1 Corinthians 11

(1)  Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.
(2)  Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.
(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.
(17)  Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse.
(18)  For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.
(19)  For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.
(20)  When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper.
(21)  For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken.
(22)  What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.
(23)  For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:
(24)  And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
(25)  After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
(26)  For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.
(27)  Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
(28)  But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
(29)  For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
(30)  For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
(31)  For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
(32)  But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.
(33)  Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another.
(34)  And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come.

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Study Questions

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1. Having just told the Corinthians in the previous chapter how he acted in certain cases, how does he now bid them to act? Verse 1.

2. What was Paul’s attitude toward the Corinthians for remembering him and asking him questions? Verse 2.

3. How do we reconcile Paul’s praising them for keeping the ordinances (traditions, Revised Standard Version) and saying in Colossians 2:8, “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men”? Verse 2.

4. What is the divine order of subjection or “headship” in this passage? Verse 3.

5. Why does the apostle begin with the man? Verse 3.

6. How are we to understand the statement that “the head of Christ is God,” when we are told in Philippians 2:5-6 that Jesus before His incarnation was “equal with God”? Verse 3.

7. What does a man do when he prays or prophesies with his head covered? Verse 4.

8. What did the woman do when she prayed or prophesied with her head uncovered? Verse 5.

9. Does Paul imply in this verse that it is a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven? Verse 6.

10. Why is it that a man “ought not to have anything hanging down from his head”? Verse 7.

11. How is the woman the glory of the man? Verse 7.

12. What do the facts of creation reveal about the subject matter in this verse? Verse 8.

13. What do the facts of creation reveal about this verse? Why was the woman created for the man? Verse 9.

14. Brother McGarvey found four facts of creation in verses 7-9. Can you name three? Verses 7-9.

15. Why is the woman to have power or authority on her head? Verse 10.

16. How are the man and the woman mutually dependent upon each other? Verse 11.

17. How does the phrase “but all things of God” rule out any air of superiority by either the man or the woman? Verse 12.

18. What does Paul take for granted as something that should be apparent to all? Verse 13.

19. What does the passage mean by “doth not even nature itself teach you”? Verse 14.

20. What is it that nature teaches? Verse 14.

21. What does nature teach us about a woman having long hair? Verse 15.

22. How long is long? Verse 15.

23. Does this passage teach that the churches of God have no custom of being contentious or that they have no other custom or practice than the women being covered and the men being uncovered? Verse 16.

Thought Questions (24-25):
24. If Paul meant “hair,” why did he use the word “covered”? Didn’t Jesus have long hair?

25. Why did Paul withhold his praise of the Corinthians? Verse 17.

26. Was their coming together helpful or harmful? Verse 17.

27. What is meant by the word “church”? Verse 18.

28. What did Paul mean when he said, “I partly believe it”? Verse 18.

29. What are heresies and who are “the approved”? Verse 19.

30. When and why was the church to come together? Verse 20.

31. Why did Paul say “this is not to eat the Lord’s Supper”? Verse 20.

32. What was wrong with what they were doing? Verse 21.

33. Where is the proper place for the kind of eating and drinking they were doing? Verse 22.

34. How were they despising the church and shaming the poor? Verse 22.

35. Why did Paul remind them that he received of the Lord what he delivered? Verse 23.

36. How does Paul contrast what the observance of this occasion should be with the frivolous conduct of the Corinthians in what they called the Lord’s Supper? Verse 23.

37. How do we know the bread that was advocated was unleavened bread? Verse 23.

38. Most of the modern translations have “this is my body, which is broken for you.” How is this more accurate according to the facts? Verse 24.

39. For what purpose do we eat the bread and drink the cup? Verse 25.

40. What does our eating and drinking proclaim and how often and how long is it to take place? Verse 26.

41. One denomination says that to partake of one of the elements is to observe the Lord’s Supper. Are we to partake of both the bread and the cup”? Verse 27.

42. What is the purpose of examining or testing ourselves before partaking of the Lord’s Supper? Verse 28.

43. How is it possible to eat and drink unworthily and what is the penalty for so doing? Verse 29.

44. Did the failure to rightly discern the Lord’s body and blood result in physical weakness, sickness, and sleep or does it have a spiritual application? Verse 30.

45. How could the Corinthians escape the judgment (condemnation) of God? Verse 31.

46. What is the purpose of God’s judgment and chastisement? Verse 32.

47. What problem does Paul address in this verse? Verse 33. (See verse 21)

48. Where is the proper place for the kind of eating they were doing at Corinth? Verse 34.