When I read 1 Corinthians 11 for the first time, it was in the English Standard Version which refers to head covering as being only for wives in first century Corinth. The Greek word “gyne,” which can mean either woman or wife depending on the context, had been translated as wife in the verses that mentioned head covering.
Nevertheless, it was clear to me from the context that Paul was not instructing wives in first century Corinth to wear head coverings, but me, an unmarried woman in the 21st century, despite what had been written in my ESV Bible.
The Danger of Mistranslation
The ESV is one of the most widely read English Bible translations today. If the translation of the Greek word “gyne” as wife in 1 Corinthians 11 is an error, then many women today may read the ESV, most likely never investigate further, and fail to follow a biblical command.
Consequently, these women would never experience the blessings that come along with head covering and eventually the biblical practice could be lost forever.
In order to understand the true meaning of scripture in any translation, we must go beyond what it appears to say at face value. We must examine the context of the original Greek, look at the other verses in the passage, and research the cultural practices of the time — most obviously, if head covering was a sign of marriage in first century Corinth.
Was Head Covering a Sign of Marriage?
In the same light of the popular fallacy that a woman’s uncovered head in first century Corinth was a sign of prostitution — was her covered head a sign of marriage?
Wayne Grudem, a member of the ESV Oversight Committee, provides the following explanation why the Greek word “gyne” was translated as wife:
“Evidence that head covering for a woman indicated that she was married is found both in literary sources and in archeological discoveries of artwork portraying wedding scenes.”
Excerpt from “Evangelical Feminism and Biblical Truth” by Wayne Grudem
Grudem refers to first century writings that describe a bride wearing a veil during a wedding ceremony. The artwork he refers to also depicts a bride wearing a veil in the context of a wedding.
The evidence that Grudem presents here does not support a woman’s veiling, or head covering, as signifying in first century Corinth that she was married.
As a comparable example, in modern day American culture, a bride will wear a veil, or head covering, for her wedding ceremony; however, she does not wear it continually every day thereafter as a symbol that she is married. Because a woman wears a veil once as a bride, does not make it an everyday practice as a wife.
Inconsistent Translation
Secondly, in the ESV, the word “gyne” is translated inconsistently. In some verses it’s translated as wife, and in others as woman – even within the same context. Grudem explains:
“The translators of the English Standard Version … understood a woman’s head covering in the first century to indicate she was married. Therefore in every verse in which head covering is mentioned, the ESV translated gyne as ‘wife.’ But the other verses it translates gyne as ‘woman,’ because these verses have more general statements about womanhood that Paul was using in order to discuss this specific application.”
Excerpt from “Evangelical Feminism and Biblical Truth” by Wayne Grudem
As a counterargument, I will defer to Dr. Daniel Wallace who is an expert in Biblical Greek and also who disagrees with Grudem’s interpretation. Jeremy Gardiner of HeadCoveringMovement.com writes in his article, “Should Single Women Wear Head Coverings?”
“Dr. Daniel Wallace (PhD, Dallas Theological Seminary) is one of the leading conservative Greek scholars. In a paper he wrote on head covering, he agrees that there is no contextual reason to translate gyne as wife. Here’s what he says:
‘We have not discussed at all whether single women or married women are in view in this text… Suffice it to say that [gyne] should be taken as woman (as opposed to ‘wife’) unless there are sufficient contextual reasons to argue otherwise.’”
Excerpt from “What is the Head Covering in 1 Corinthians 11:2–16 and Does it Apply to Us Today?” by Dr. Daniel Wallace
Grudem’s argument for translating “gyne” as wife is not arrived at from first considering all the verses within the passage but from falsely concluding a cultural practice, then reading it into the text. This is known as eisegesis, or inserting one’s bias into scripture.
Context of Surrounding Verses
If scripture is approached with the pre-conceived belief that head covering was only for Corinthian wives, then it would make sense for “gyne” to be translated as wife. However, Jeremy Gardiner also illustrates, “If we consistently translated ‘gune’ as wife here [1 Cor. 11:12], we’d be left with Paul saying that wives originate from their husbands.”
Practice of Head Covering in Corinth
Lastly, let’s take a look at the historical practice of head covering in the first century. When we look at the evidence, we find that married women in the Roman colony of Corinth did not consistently wear head coverings.
In her book, “Dress and the Roman Woman,” Kelly Olson writes, “most portrait busts we’ve found from that time period show respectable married women unveiled.”
It could also be argued that while Corinth was a Roman colony, historically many citizens were Greek and continued to follow Greek customs. However, it was not a Greek custom for married women to wear head coverings either.1 In fact, the Greek custom was for men to wear head coverings in pagan worship.2
The truth is, a woman’s head covering in first century Corinth did not indicate she was married. Tertullian, an early Christian author, writes:
“Likewise, the Corinthians themselves understood him [Paul] in this manner. In fact, at this very day, the Corinthians do veil their virgins. What the apostles taught, their disciples approve.”
An excerpt from “On the Veiling of Virgins” by Tertullian
In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul is delivering the new custom of head covering to Christian women — one that was countercultural to Corinth at the time. This new custom was not only for Corinth but is for, “all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ,” as he states in Chapter 1 (1 Cor. 1:2).
Reasons for Head Covering Today
Nowhere in the passage of 1 Corinthians 11 does Paul say a woman’s head covering is a result of her marital status. But he does say that a woman’s head covering is:
- Due to creation order (1 Cor. 11:3-5)
- Because of the angels (1 Cor. 11:10)
- Taught by nature itself (1 Cor. 11:12-14)
The reasons Paul gives for head covering are universal and independent of any specific time and place. A look throughout Christian history also reveals that head covering was practiced continuously — and universally — for almost 2,000 years.
It is only within the last century or so that Christian women have removed their head coverings, and even more recently that Bible translations, such as the ESV, have begun to print mistranslations, such as head coverings being only for first century Corinthian wives.
In the end, it’s the responsibility of the student to read the Bible with a discerning eye. There will always be some margin of error in any Bible translation, but with study, prayer and guidance from the Holy Spirit, we can trust that God will provide us with understanding.
Leave a Reply