The Bible — World English Bible
1 Corinthians 11
In brief
In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul deals with two disorders in the Corinthian assembly. He first speaks about how men and women pray and prophesy, starting from a custom about covering the head, which remains one of the most debated passages in his letters. He then rebukes the Corinthians for their meals where the rich shame the poor, recalls the words of Jesus over the bread and the cup, and gives one of the foundational texts for Holy Communion.
The chapter in 5 parts
- v. 1-2Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ
- v. 3-16Men and women in prayer and prophecy: order, dignity and interdependence
- v. 17-22Meals that divide: the church that meets and gets worse
- v. 23-26The institution of the Lord's supper: the bread, the cup and the Lord's death proclaimed
- v. 27-34Examining ourselves, discerning the body and waiting for one another
1Be imitators of me, even as I also am of Christ.
2Now I praise you, brothers, that you remember me in all things, and hold firm the traditions, even as I delivered them to you.
3But I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.
4Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head.
5But every woman praying or prophesying with her head uncovered dishonors her head. For it is one and the same thing as if she were shaved.
6For if a woman is not covered, let her hair also be cut off. But if it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut off or be shaved, let her be covered.
7For a man indeed ought not to have his head covered, because he is the image and glory of God, but the woman is the glory of the man.
8For man is not from woman, but woman from man;
9for man wasn’t created for the woman, but woman for the man.
10For this cause the woman ought to have authority over her own head, because of the angels.
11Nevertheless, neither is the woman independent of the man, nor the man independent of the woman, in the Lord.
12For as woman came from man, so a man also comes through a woman; but all things are from God.
13Judge for yourselves. Is it appropriate that a woman pray to God unveiled?
14Doesn’t even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him?
15But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her, for her hair is given to her for a covering.
16But if any man seems to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither do God’s assemblies.
17But in giving you this command, I don’t praise you, that you come together not for the better but for the worse.
18For first of all, when you come together in the assembly, I hear that divisions exist among you, and I partly believe it.
19For there also must be factions among you, that those who are approved may be revealed among you.
20When therefore you assemble yourselves together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat.
21For in your eating each one takes his own supper first. One is hungry, and another is drunken.
22What, don’t you have houses to eat and to drink in? Or do you despise God’s assembly and put them to shame who don’t have enough? What shall I tell you? Shall I praise you? In this I don’t praise you.
23For I received from the Lord that which also I delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night in which he was betrayed took bread.
24When he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “Take, eat. This is my body, which is broken for you. Do this in memory of me.”
25In the same way he also took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink, in memory of me.”
26For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
27Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks the Lord’s cup in a way unworthy of the Lord will be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.
28But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread, and drink of the cup.
29For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy way eats and drinks judgment to himself if he doesn’t discern the Lord’s body.
30For this cause many among you are weak and sickly, and not a few sleep.
31For if we discerned ourselves, we wouldn’t be judged.
32But when we are judged, we are punished by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.
33Therefore, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.
34But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest your coming together be for judgment. The rest I will set in order whenever I come.
Key verses
But I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.
The verse sets out three links of authority and relationship: Christ, man, woman, God. The meaning of the word “head” is debated: some see authority, others an origin or a source. Many stress that it is a matter of service, after the pattern of Christ himself.
Nevertheless, neither is the woman independent of the man, nor the man independent of the woman, in the Lord. For as woman came from man, so a man also comes through a woman; but all things are from God.
Paul corrects any misreading: in the Lord, man and woman are not independent of each other, and everything comes from God. Interdependence balances what comes before.
When he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “Take, eat. This is my body, which is broken for you. Do this in memory of me.” In the same way he also took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink, in memory of me.”
Paul passes on what he received from the Lord: the bread is the body broken for you, the cup is the new covenant in his blood. Communion is a memorial wanted by Jesus himself, to be repeated in memory of him.
For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Every time we share the bread and the cup, we proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. Communion looks back to the cross and forward to the coming of Christ.
But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread, and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy way eats and drinks judgment to himself if he doesn’t discern the Lord’s body.
Paul asks us to examine ourselves before eating, then to discern the body. In context, that means not despising the members of the church, and not only honoring the body of Christ in a personal way.
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Frequently asked questions about 1 Corinthians 11
What does 1 Corinthians 11:3 mean about the head?
Paul writes that Christ is the head of every man, the man is the head of the woman and God is the head of Christ. The word “head” is understood in several ways across Christian traditions: authority, origin or source. Many stress that the example of Christ is one of service, and that the Father and the Son are equal in dignity. Verse 11 adds that in the Lord, man and woman are interdependent.
Should women still cover their heads today?
Churches do not all answer in the same way. Some keep the practice, while others see a Corinthian custom whose principle remains honor and the difference between the sexes, without requiring a veil today. All agree on one point in the text: men and women pray and prophesy in the assembly, and that calls for mutual respect and order.
What does it mean to take Communion in an unworthy way (1 Corinthians 11:27)?
Paul does not say that only the perfect may take it. In context, he is aiming at those who eat without discerning the body, like the rich in Corinth who looked down on the poor. The text invites us to examine ourselves, to repent if needed, and then to come. Communion is for forgiven sinners, not for people who have everything in order.
Why is Holy Communion celebrated “in memory of me”?
Jesus instituted Communion on the night he was betrayed, during a Passover meal. The bread recalls his broken body and the cup the new covenant in his blood. In celebrating it, we remember his death, we proclaim it and we await his return. Christian traditions differ on how Christ is present in it, but all see it as a central act of worship.
Articles quoting 1 Corinthians 11
- 20 Bible Verses for a First Communion or Confirmation: Young Faith and Belonging
- Prayer for the Lord's Supper: 15 Examples Before Sharing the Bread
- 1 Corinthians 13: Love, the Most Excellent Way
- Galatians 6: Gathered Together, Let Us Bear One Another's Burdens
- Hosea 4: God's Justice That Seeks to Restore
- Numbers 5: Purity in the Camp Where God Dwells
World English Bible translation — public domain.