A Woman's Glory: Should a Christian-Israelite Woman Have Short Hair?

It is as shameful for a woman to have her hair cut short as to have her head shaved completely bald. Men and women are NOT to have the same hair. The teaching of the Bible is clear enough: men and boys should have short hair; women and girls should have long hair. A woman with short hair, and a man with long hair, are against the natural, created order established by YEHOVAH God from the beginning.

The woman’s glory! What is this glory? Is it her facial appearance, her figure, her clothes, or something else? What is the woman’s glory, according to the Bible?

The hair has always been considered one of the most prominent and important aspects of our physical appearance. In all nations and in all cultures, people give much attention to their own hair and pay attention to the hair of others. Generally it is one of the first features that we notice about the people whom we meet. Let us discuss what the Bible says about hair and how we should consider this aspect of our appearance.

In some cultures men or women may shave their heads or crop their hair very short. In other cultures, women allow their hair to grow freely and even men may allow their hair to grow fairly long. In still others, women adorn their hair with elaborate hairstyles, arranged with jewels, or intricately curled or braided. In the United States women traditionally allowed their hair to grow naturally long but this drastically changed by 1920. “Probably the greatest change in women’s hair modes came in the early 1900s when the hair was bobbed.

Up to this time, no matter how the hair was worn, it was long. By 1920 short hair had become the dominant fashion. About this time also the hair styles worn by popular motion-picture stars in Hollywood began to start trends in women’s coiffures” (Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia, 1998). “At the end of World War I a short haircut for women, called the bob, was considered scandalous....Women all over the world quickly adopted the styles and colors of Hollywood actresses” (ibid.).

At the same time, men wore their hair much shorter than women and this continued until the 1960s and 1970s when rebellious young men dared to break with convention, allowing their hair to grow longer than before. “It was the singing group, The Beatles, that repopularized longer hair for the first time in many decades with their bowl haircuts” (ibid.). About the same time, many girls began to allow their hair to grow longer than their mothers did. Paradoxically, some girls even today wear their hair much longer than their mothers and grandmothers -- while these older women cut their hair very short! Through the influence of Vogue (1892), Mademoiselle (1935), and Glamour (1939), women are very concerned about their hairstyles and fashion in general.

The Bible has a variety of incidental information about hair. Yeshua the Messiah shows the futility of changing nature when he says, “You cannot make one hair white or black” (Matthew 5:36). He also uses the hair to illustrate the tender care of YEHOVAH God our Father: “The very hairs of your head are all numbered” (Matthew 10:30). Hair was sometimes anointed in Biblical times (Matthew 6:17). Although there were variations in style from time to time, there was a basic difference between the appearance of the man and the woman in clothing and hairstyles (cf. Deuteronomy 22:5; 1 Corinthians 11:14-15). The male gender generally had short hair; the female gender generally had long hair.

Under the Law of Moses, an Israelite man who took the Nazarite vow allowed his hair to grow long until the end of the vow, after which he shaved his head (Numbers 6:5, 18). Samson said, “A razor has never come on my head, for I have been a Nazarite to God from my mother’s womb” (Judges 16:17; cf. 13:5). Hannah appears to have committed her son Samuel to a Nazarite lifestyle from before his birth (1 Samuel 1:11).

There is the possibility that John the baptizer also was a Nazarite (cf. Luke 1:15) and Paul appears to have had a Nazarite vow for a short time (cf. Acts 18:18). The long hair of the Nazarite was in contrast to the common Israelite who wore shorter hair. Many have made the mistake of thinking that the Messiah was a Nazarite and therefore had long hair. The truth is that the Messiah was a Nazarene, one from the town of Nazareth (Matthew 2:23).

Nearly everyone in our day assumes that each person has the inherent right to do whatever he or she wishes in regard to the hair. If a young man wishes to dye his hair orange or green, this is his right. If a girl wishes to curl her hair, wear a wig, or wear some bizarre style, this is her right. If an older woman wishes to cut her hair short or style her hair, this is her right. If a man wishes to allow his hair to grow two feet long, this is his right. In the time of the Judges of Israel, “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25), and this well describes our own day. People assume they can do whatever they want to do in regard to their hair -- and in regard to lifestyle in general. To restrict one’s choices of hair style and length is thought to be legalism.

