Must women wear a covering when praying in church? What exactly does 1 Corinthians 11
5 mean that a woman's head must be covered while the men should not be covered?
Some have interpreted 1 Corinthians 11:5 to mean that women should wear a hat (or similar covering) when praying. However, the following verse, by using the words "shaven" and "shorn" indicates that this covering is a woman's own hair. As we continue reading through verse 16, we see that it is God's expectation that men have short hair and women have long hair. Verse 15 also explains that long hair is this covering and a glory for women. For men, not being covered means having short hair.