1 Corinthians 11:6

Complete Jewish Bible

For if a woman is not veiled, let her also have her hair cut short; but if it is shameful for a woman to wear her hair cut short or to have her head shaved, then let her be veiled.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
For if a woman doesn’t cover her head, she should have her hair cut off. But if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, let her head be covered.

King James Version (1611)
For if the woman be not couered, let her also bee shorne: but if it bee a shame for a woman to be shorne or shauen, let her be couered.

King James Version
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.

English Standard Version
For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short. But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her head.

New American Standard Bible
For if a woman does not cover her head, have her also cut her hair off; however, if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, have her cover her head.

New Century Version
If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off. But since it is shameful for a woman to cut off her hair or to shave her head, she should cover her head.

Amplified Bible
If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, she should cover her head.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
For if a woman does not cover her head, let her also have her hair cut off; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, let her cover her head.

Legacy Standard Bible
For if a woman does not cover her head, let her also have her hair cut short. But if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut short or her head shaved, let her cover her head.

Berean Standard Bible
If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off. And if it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head.

Contemporary English Version
A woman should wear something on her head. It is a disgrace for a woman to shave her head or cut her hair. But if she refuses to wear something on her head, let her cut off her hair.

Darby Translation
For if a woman be not covered, let her hair also be cut off. But if [it be] shameful to a woman to have her hair cut off or to be shaved, let her be covered.

Easy-to-Read Version
If a woman does not cover her head, it is the same as cutting off all her hair. But it is shameful for a woman to cut off her hair or to shave her head. So she should cover her head.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Therefore if the woman be not couered, let her also be shorne: and if it be shame for a woman to be shorne or shauen, let her be couered.

George Lamsa Translation
For if a woman does not cover her head, let her also cut off her hair; but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her cover her head. *

Good News Translation
If the woman does not cover her head, she might as well cut her hair. And since it is a shameful thing for a woman to shave her head or cut her hair, she should cover her head.

Lexham English Bible
For if a woman does not cover herself, let her hair be shorn off. But if it is shameful for a woman to have her head shorn or shaved, let her cover her head.

Literal Translation
For if a woman is not veiled, let her also be shorn. But if it is shameful for a woman to be shorn, or to be shaved, let her be veiled.

American Standard Version
For if a woman is not veiled, let her also be shorn: but if it is a shame to a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be veiled.

Bible in Basic English
For if a woman is not veiled, let her hair be cut off; but if it is a shame to a woman to have her hair cut off, let her be veiled.

Hebrew Names Version
For if a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn. But if it is shameful for a woman to be shorn or shaved, let her be covered.

International Standard Version
So if a woman does not cover her head, she should cut off her hair. If it is a disgrace for a woman to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her own head.Numbers 5:18; Deuteronomy 22:5;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
For if a woman be not covered, let her be shorn; but if it be shameful for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered.

Murdock Translation
For if a woman be not covered, let her also be shorn; but if it be shameful for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Yf the woman be not couered, let her also be shorne. Yf it be a shame for a woman to be shorne or shauen, let her couer her head.

English Revised Version
For if a woman is not veiled, let her also be shorn: but if it is a shame to a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be veiled.

World English Bible
For if a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn. But if it is shameful for a woman to be shorn or shaved, let her be covered.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Therefore if a woman is not covered, let her also be shaved: but if it be shameful, for a woman to have her hair shaved off, or cut short, let her be covered.

Weymouth's New Testament
If a woman will not wear a veil, let her also cut off her hair. But since it is a dishonor to a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, let her wear a veil.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And if a womman be not keuered, be sche pollid; and if it is foul thing to a womman to be pollid, or to be maad ballid, hile sche hir heed.

Update Bible Version
For if a woman is not veiled, let her also be shorn: but if it is a shame to a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be veiled.

Webster's Bible Translation
For if the woman is not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it is a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaved, let her be covered.

New English Translation
For if a woman will not cover her head, she should cut off her hair. But if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, she should cover her head.

New King James Version
For if a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn. But if it is shameful for a woman to be shorn or shaved, let her be covered.

New Living Translation
Yes, if she refuses to wear a head covering, she should cut off all her hair! But since it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut or her head shaved, she should wear a covering.

New Life Bible
If a woman does not cover her head, she might as well cut off her hair also. If a woman is ashamed to have her hair cut off, she should cover her head.

New Revised Standard
For if a woman will not veil herself, then she should cut off her hair; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or to be shaved, she should wear a veil.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For, if a woman doth not veil herself, let her also be shorn; but, if it were a shame in a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be veiled.

Douay-Rheims Bible
For if a woman be not covered, let her be shorn. But if it be a shame to a woman to be shorn or made bald, let her cover her head.

Revised Standard Version
For if a woman will not veil herself, then she should cut off her hair; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her wear a veil.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
If the woman be not covered lett her also be shoren. If it be shame for a woma to be shorne or shave let her cover her heed.

Young's Literal Translation
for if a woman is not covered -- then let her be shorn, and if [it is] a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven -- let her be covered;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Yf the woma be not couered, let hir heer also be cut of. But yf it be vncomely for a woman to haue hir heer cut of or to be shauen, then let hir couer hir heade.