Does YEHOVAH God have anything to say in regard to our hair? We must ask, in the words of Paul, “What does the Scripture say?” (Romans 4:3). Only the Word of YEHOVAH God is able to give directions by making the mind of YEHOVAH known to us. Let us go to the Scriptures to determine what YEHOVAH God wants for His people Israel today.


It is Shameful for a Christian-Israelite Woman to Have Short Hair

We may begin in 1 Corinthians 11:2-16. In this significant but commonly overlooked passage, Paul taught that a Christian-Israelite woman should wear a covering or veil when she prays or prophesies and a man should not wear a veil when he participates in these spiritual activities (cf. vv. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 16). In the midst of this discussion, the apostle writes, “If it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, let her cover her head” (verse 6). The word “if” here may be translated “since.” In other words, “If it is shameful (and it is -- note the condition of fact) for a woman to have her hair cut or her head shaved, then, of course, she should have her head properly covered” (H. Harold Mare, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary).

The term, “disgraceful” here is aischron, from aischros, which means, “base, shameful, of that which is opposed to modesty or purity” (W. E. Vine, Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words). Arndt and Gingrich state that the term means, “ugly, shameful, base” (A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament). Notice that the same term is found at 1 Corinthians 14:35 regarding the shame of a woman who would dare to speak in the public meetings of the assembly, and it is found in Ephesians 5:12 of the disgrace of speaking of the perverse things done by sinners in secret. Therefore, according to Paul’s comments, it is disgraceful, shameful, and ugly for a Christian-Israelite woman to “have her hair cut off” (which some women do) or have “her head shaved” (which few would do).

The apostle says more about this later in the chapter. In order to enforce his main teaching in the section, Paul writes, “Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him, but if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her? For her hair is given to her for a covering” (1 Corinthians 11:13-15). In this passage, Paul says if a man has long hair, it is a “dishonor” to him. The term here is atimia, meaning, “dishonor, disgrace, shame” (Arndt and Gingrich), “shame, disgrace” (W. E. Vine), “dishonor, ignominy, disgrace” (J. H. Thayer, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament).

The Bible insists on a distinction between male and female, involving not only their distinct characters and roles but also their outward appearance. This visible distinction includes their different clothing, and this passage extends it to differences in hair. Men and women are NOT to have the same hair. The passage shows that “if a man have long hair” (verse 14), that is one thing. But “if a woman have long hair” (verse 15), that is an entirely different matter. Therefore hair does matter! A woman’s hair is given to her, not to a man, “for a covering” (verse 15).

That there is to be a distinction between male and female hair is confirmed by an assumption in another passage of YEHOVAH God’s Word. Revelation 9:7-8 states in its description of the locusts that “their faces were as the faces of men” but “they had hair as the hair of women”. Clearly, as far as Scripture is concerned, men’s and women’s hair are to be visibly different, just as their faces are.

It is not mere hair style that is to distinguish male and female hair. Scripturally, the focus is on the hair length. Language relating to length of hair is used in the passage over and over again: “as if she were shaven” (verse 5); “let her also be shorn;...for a woman to be shorn or shaven” (verse 6); “if a man have long hair” (verse 14); “if a woman have long hair” (verse 15).

In Revelation 9:7-8, the locusts’ hair had to be something that was immediately distinctive as women’s hair, and that could only be its length.

So Scripture requires more than a distinctively feminine hairstyle. It is not enough that a woman has her hair in a style that a man would not have. Biblically, it is the length of her hair that must chiefly distinguish her hair from a man’s.

Paul's words are clear to everyone who is willing to receive them: “Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering” (1 Corinthians 11:14-15). As far as hair is concerned, the distinction between “a man” and “a woman” is to be shown in the different lengths of their hair. If a man’s hair is long, that is “a shame” and therefore wrong. But if a woman’s hair is long, that is “a glory” and therefore right. So, the teaching of the passage is clear enough: men and boys should have short hair; women and girls should have long hair. As an article in the November 1927 Free Presbyterian Magazine rightly said: “This one passage should suffice for all who wish to please God” (p. 273).

