a limit here: 'even as I also am of Christ'. The pattern runs back to God himself: 'Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children' (Eph 5:1).

Verse 2

keep the ordinances — Paradosis is what is handed over, a tradition; 'delivered' is paradidomi, the same verb Paul uses of the Lord's Supper in v.23. Apostolic teaching, 'whether by word, or our epistle' (2 Thess 2:15), was to be held. This praise comes before the rebuke, 'I praise you not' (v.17).

Verse 3

the head of Christ is God — Kephale, head. Three relations are set out: Christ over every man, the man over the woman, God over Christ. The last echoes 1 Cor 3:23, 'ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's', and Christ is called 'the head of the body, the church' (Col 1:18). The ordering supplies the ground for vv.4–16.

Verse 4

having his head covered — Proseuchomai is to pray to God, propheteuo to speak under inspiration; both were done in the assembly. 'Dishonoureth' is kataischuno, to put to shame. 'His head' is his own head and, by v.3, Christ, who is his head. Prophecy is the gift Paul would have them seek (1 Cor 14:1).

Verse 5

with her head uncovered — Women also prayed and prophesied, as Scripture records of 'Anna, a prophetess' (Luke 2:36) and Philip's four daughters (Acts 21:9), and as Joel foretold (Acts 2:17). Akatakaluptos is unveiled; the shame is likened to being 'shaven' (xurao), a razor-cut head.

Verse 7

the image and glory of God — Eikon and doxa. Paul draws on creation: 'in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them' (Gen 1:27). Man is God's image and glory; the woman is the glory of the man, as v.8 explains from Gen 2:23, 'she was taken out of Man'.

Verse 10

power on her head — The word is exousia, authority; the covering is called her authority, not a mere sign of another's. 'Because of the angels' is read of angels as 'ministering spirits' (Heb 1:14) present at worship; Christians have differed over the precise sense. Verses 11–12 follow at once to guard the balance.

Verse 11

in the Lord — Plen, 'nevertheless', turns from vv.8–9. Neither sex stands alone 'in the Lord'. The same standing is stated in Gal 3:28: 'there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus'. Verse 12 gives the reason: the woman is of the man, the man by the woman.

Verse 15

for a covering — Peribolaion is something thrown around, a mantle or veil. 'Long hair' is the verb komao of v.14, and 'glory' is doxa, the word of v.7. Her hair is 'given her' (by God) 'for', in place of, a covering, which Paul offers as nature's own pointer to the practice.

Verse 16

we have no such custom — Philoneikos is fond of strife, disputatious. Synetheia is an established usage. Paul rests the matter on the practice of all the churches, as in 1 Cor 7:17, 'so ordain I in all churches', and 1 Cor 14:33, 'as in all churches of the saints'.

Verse 17

not for the better, but for the worse — Kreitton and hetton, better and worse. 'Declare' is parangello, to charge or enjoin. The praise of v.2 ends here: 'I praise you not'. The assembly meant for good became harmful, and the next verses name how, in division (v.18) and in the meal (vv.20–22).

Verse 18

divisions among you — Schisma, a split or rent, the word of 1 Cor 1:10, 'that there be no divisions among you'. The report came to Paul by hearsay ('I hear'), hence 'I partly believe it' (meros, in part). The divisions showed 'when ye come together in the church', the assembly (ekklesia).

Verse 19

heresies — Hairesis is a choosing, hence a party or faction. 'Must' is dei, it is necessary, as Christ said, 'It is impossible but that offences will come' (Luke 17:1). 'Approved' is dokimos, tested and found genuine; the divisions make plain who stands the test.

Verse 20

the Lord's supper — Kuriakon deipnon: a supper belonging to the Lord, deipnon being the main evening meal. What took place was 'his own supper' (v.21), a private meal, so that though they met 'into one place' it was 'not to eat' the Lord's. The institution follows in vv.23–25.

Verse 21

taketh before other his own supper — Prolambano, to take beforehand; idios, one's own, set against the 'Lord's' supper of v.20. One 'is hungry' (peinao) and another 'drunken' (methuo). Jude 1:12 speaks of such in 'your feasts of charity… feeding themselves without fear'.

Verse 23

I have received of the Lord — Paralambano, received, and paradidomi, delivered: the same verb as 'betrayed', so the same word describes Paul handing on the teaching and Christ being handed over. The account agrees with Luke 22:19 and Matt 26:26, where Jesus also 'took bread'.

Verse 25

the new testament in my blood — Diatheke, covenant or testament. Luke 22:20 has the same words with 'which is shed for you'. 'When he had supped' (deipneo) places the cup after the meal. Christ is 'the mediator of the new testament' (Heb 9:15); 'as oft as ye drink it' makes it a repeated act.

Verse 26

ye do shew the Lord's death — Katangello is to proclaim publicly. The supper is thus a declaration as well as a remembrance, and has a limit: 'till he come', which looks to the promise 'this same Jesus… shall so come in like manner' (Acts 1:11) and to John 14:3, 'I will come again'.

Verse 27

unworthily — Anaxios, in a manner unworthy. The manner is the one just described in vv.21–22. 'Guilty' is enochos, liable to, so the offender answers for wrong done to 'the body and blood of the Lord'; compare Heb 10:29, 'trodden under foot the Son of God'.

Verse 29

damnation — Krima, a judgment, the KJV's older sense; in v.34 the same word is 'condemnation'. Verse 30 shows its form. 'Discerning' is diakrino, to distinguish; the fault is failing to distinguish the Lord's body from common food, the same verb as 'judge' in v.31.

Verse 30

many sleep — Koimao, to sleep, used of death. 'Weak' is asthenes, strengthless, and 'sickly' arrhostos, infirm. 'For this cause' ties the sickness and death to the judgment of v.29, and v.32 gives its purpose: it is chastening, not final condemnation.

Verse 32

chastened of the Lord — Paideuo, to train as a child, whose noun is the 'chastening' of Heb 12:5, a passage that quotes Prov 3:11–12 (the verb itself is in Heb 12:6), 'For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth'. The purpose is that believers 'should not be condemned with the world'; katakrino is to sentence.

Verse 33

tarry one for another — Ekdechomai, to wait for, to expect. It answers the fault of v.21, where each 'taketh before' (prolambano) the rest. 'My brethren' returns to the tone of kinship after the stern verses; the meal is to be eaten together.

Verse 34

let him eat at home — Hunger is to be met at home (oikos), so that the assembly is not 'unto condemnation' (krima, the word of v.29). 'The rest will I set in order when I come': other points are left for his visit, which he mentions again in 1 Cor 16:5.