Woman’s Hair

Have you noticed how pentecostal women have long hair? Well here’s why! It’s a little lengthy but totally worth it.

During creation, there was a divine order. God created man and from man he created woman. Adam was created from the dust of the ground like every other animal (Gen. 2:7; 19), but the woman, however, was created from Adam’s rib (vs. 22). The creation process was different for each, and woman was the final result of humanity. When you read 1 Corinthians 11, Paul talks about God’s divine order. Starting in verse 3, he says “…the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God”. Man is the glory of God, woman is the glory of man (vs 7) but we’ll come back to that.

It goes on to talk about how a man should pray and how a woman should pray. Verse 4-6 says 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. 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.

So what does it mean to be covered and uncovered? These scriptures are talking about hair. Paul spends 15 verses in this chapter talking about the significance of hair. He does not give this much attention to any other matter in the new testament. In verse 15, it says a woman’s hair is given to her to use as a covering. So in the previous verses that talk about praying covered or uncovered, it is talking about hair. When a man prays or prophesies with his head covered, or with long hair, it is a shame. Same when a woman prays or prophesies without being covered or, in other words, with cut hair. It even goes on to say that if a woman prays with cut hair, she may as well shave her head but it is shameful to do that so let her be covered, or uncut.

God designed man and woman to be distinct from each other, distinct in creation, in body, and appearance. Without distinction, there is no evidence of their true origin.

Mankind cannot change their bodies. They cannot remove body parts or physically change the way they look (naturally without surgical help that is) but they can manipulate their hair. But, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:14 that even nature itself tells us that if a man has long hair, it is a shame to him. The word “shame” in it’s original greek texted is referred to as a disgrace which means filthy. It is that which is opposed to modesty or purity. Nature shows us that over time, men often, and most likely will, lose most, if not all, of their hair while women do not. Nature is God’s will impressed on creation. It is God’s will for a man to have short hair and a woman to have long hair.

But, what does it mean to have long hair? When you look at 1 Corinthians 11:15, it says “But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering”. The original greek word for “long” in this verse is komao which means to “let the hair grow, or uncut”.

But is it a sin? Or is it just a shame? During this time that Paul wrote this letter, christian women did not cut their hair to distinguish themselves from the women of Corinth. The women in Corinth often cut their hair and sacrificed it to the goddess Diana. Cut hair was also just a known practice of the gentile women. So when christian/jewish women did not cut their hair, they stood out and were recognized as women of God, otherwise they were seen as any other ordinary woman. Now the bible does not specifically say that cutting your hair as a woman is a sin but it does say it is a shame. It is disgraceful. In the old testament, God often cut off the disgraceful. If it is a disgrace to God then I personally do not want to partake in it. I want to submit to God’s order.

When a woman prays or prophesies with cut hair, she removes herself from God’s divine order and His will. But, by conforming to God’s standard, she accepts God’s authority and when women submit to God’s authority, there is power. 1 Corinthians 11:10 says “For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels”.

Ought translated to the original greek text is opheilo which literally means “to owe, or indebted to”. Power translated is exousia and it means “the power of authority, or one who possesses authority”. the word because translated is dia which means “by or with”. So this verse means “For this cause a woman is indebted with authority (given to her by a higher court) on her head with the angels”.

Angels know the order of God’s creation. They understand the power behind His divine order. They were there when God created the earth and when He created man and woman. Angels receive delegated power by God just like the woman does by not cutting her hair.

Now let’s go back to God’s order again. God created man and then God created woman. Man and woman are equal in rights but not in roles. Man is the only creature that can stand before God uncovered (with cut hair) because he is made in the direct image of God. Woman was created as the expression of man. 1 Corinthians 11:3 says “…the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God”. When a man prays with his head covered, he dishonoreth his head, which is Christ. A woman, when she prays with her head uncovered, dishonoreth her head, man.

When a woman prays or prophesies with uncut hair, she has an authority given to her by God. It also gives the man power when a woman prays covered because it brings honor to him. With uncut hair, she enters a whole other realm of angels and demons when she prays. She has the power and right to guard her home. Woman was given to man as a help mate because God knew man would need her strength. God knew man would need women’s powerful prayers.

When a woman walks into the thrown room with uncut hair, angels come rushing to her side and an authority comes over her all because she has submitted herself to God’s divine order.

Now holy angels are not the only angels that witnessed God’s creation of the earth. The fallen angels were also there to see God’s divine order unfold. They also understand the importance of submitting to this order and they are always looking for a way to destroy.

1 Samuel 15:23 indicates that rebellion opens the door to evil. But a woman’s submission to God’s authority blocks the efforts of the fallen angels to destroy. Once a woman cuts her hair, she loses that authority, that blockage. Then once that wall is gone, sin can easily creep in, not just in her own life but in her home.

Men can’t do that. God created us to be distinct. I think it is so cool how woman is the last thing God created before He rested and He didn’t even create her like the rest of the animals. All other creatures came from dust (Genisis 2:19) but woman was created from bone. There is just something awesome about women that this world needs. God created woman for her strength and purpose.