Often those who make a stand on the issue of hair are accused of being Pharasaic and legalistic. But what is legalism? It is when man-made laws are imposed on the people of YEHOVAH God without the warrant of Scripture. That is one of the things the Pharisees did, for which the Savior condemned them: “Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition” (Mark 7:9). But long hair on women and short hair on men, this is the commandment of YEHOVAH God, not the tradition of men! It comes from the Word of YEHOVAH God.

Women With Long Hair Are Pleasing to YEHOVAH God

The Pharisees went about trying to establish their own righteousness, and not submitting to the righteousness of YEHOVAH God revealed in the Messiah. But contending for Biblical standards, whether it be the love of the brethren or distinctions in hair length, is not in and of itself legalism in that self-righteous sense. We are not saying that people can get right with YEHOVAH God through just growing and cutting their hair. Far from it! But we are saying that those of Israel who are right with YEHOVAH God -- through accepting the sacrifice of the Messiah and having the love of YEHOVAH God – will want to do the will of YEHOVAH God, including having their hair as He determines. That is not YEHOVAH's people Israel working for their salvation, but working out the salvation that they have already received by faith, in a life of devotion and obedience to the God who bought them (1 Corinthians 6:20).

“Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering” (verses 14 and 15).

The word "nature" (Greek phusis) in Scripture is always used to refer to creation ordinances. Paul constantly uses it to refer to the created order, what YEHOVAH God has ordained from creation onwards. So Paul is speaking of the universal innate judgment that short hair is naturally becoming for a man and long hair is naturally the glory of the woman. Therefore short hair on women and girls is unnatural. It is a clear violation of YEHOVAH’s law relating to maintaining the God-ordained difference between the sexes established at creation. It is rebellion against the creation work of YEHOVAH God, for “male and female created He them” (Genesis 1:27). Secular writers of Paul’s time such as Epictetus and Dio Chrysostom condemned long hair in men in exactly the same terms: as being “against nature”.

The argument in this passage clearly runs that shorthair is masculine and not feminine. Paul states that nature teaches this distinction. It is something that applies in all cultures in all places at all times. Nature here altogether excludes the idea of a mere local custom, specific to Corinth in the first century.

So this is the answer to those who evade the teaching in 1 Corinthians 11 by saying that it applied only to Corinth and the Greek culture of the day. This excuse for disobeying this part of YEHOVAH’s Word is trundled out so often that it becomes wearisome. The words of 1 Corinthians 11 could not make it clearer that the requirement of long hair for women and short hair for men is grounded on permanent “nature”, not temporary “culture”. Nature refers to the created order. Like the weekly Sabbath day of rest, it comes from the beginning of the world, and is to continue to its end. It is not something that can be changed.

Paul argued from nature when insisting that women should not teach or usurp authority over men in 1 Timothy 2:12-13. He traced one reason for that back to the created order: “For Adam was first formed, and then Eve”. Even nature teaches that women should not take positions of authority in the church. And the same nature teaches that women should have long hair and men short hair. It is amazing that so many of Israel who still (rightly) reject the idea of female office-bearers in the church (whether ministers, elders or deacons), nevertheless completely fail to reject short hair on women -- for at least one of the grounds on which both requirements are made is the same: the natural gender distinction as ordained by the Creator.

Paul uses the word "nature" in Romans 1:26 when explaining that both male and female homosexuality is against the creation ordinance of marriage between the man and the woman: “For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.” Homosexual behavior, the apostle says, is against nature (phusis); that is, it is against YEHOVAH God’s original order established at creation. That which subverts and perverts such creation ordinances is regarded as an “abomination” to the LORD (Leviticus 20:13, Deuteronomy 22:5). This is also therefore true of hair length! A woman with short hair, and a man with long hair, are against the natural, created order established by YEHOVAH God from the beginning. A woman’s long hair has been “given her” (verse 15) by YEHOVAH God the Creator.

