Growing in God's Word

Hair Length

Posted by Randy A. Brown on Feb 14th, 2010 in Holiness | 0 comments

Hair length in the Bible is simple: men, have short hair; women have uncut hair. But wait… what about Jesus? Samson had long hair. Doesn’t it say a woman should have a covering? Does that mean women have to wear a veil? It says if he be contentious we have no such custom. Doesn’t that mean it’s up to the husband?

The foundational teachings about hair come mainly from Paul’s writings to the Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 11:3-16 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.

There are many foundational points in this passage. First, this verse establishes that the man is the head of the woman just as Jesus is the head of the man.

1 Corinthians 11:3 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.

This establishes that the man is the head of the house under the guidance of Jesus Christ. There are other doctrinal points here, such as God is the head of Christ. This is referring to the dual nature of Jesus, in that the Deity is the head of the humanity.

The first point concerning hair is the covering.

1 Corinthians 11:4-6 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.

There are several Greek words in this passage that are translated as ‘covered’.

kata {kat-ah’} Meaning: 1) down from, through out 2) according to, toward, along

katakalupto {kat-ak-al-oop’-to} Meaning: 1) to cover up 2) to veil or cover one’s self

There is also the word ‘covering’.

peribolaion {per-ib-ol’-ah-yon} Meaning: 1) a covering thrown around, a wrapper 1a) a mantle 1b) a veil

Another word to be concerned about is ‘uncovered’.

akatakaluptos {ak-at-ak-al’-oop-tos} Meaning: 1) not covered, unveiled

It is very clear in this context that the man is not to be covered and the woman is to be covered. It is a dishonor for a man to be covered and for a woman to not be covered. For the woman to be dishonored is a shame and it is the same thing as if her hair were shaved off.

The word for dishonor is kataischuno.

kataischuno {kat-ahee-skhoo’-no} Meaning: 1) to dishonour, disgrace 2) to put to shame, make ashamed 2a) to be ashamed, blush with shame 2b) one is said to be put to shame who suffers a repulse, or whom some hope has deceived

The Greek word for shaven is xurao.

xurao {xoo-rah’-o} Meaning: 1) to shear, shave 2) to get one’s self shaved

If her hair is not covered it is the same as if she were shorn.

The Greek word for shorn is keiro.

keiro {ki’-ro} Meaning: 1) to sheer: a sheep 2) to get or let be shorn 3) of shearing or cutting short the hair of the head

To be shorn or to shear is to cut or remove any amount. The amount is irrelevant; it’s the fact that it’s cut that is a shame. If any amount is removed it is the same thing as if it were completely shaved. The woman’s hair is to be uncut- which means the woman’s head is to be covered.

It is a shame for a man to have long hair. Even nature itself teaches us this.

1 Corinthians 11:14 Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?

Men are not to have long hair.

Samuel and Samson had long hair. They had taken the Nazarite’s vow.

1 Samuel 1:11 And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.

Judges 13:5 For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.

The Nazarite’s vow included uncut hair to show the shame of Israel.

Judges 13:7 But he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing: for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death.

Jesus did not have long hair. We see movies and paintings of Jesus and his disciples with long hair, but we do not see this from scripture. Jesus was not a Nazarite; he was a Nazarene, which simply means he lived in Nazareth. Jesus did not take the Nazarite’s vow.

What is the covering? Is this a veil?

1 Corinthians 11:15 But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.

From this verse it is clear that the covering is not a veil or something that the woman must wear on her head. Her hair is her covering.

We have no such custom.

1 Corinthians 11:16 But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.

This verse is often misunderstood. It is often understood to mean that it’s up to the husband. Let’s look at this verse in a few other translations.

1 Corinthians 11:16 But if anyone wants to argue about this, I simply say that we have no other custom than this, and neither do God’s other churches. NLT

1 Corinthians 11:16 But if one is inclined to be contentious, we have no other practice, nor have the churches of God. NAS

1 Corinthians 11:16 If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice– nor do the churches of God. NIV

1 Corinthians 11:16 If anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no such practice, nor do the churches of God. ESV

What this verse is telling us is that there are no other choices. This is the way it is, no matter how much you want to argue against this teaching.

There are many cases in scripture where women having their hair cut was considered a disgrace.

Isaiah 3:24 And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty.

Jeremiah 7:29 Cut off thine hair, O Jerusalem, and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on high places; for the LORD hath rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath.

It was common in the New Testament for women to have long hair.

Luke 7:37-38 ³⁷ And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, ³⁸ And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment

John 11:2 (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)

John 12:3 Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.

Hair has to be long in order to be braided and plaited.

1 Timothy 2:9 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;

1 Peter 3:3 Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;

There had to be a distinction between men and women’s hair in order to describe demons in the end-time as having hair like women.

Revelation 9:8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.

There are many arguments against the teaching that women should have uncut hair and men should have short hair. Most of these arguments come from misunderstandings of scripture, such as Samson, or misunderstandings of true historical accounts, such as the fact that Jesus did not actually have long hair. It is God’s desire that there be a clear distinction between the male and the female. This distinction includes roles and actions. This distinction also includes appearance which includes clothing and hair. It is irrelevant what society has established as acceptable. All that matters is what God’s Word says. It is clear from scripture that Men are to have short hair and Women are to have uncut hair. There is no other custom than this.

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