Mace New Testament (1729)
a woman may as well have the tonsure, as not wear her veil: the one is as indecent as the other.

Simplified Cowboy Version
That's like if she were to cut off all her hair and try to be a man. She is denying the wonderful person God made her to be.

Contextual Overview

¹ try to imitate me, even as I myself try to imitate the Messiah. ² Now I praise you because you have remembered everything I told you and observe the traditions just the way I passed them on to you. ³ But I want you to understand that the head of every man is the Messiah, and the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of the Messiah is God. ⁴ Every man who prays or prophesies wearing something down over his head brings shame to his head, ⁵ but every woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled brings shame to her head — there is no difference between her and a woman who has had her head shaved. ⁶ For if a woman is not veiled, let her also have her hair cut short; but if it is shameful for a woman to wear her hair cut short or to have her head shaved, then let her be veiled. ⁷ For a man indeed should not have his head veiled, because he is the image and glory of God, and the woman is the glory of man. ⁸ For man was not made from woman, but woman from man; ⁹ and indeed man was not created for the sake of the woman but woman for the sake of the man. ¹⁰ The reason a woman should show by veiling her head that she is under authority has to do with the angels.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

but: Numbers 5:18, Deuteronomy 22:5

Reciprocal: Genesis 24:65 - a veil Deuteronomy 21:12 - and she shall 1 Corinthians 14:35 - a shame

Cross-References

Genesis 3:22
(A: v, S: iv) Adonai , God, said, "See, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil. Now, to prevent his putting out his hand and taking also from the tree of life, eating, and living forever — "

Genesis 6:5
(Maftir) Adonai saw that the people on earth were very wicked, that all the imaginings of their hearts were always of evil only.

Genesis 8:21
Adonai smelled the sweet aroma, and Adonai said in his heart, "I will never again curse the ground because of humankind, since the imaginings of a person's heart are evil from his youth; nor will I ever again destroy all living things, as I have done.

Genesis 9:19
These three were the sons of Noach, and the whole earth was populated by them.

Genesis 11:1
(S: vii) The whole earth used the same language, the same words.

Genesis 11:4
Then they said, "Come, let's build ourselves a city with a tower that has its top reaching up into heaven, so that we can make a name for ourselves and not be scattered all over the earth."

Judges 10:14
Go and cry to the gods you chose; let them rescue you when you're in trouble!"

1 Kings 18:27
Around noon Eliyahu began ridiculing them: "Shout louder! After all, he's a god, isn't he? Maybe he's daydreaming, or he's on the potty, or he's away on a trip. Maybe he's asleep, and you have to wake him up."

Ecclesiastes 11:9
Young person, if you spend your youth only having fun, if you use your early years just to entertain yourself, if you follow your heart as you live your life, and let your eyes be your guide; understand that for all these things God will bring you to judgment.

Luke 1:51
"He has performed mighty deeds with his arm, routed the secretly proud,

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For if the woman be not covered,.... That is, if her head is not covered with some sort of covering, as is the custom of the place where she lives,

let her also be shorn; let her hair be cut short; let her wear it as men do theirs; and let her see how she will look, and how she will like that, and how she will be looked upon, and liked by others; everybody will laugh at her, and she will be ashamed of herself:

but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven: as it is accounted in all civilized nations: the very Heathens a speak of it as a thing abominable, and of which there should not be one single dreadful example: then let her be covered; with a veil, or any sort of covering in common use.

a Vid. Apul. Metamorph. l. 2. p. 21.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

For if the woman be not covered - If her head be not covered with a veil.

Let her also be shorn - Let her long hair be cut off. Let her lay aside all the usual and proper indications of her sex and rank in life. If it is done in one respect, it may with the same propriety be done in all.

But if it be a shame ... - If custom, nature, and habit; if the common and usual feelings and views among people would pronounce this to be a shame, the other would be pronounced to be a shame also by the same custom and common sense of people.

Let her be covered - With a veil. Let her wear the customary attire indicative of modesty and a sense of subordination. Let her not lay this aside even on any pretence of religion.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Corinthians 11:6. For if the woman be not covered — If she will not wear a veil in the public assemblies, let her be shorn-let her carry a public badge of infamy: but if it be a shame-if to be shorn or shaven would appear, as it must, a badge of infamy, then let her be covered-let her by all means wear a veil. Even in mourning it was considered disgraceful to be obliged to shear off the hair; and lest they should lose this ornament of their heads, the women contrived to evade the custom, by cutting off the ends of it only. Euripides, in Orest., ver. 128, speaking of Helen, who should have shaved her head on account of the death of her sister Clytemnestra, says: ειδετε παρ' ακρας ὡς απεθρισεν τριχας, σωζουσα καλλος, εστι δε ἡ παλαι γυνη: "see how she cuts off only the very points of her hair, that she may preserve her beauty, and is just the same woman as before." See the note on the preceding verse 1 Corinthians 11:5.

In Hindostan a woman cuts off her hair at the death of her husband, as a token of widowhood; but this is never performed by a married woman, whose hair is considered an essential ornament. The veil of the Hindoo women is nothing more than the garment brought over the face, which is always very carefully done by the higher classes of women when they appear in the streets.-Ward's Customs.