When evangelicals single out homosexuality as particularly against Scripture and nature, but quietly ignore other things that are equally against Scripture and nature, they are being selective and not handling the Word of YEHOVAH God consistently. They do this when they ignore what Scripture says about differences in male and female hair.

What of the fact that some women’s hair physically will not grow long? Does that not contradict the idea that nature requires female hair to be long? Many who make this argument have no difficulty in growing their own hair long, if only they wanted to. And the fact that a minority of women (and it is a minority!) have difficulty growing their hair long, whether for health or age reasons, does not negate the Scriptural requirement that female hair should be long whenever possible. Some, through old age or infirmity, cannot physically attend church services. Does that mean that Scripture does not require everyone else to do so? Of course not. No one argues that.

We live in a fallen world, where sin has brought many difficulties and hardships. Men are to be bread-winners, providing for their families, but what of the man who is disabled and cannot work? Does his disability refute the general duty of all men? Of course not. But we think that such a man, if gracious, whilst submissive to YEHOVAH God, would nevertheless grieve and mourn over his inability as a general consequence of sin. We would expect the same from a gracious woman who truly cannot grow her hair, for all her endeavors and for all her prayers. She will grieve that on account of sin in the world she cannot do more, knowing that it is not her personal sin that her hair is not longer.

It should be noted on this subject that there is a physical distinction between male and female, in that baldness affects men much more than it does women, meaning that in the LORD’s kindness the problem is not as large as some want to make out.

Again it is said that some women’s hair is so tightly curled that it does not appear to be long. This is argued, not only in respect of individual women, but also across whole groups of women, for example those who come from sub-Saharan Africa. Does that not undermine the idea that it is nature’s requirement for women to have long hair? It is true that some women’s hair is tightly curled, but that does not stop it from growing long. The “Afro” hairstyle is evidence of that fact. Such hair, when long enough, can be gathered together in a ponytail, for example, and appear feminine and distinct from the men’s short curly hair, without the need for chemicals to straighten it. Godly Israelite women who understand nature and Scripture will want to do this, however degraded the culture they grew up in may have become as to obliterate for centuries the hair-length distinction between male and female.

It is as shameful for a woman to have her hair cut short (“shorn”) as to have her head shaved completely bald (“shaven”). “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” (verses 5 and 6). Likewise, it is shameful for a man to have long hair: “If a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him” (verse 14).


Earliest Pictures of the Messiah Show Him With Short Hair

When Paul speaks of long hair on a man as shameful according to nature he uses the same Greek word (atimia) that is used in Romans 1:26 to describe the vileness of homosexual practice: “God gave them up unto vile affections”. Sodomy is “vile”. It is dishonorable, disgraceful and shameful. In our day sodomy might well be “highly esteemed among men”, even to the point of being accorded “marriage” rights, but that does not stop it being “abominable in the sight of God” (Luke 16:15).

The same applies to a man having long hair! According to the Word of YEHOVAH God, it too is vile, dishonorable, disgraceful and shameful. It was not lost on the ancient Greeks that there was a link between the shameful obliteration of proper gender distinctions in sodomy and the same obliteration in men having long hair, for homosexuals were often depicted on Greek vases with long hair. The word atimia was commonly used by secular writers to denounce long hair on a man as effeminate and degrading.

It is a different Greek word (aischron) that Paul uses in verse 6 to describe the shame of a woman with short or shaven hair. This word condemns the practice as morally base and unacceptable, giving the woman a deformed appearance. Another word that Paul uses in Romans 1:27 to describe sodomy is similar in meaning. When men leave the natural use of the woman in favor of unnatural lust one toward another, then “men with men” are “working that which is unseemly.” This Greek word (aschemosynen) refers to deviation from an accepted standard and therefore something that is disgraceful. Short hair on a woman is deviant practice from the created norm of nature. It is something to be ashamed of.

If it is so shameful for a man to have long hair, it might be asked why the Nazarites were required to have long hair. “All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the LORD, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow” (Numbers 6:5). This was part of the ceremonial law, during the temporary period of the Mosaic economy which ended with the coming of the Messiah.

