The Meaning of 1 Corinthians 11:7 Explained

1 Corinthians 11:7

KJV: 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.

YLT: for a man, indeed, ought not to cover the head, being the image and glory of God, and a woman is the glory of a man,

Darby: For man indeed ought not to have his head covered, being God's image and glory; but woman is man's glory.

ASV: For a man indeed ought not to have his head veiled, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does 1 Corinthians 11:7 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Men should not cover their heads in Christian worship because they are the glory of God. Whereas Paul referred to man being the image and glory of God, his primary point was that man is the glory of God. His reference to man as the image of God clearly goes back to Genesis 1:26-28, but there "glory" does not appear. "Glory" is Paul"s word, his reflection on the creation of man. This is the word that he proceeded to use to contrast man and woman.
Notice that Paul did not say that the woman is to cover her head because she is the glory of man. Instead he proceeded to describe what being his glory means. A subordinate glorifies the one in authority over him or her just by being in a subordinate position.
". . . he [1] says that woman is the glory of Prayer of Manasseh -not his image, for she too shares the image of God, and is not (as some commentators have thought) more remote from God than is man." [2]

Context Summary

1 Corinthians 11:2-10 - Covering The Head
No soul is complete in itself. The man is not complete apart from Christ, as the woman is not complete apart from man. As God is the head of the nature of Jesus on its human side, so must Jesus be head of man, and man of woman. But in each case the headship is not one of authority and rule, but of the impartation of resources of love, wisdom, and strength, without which the best cannot be realized. The covered head of woman in our sanctuaries as contrasted with the uncovered head of man is a sign and symbol of this interdependence.
But it is very interesting to notice that while the Gospel so clearly insists on the divine order, it has elevated woman to be man's true helpmeet, and has caused her to be honored and loved as the glory of man. Neither society, nor family life, nor woman herself, can be happy unless she attains her true position. On the one hand she finds her completion in man; on the other she is his queen and he ministers to her in all gentleness and tenderness and strength. [source]

Chapter Summary: 1 Corinthians 11

1  He reproves them, because in holy assemblies,
4  their men prayed with their heads covered,
6  and women with their heads uncovered;
17  and because generally their meetings were not for the better, but for the worse;
21  as, namely, in profaning with their own feast the Lord's supper
25  Lastly, he calls them to the first institution thereof

Greek Commentary for 1 Corinthians 11:7

The image and glory of God [εικων και δοχα τεου]
Anarthrous substantives, but definite. Reference to Genesis 1:27 whereby man is made directly in the image (εικων — eikōn) of God. It is the moral likeness of God, not any bodily resemblance. Ellicott notes that man is the glory (δοχα — doxa) of God as the crown of creation and as endowed with sovereignty like God himself. [source]
The glory of the man [δοχα ανδρος]
Anarthrous also, man‘s glory. In Genesis 2:26 the lxx has αντρωπος — anthrōpos (Greek word for both male and female), not ανηρ — anēr (male) as here. But the woman (γυνη — gunē) was formed from the man (ανηρ — anēr) and this priority of the male (1 Corinthians 11:8) gives a certain superiority to the male. On the other hand, it is equally logical to argue that woman is the crown and climax of all creation, being the last. [source]
Image and glory [εἰκὼν καὶ δόξα]
For image, see on Revelation 13:14. Man represents God's authority by his position as the ruler of the woman. In the case of the woman, the word image is omitted, although she, like the man, is the image of God. Paul is expounding the relation of the woman, not to God, but to man. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for 1 Corinthians 11:7

1 Corinthians 11:10 Ought [οπειλει]
Moral obligation therefore (δια τουτο — dia touto rests on woman in the matter of dress that does not (ουκ οπειλει — ouk opheilei in 1 Corinthians 11:7) rest on the man. [source]
1 Timothy 2:14 Hath fallen [γεγονεν]
Second perfect indicative active, permanent state. See note on 1 Corinthians 11:7. [source]
Revelation 13:14 An image to the beast [εἰκόνα τῷ θηρίῳ]
Εἰκών is a figure or likeness. Thus Matthew 22:20, of the likeness of Caesar on the coin. Romans 1:24, an image of men, birds, beasts, etc. Colossians 3:10, “the image of Him that created him;” i.e., the moral likeness of renewed men to God. Christ is called the image of God (Colossians 1:15; 2 Corinthians 4:4). Besides the idea of likeness, the word involves the idea of representation, though not of perfect representation. Thus, man is said to be the image of God (1 Corinthians 11:7). In this it resembles χαρακτήρ imagein Hebrews 1:3. Caesar's image on the coin, the reflection of the sun in the water (Plato, “Phaedo,” 99); and the statue or image of the beast in this passage, are εἰκών . The word also involves the idea of manifestation. Thus, Colossians 1:15, where, in the image there is an implied contrast with the invisible God. Hence Philo applied the term to the Logos. See on John 1:1. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
The word played an important part in the Arian controversy, in which the distinction was sharply emphasized between εἰκών imageas assuming a prototype, and therefore as properly representing the relation of the Son to the Father, and ὁμοίωμα likenessas implying mere similitude, and not embodying the essential verity of the prototype. The image involves the likeness, but the likeness does not involve the image. The latter may imply only an accidental resemblance, while the former is a veritable representation. Christ is therefore the εἰκών of God. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
The image of the beast occurs ten times in Revelation; four times in this chapter, and in Revelation 14:9, Revelation 14:11; Revelation 15:2; Revelation 16:2; Revelation 19:20; Revelation 20:4. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
[source]

What do the individual words in 1 Corinthians 11:7 mean?

A man truly for not ought to cover the head image and glory of God being the woman however [the] glory of man is
Ἀνὴρ μὲν γὰρ οὐκ ὀφείλει κατακαλύπτεσθαι τὴν κεφαλήν εἰκὼν καὶ δόξα Θεοῦ ὑπάρχων γυνὴ δὲ δόξα ἀνδρός ἐστιν

Ἀνὴρ  A  man 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: ἀνήρ  
Sense: with reference to sex.
μὲν  truly 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: μέν  
Sense: truly, certainly, surely, indeed.
ὀφείλει  ought 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ὀφείλω  
Sense: to owe.
κατακαλύπτεσθαι  to  cover 
Parse: Verb, Present Infinitive Middle or Passive
Root: κατακαλύπτω  
Sense: to cover up.
κεφαλήν  head 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: κεφαλή  
Sense: the head, both of men and often of animals.
εἰκὼν  image 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: εἰκών  
Sense: an image, figure, likeness.
δόξα  glory 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: δόξα  
Sense: opinion, judgment, view.
Θεοῦ  of  God 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: θεός  
Sense: a god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities.
ὑπάρχων  being 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: ὑπάρχω  
Sense: to begin below, to make a beginning.
γυνὴ  woman 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: γυνή  
Sense: a woman of any age, whether a virgin, or married, or a widow.
δὲ  however 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: δέ  
Sense: but, moreover, and, etc.
δόξα  [the]  glory 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: δόξα  
Sense: opinion, judgment, view.
ἀνδρός  of  man 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: ἀνήρ  
Sense: with reference to sex.