The whole point of the Nazarite vow was that it was a most extraordinary separation to YEHOVAH God, usually for a fixed period, during which many “natural” things were forbidden to him. Not only was he not to cut his hair -- an unnatural thing, but also he was not to consume anything that came from the vine. The vine was a central part of Israel’s agriculture. To refrain from all contact with it was most unnatural. Likewise, he was to have nothing to do with the burial of the dead, even for the closest relatives. That too is most unnatural. Because of his vow, he had nothing to be ashamed of. But this was not the rule for others. If anyone else refused to have anything to do with the burial of their loved ones, that would be shameful.

So the Nazarite’s not cutting his hair during the time of his vow, which for him was not shameful, does not undermine the naturalness of cutting his hair ordinarily. The elaborate ceremony for cutting his hair at the end of his vow, including throwing it under the sacrifice (see Numbers 6:18), emphasizes the altogether unusual state of the Nazarite’s hair.

“Every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven” (verse 5). In other words, to have a shaven head would dishonor her head, just as her appearing in public worship without a head covering would do. And the next verse equates a shorn head with a shaven head. Shortened hair is the same as a bald head, for such a woman would look like a man. That would bring dishonor upon her “head”, meaning not the head of her body, but her husband, the head of her family. Male headship is a theme running right through this passage in 1 Corinthians 11. Short hair on a wife, making her look like her husband, is not giving honor to the principle of the male headship of the home.

Paul says in verse 7 that “the woman is the glory of the man”. In other words, she is meant to bring honor to the man. She is to honor him as the head of the home and to acknowledge his God-ordained authority. The visible distinction of her long hair and his short hair signifies this honorable role distinction, but that symbol is obliterated in dishonor if she has short hair, making herself to appear the same as him, as if she were trying to assume his role in the family. This demonstrates how short hair in women undermines the creation order and ordinances in yet another way. It is no coincidence that in western society the introduction of short hair on women has coincided with women casting off their submissive role in marriage.

“If a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her” (verse 15). How opposite this is to those who say that outward appearance is irrelevant! The Word of YEHOVAH God says that a woman’s long hair is her “glory”. Although it is a mark of her God-ordained subjection to her husband, her long hair is a glorious thing.

For it is glorious to submit to YEHOVAH’s order, wherever that order puts someone. It is the glory of the Messiah the Mediator that he humbled himself according to YEHOVAH’s appointment. Christian-Israelite believers see untold glory in their Savior’s humiliation on their behalf. And there is glory to be seen when a Christian-Israelite child submits himself to his parents, a Christian-Israelite employee to his employer, a Christian-Israelite citizen to the state, a Christian-Israelite member of the Ecclesia to his office-bearers -- and when a Christian-Israelite wife submits herself to her husband. Her long hair speaks of that. Whether they all understand it or not, every Christian-Israelite woman and every Christian-Israelite girl with long hair has the symbol on her head of the created order established by YEHOVAH God of male headship and female subjection. That is how Eve was created.

The “woman in the city, which was a sinner” (Luke 7:37) had more than enough to be ashamed of, on account of the many sins of her past disreputable life. But when her contrition, thankfulness and love overflowed that day in the Pharisee’s house, she had nothing to be ashamed of. On the contrary, it was her glory to express her devotion to her Savior, through whom she was forgiven so much, in the way that she did.

What was it that she did? She “stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment” (Luke 7:38). It was her glory, not only to have enough tears of godly sorrow to wash her Savior’s feet, not only to have enough love to kiss those feet, not only to bestow her costly ointment upon them, but also to have hair that was long enough to be able to" wipe them with the hairs of her head”.

Mary of Bethany Wiping the Messiah's Feet With Her Long Hair

She was showing love to the Messiah in a way that no man could ever do. That is glorious. This glory belongs to every Christian-Israelite woman and girl who keeps her hair long. It has been said that this was “one of the most delightful moments in our blessed Lord’s experience on earth” (Free Presbyterian Magazine, November 1927, p. 273). The same article tellingly applied the lesson to professing women with short hair:

Later in the Savior’s life, very soon before he offered up himself for the sins of his Father's people Israel, he was to experience another woman showing her love to him, and understanding of his sufferings, in a similar way. This was Mary of Bethany. “Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment” (John 12:3). She too had hair long enough to wipe the Redeemer’s feet with it. And again he showed his appreciation of what she had done: “Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me” (Matthew 26:10).

It was Mary as a woman that the disciples had criticized. It was Mary as a woman, and as a Christian-Israelite woman performing a service of love to him that only a woman could, that the Messiah defended. That was her glory! Again the 1927 Magazine article (p. 274) applied the lesson to professing women with short hair:

“If a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering” (verse 15). YEHOVAH God the Creator has bestowed on women and girls the gift of long hair -- a gift that He has expressly NOT given to men and boys. The converted Israelite woman in Luke 7, who had been such a sinner, understood that, and showed her gratitude by putting her hair to such good use. As she used her hair to wipe the Savior’s feet, she had an attitude of mind that was saying with the psalmist, “What shall I render unto the LORD for all His benefits toward me?” (Psalm 116:12). One of those benefits was her long hair. That should be the approach of every gracious woman towards her hair. The psalmist answered his own question. “I will take the cup of salvation” (Psalm 116:13). Salvation includes all the LORD's gifts. Long hair should be looked on as a kind gift from YEHOVAH God, not an onerous and irksome burden. To the children of YEHOVAH God, “His commandments are not grievous” (1 John 5:3).

This attitude would silence the objection raised by some, that it is too much hard work to keep hair long. Of course more effort is involved in keeping long hair clean and tidy than short hair. But the people of YEHOVAH God do not, in the first instance, consult their own ease when it comes to the LORD’s requirements. Those who are seeking first the kingdom of YEHOVAH God and His righteousness are primarily concerned with the will of the Messiah, saying, “Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?” (Acts 9:6). The operations of YEHOVAH's grace will incline their hearts to the testimonies of the LORD, whatever the cost. For YEHOVAH's sake, they will do anything. Caring for their long hair, which is their glory and YEHOVAH's gift to them, will be but a small part of godly women’s sacrificial living for the Messiah, constrained by his sacrificial love to them. What a small thing to do, to please the Messiah, after the infinite sacrifice he has made for them!

Even in places of the world where water is hard to come by, YEHOVAH’s people will be careful to find a way. If women of the world can do it, for the sake of culture and nature, in some of the driest and poorest circumstances, like rural India, surely then Christian-Israelite women of grace can do it, for Scripture’s sake, however difficult their circumstances may be.

“If a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering” (verse 15). The passage speaks a lot about the woman’s head covering. When writing about head coverings in public worship, he had used the various Greek words related to kalumma (katakalupto, akatakaluptos, akatakalupto). But now that he is dealing with the woman’s hair as a covering, Paul introduces a different Greek word, the word peribolaion. This shows that he is dealing with two kinds of covering in the passage: head coverings to be put on during public worship; and the covering of hair.

The word peribolaion signifies literally “to throw all around” like a mantle or veil. It therefore refers to something copious that wraps about a person. This gives the indication that a woman’s long hair must be of some copious length. People will want to ask, sometimes implicitly disputing with the words of inspiration, the sufficiency of Scripture and the wisdom of YEHOVAH God, “How long is long then?”. But there is an evident difference between long and short. They are relative. Medium is another relative term in measuring length. These things are clear enough for those that categorize hairstyles according to length for women in glossy magazines, and surely they are clear enough for those who wish to follow the Word of YEHOVAH God.

This clearly answers those who argue weakly that the word for hair (komao) used in the passage only means hairstyle and has nothing to do with hair length. It is absurd that a mere hairstyle can be given for a covering of the sort that we have noticed. Since the verb komao only appears here in the New Testament they have to attempt to make inferences from suggested meanings drawn from outside the New Testament. In fact the word really means “to grow long tresses or locks”. If a man does that, it is wrong. But a woman must do that; she must cover her head with long hair. A Christian-Israelite woman, wanting to please YEHOVAH God and the Messiah, will not be satisfied with hair that could be mistaken as merely medium in length -- she will want there to be no doubt whatsoever that her hair is long -- after all, “her hair is given her for a covering”!

A woman’s long hair, then, speaks of her modesty as well as her subjection. Like a veil, it is a covering. Women are to “adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety” (1 Timothy 2:9). The covering of their long hair is part of their modest appearance.

Lastly, since Scripture is clear, the Ecclesia must be clear and uniform in its practice. “If any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God” (verse 16). Those who would depart from the clear teaching of the apostle and seek to undermine it are being contentious. They are dividing their fellow believers from the requirements of YEHOVAH God’s Word and from other believers. Paul gives “ordinances” (verse 2) by the authority of YEHOVAH God but they would rather have their own “custom”. They are seeking to replace the commandment of YEHOVAH God with man’s “custom” or cultural norm. They would try to say that the apostle is simply reflecting the cultural norms and attitudes of his day and that these do not apply now. They think that they are free to substitute one set of human norms for another. It is, however, a dangerous act of rebellion against YEHOVAH’s Word and against nature itself.

Although certain passing fads in our age may allow a boy or man to have long hair, both nature and Scripture calls this a dishonor or disgrace. Robertson and Plummer state, “Even if the internal feeling should not arise, does not even nature by itself show that, while doubtless man, being short-haired, is by Divine order unveiled, woman, being long-haired, is by Divine order veiled?” (ICC: First Corinthians).

On the other hand, Paul says that if a woman has long hair, “it is a glory to her” (1 Corinthians 11:15). C. K. Barrett points out, “Nature (i.e., God) has made men and women different from each other, and has provided a visible indication of the difference between them in the quantity of hair he has assigned to each; that is, in point of fact men have short, women have long hair, and though art can reverse this difference, the reversed distinction is, and is felt to be artificial” (The First Epistle to the Corinthians).

How is a woman’s long hair a glory to her? Barrett adds, “Obediently to be what God intended them to be is the highest glory that human beings can achieve. To wear her hair long, in a womanly fashion, is an outward sign that a woman is fulfilling her role in creation.” If YEHOVAH God says that long hair is a “glory” to a woman, who dares argue with Him? Paul says that there is a basic difference between the length of a man's hair and that of a woman’s hair. We honor YEHOVAH God as Creator, Father, and universal LORD by obediently submitting to Him.

Some may ask, “How long is long?” It may be interesting to note the length of women’s hair at the time of the Messiah, the very period in which Paul gives his instruction. Immediately before he died, the Messiah was invited to a meal where Martha was serving. The text says that Mary “anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair” (John 12:3; cf. 11:2). Her hair was long enough to wipe the Messiah's feet! The woman in Simon’s house did likewise: She “began to wet his feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head” (Luke 7:38, 44). Would most women of our day have long enough hair to use it as a towel? Rather than having her “hair cut off” (1 Corinthians 11:6), would it not be fitting and a glory for women to allow their hair to grow long?

Another Scriptural instruction may be added. Paul says that women should “adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments.” Instead, they should adorn themselves with “good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness” (1 Timothy 2:9-10). Peter adds this instruction to women: “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight” (1 Peter 3:3-4, NIV).

In both of these instructions, the apostles emphasize that Christian women should not wear braided hair, apparently a reference to the elaborate hairstyles and intricate coiffures in which women would place jewels and other expensive items to attract the attention, desire, or admiration of others. Even today women may wear hairstyles that are specifically designed to attract the attention of men or other women.

The apostles emphasize that true women of YEHOVAH God must not become involved in this ostentatious display. Rather, they should devote themselves and their time to good works. They should emphasize the inner person which YEHOVAH God finds of great value. True men of YEHOVAH God will also find this inner beauty of priceless worth (Proverbs 31:10, 31)!

What is all of this saying to us? What applications may we make? Scripture should lead Christian-Israelite women to wear long hair. Scripture would lead Christian-Israelite men to have short hair. Men should not look feminine and women should not look masculine! The unisex look is an abomination to YEHOVAH God. The Word of YEHOVAH God would instruct us to not have elaborate hairdos or hair arrangements that are meant to entice the opposite sex. Surely sisters in the LORD (or even brothers) should not succumb to worldly hairstyles. Plain, simple and natural hairstyles should be sought by the true believer.

The Christian-Israelite woman should avoid becoming a beautician or hairstylist, for surely nearly all of their procedures would involve Scriptural compromise and disobedience, and thus be displeasing to YEHOVAH God (cutting women’s hair short, providing worldly hair arrangements, dyeing hair, etc.). Many barbers would also be tempted to acquiesce to many of the faddish, foolish, and shameful hairstyles of today -- especially if a woman walks into the shop and demands a masculine-like hair cut!

We should keep several points in mind. If a woman accepts the Messiah, this sister may have short hair and it may take years before her hair grows long. She should not be condemned for what she did as a sinner. Further, a sinful Christian woman with short hair who repents should not be condemned but rather encouraged in her desire to become a modest woman of YEHOVAH God and allow her hair to grow long to please YEHOVAH God.

A further consideration is that some women have longer hair by nature. One woman in India had hair 13 feet and 10 inches long, and one girl in the United States grew hair 12 feet and 8 inches long! However, some women’s hair simply will not grow very long at all. This, in fact, may give them much grief. Again, these sisters should be commended in the LORD and should not be made to look inferior because of genetic limitations. If they are allowing their hair to grow long, this should be praised (Proverbs 31:31). (We might also add that a woman who has a physical disease or scalp condition that limits hair growth should not be condemned.)

Some women say that caring for long hair is somewhat time-consuming, and this does present a daily problem. (However, I just received a letter from a sister who stated that caring for long hair is quite easy for her.) Some women are required to spend a lot of time simply to keep it clean. There are individual differences between people and texture of hair. A sister who is burdened with this problem should seek ways to manage her hair (washing, combing, etc.) as efficiently as possible to save time (cf. Ephesians 5:15-16). Seek advice from other seasoned women of YEHOVAH God. YEHOVAH God will help the willing heart.

Another point should be mentioned. Fathers and mothers, YEHOVAH God has given you a great responsibility to bring up your children “in the discipline and instruction of the LORD” (Ephesians 6:4). You may say that the Biblical instruction is only to adolescent and adult women, but remember that your daughters will grow to become women. They should be taught that YEHOVAH wants women to have long hair, thus young girls should also be trained to have long hair. Just as you want your girls to be modestly clothed, you should not want your daughters to have short hair or be masculine in any way. Your sons also should be taught to not have long hair for they too will become men one day. Do not sin against your child during their young and impressionable years!

A final point of caution is that a woman may employ her long hair to achieve sinful purposes. Solomon warns his son, “Do not desire her beauty in your heart, nor let her catch you with her eyelids” (Proverbs 6:25). The Messiah warns of the danger of looking on a woman to lust for her and thus committing adultery in the heart (Matthew 5:27-28). Pope wrote, “Fair tresses man’s imperial race ensnare, and beauty draws us with a single hair.” Goethe added, “Beware of her fair locks, for when she winds them round a young man’s neck, she will not set him free again.” Hairstyles that are specifically designed for seductive purposes may arouse lust in the heart of the man. A woman who thus displays her hair is likewise guilty of sin as she seeks to arise lust in the hearts of men (Luke 17:1-2).

Let the true follower of the Messiah seek modesty (1 Timothy 2:9), humility (1 Peter 5:5), and separation from the world (Romans 12:2). As we pursue this type of lifestyle, we will avoid the focus of the world on ungodly hairstyles so popular in our day. In the words of Scripture, “Do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior” (1 Peter 1:14-15). Let us display the love, simplicity, reverence, purity, and obedience to which we are called by our Holy God. Let us display our Heavenly Father in thought, word, and deed -- and in our physical appearance!

Hope of Israel Ministries -- Correcting the Errors of Modern Christianity!

Hope of Israel Ministries
P.O. Box 853
Azusa, CA 91702, U.S.A.
www.hope-of-israel.org

Scan with your
Smartphone for
more information