1 Corinthians 11:3

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.

King James Version · Read in your translation · Open the Explore console

Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
But	δὲ de	G1161	but · conjunction
have	Θέλω Thelō	G2309	to determine (as an active option from subjective impul… · verb — present active indicative, 1st person singular
you	ὑμᾶς hymâs	G5209	you (as the objective of a verb or preposition)
know	εἴδω eídō	G1492	used only in certain past tenses
that	ὅτι hoti	G3754	demonstrative · conjunction
head	κεφαλὴ kephalē	G2776	the head (as the part most readily taken hold of) · noun — nominative singular feminine
every	παντὸς pantos	G3956	all · adjective — genitive singular masculine
man	ἀνδρὸς andros	G435	a man (properly as an individual male) · noun — genitive singular masculine
is	ἐστί estí	G2076	he (she or it) is
Christ	Χριστός Christos	G5547	anointed · noun — nominative singular masculine, a title
and	δὲ de	G1161	but · conjunction
head	κεφαλὴ kephalē	G2776	the head (as the part most readily taken hold of) · noun — nominative singular feminine
woman	γυναικὸς gunaikos	G1135	a woman · noun — genitive singular feminine
man	ἀνήρ· anēr	G435	a man (properly as an individual male) · noun — nominative singular masculine
and	δὲ de	G1161	but · conjunction
head	κεφαλὴ kephalē	G2776	the head (as the part most readily taken hold of) · noun — nominative singular feminine
Christ	Χριστοῦ Christou	G5547	anointed · noun — genitive singular masculine, a title
God	θεός.¶ theos	G2316	figuratively · noun — nominative singular masculine, a title

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Genesis 3:16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire sha…
Colossians 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preemine…
1 Corinthians 3:23 And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.
Colossians 3:18 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.
Ephesians 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
Ephesians 5:22-24 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
Colossians 2:19 And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the…
1 Peter 3:5-6 For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husban…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Corinthians 11:1-16

Paul, having answered the cases put to him, proceeds in this chapter to the redress of grievances. The first verse of the chapter is put, by those who divided the epistle into chapters, as a preface to the rest of the epistle, but seems to have been a more proper close to the last, in which he had enforced the cautions he had given against the abuse of liberty, by his own example: Be ye followers of me, as I also am of Christ (Co1 11:1), fitly closes his argument; and the way of speaking in the next verse looks like a transition to another. But, whether it more properly belong to this or the last chapter, it is plain from it that Paul not only preached such doctrine as they ought to believe,…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Corinthians 11:3

The Corinthian women, on the ground of the abolition of distinction of sexes in Christ, claimed equality with the male sex, and, overstepping the bounds of propriety, came forward to pray and prophesy without the customary head-covering of females. The Gospel, doubtless, did raise women from the degradation in which they had been sunk, especially in the East. Yet, while on a level with males as to the offer of, and standing in grace (Gal 3:28), their subjection in point of order, modesty, and seemliness, is to be maintained. Paul reproves here their unseemliness as to dress: in Co1 14:34, as to the retiring modesty in public which becomes them. He grounds his reproof here on the subjection o…

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Adam Clarke on 1 Corinthians 11:3

The head of every man is Christ - The apostle is speaking particularly of Christianity and its ordinances: Christ is the Head or Author of this religion; and is the creator, preserver, and Lord of every man. The man also is the lord or head of the woman; and the Head or Lord of Christ, as Mediator between God and man, is God the Father. Here is the order - God sends his Son Jesus Christ to redeem man; Christ comes and lays down his life for the world; every man who receives Christianity confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father; and every believing woman will acknowledge, according to Gen 3:16, that God has placed her in a dependence on and subjection to the man. So…

The Church Fathers

For the man is the head of the woman in perfect order when Christ who is the Wisdom of God is the head of the man.
— Augustine of Hippo, AGAINST THE MANICHAEANS 2.12.16

Since man did not make woman, the question here does not concern the origin of woman. Rather it concerns only [the relation of] submission. The nature of God and Christ is the same. Similarly the nature of man and woman is the same.
— Severian of Gabala, PAULINE COMMENTARY FROM THE GREEK CHURCH

But the eyes of the wise man, of which it is said that they are enlightened by the commandments of God, are in his head, in Christ, because "the head of the man is Christ," says the Apostle. The capacity to think proceeds from Christ.
— Origen of Alexandria, DIALOGUE WITH HERACLIDES

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Father — A name applied (1) to any ancestor (Deut. 1:11; 1 Kings 15:11; Matt. 3:9; 23:30, etc.); and (2) as a title of respect to a chief, ruler, or elder, etc. (Judg. 17:10; 18:19; 1 Sam. 10:12; 2 Kings…
Woman — Was “taken out of man” (Gen. 2:23), and therefore the man has the preeminence. “The head of the woman is the man;” but yet honour is to be shown to the wife, “as unto the weaker vessel” (1 Cor. 11:3,…
Christ, The Head Of The Church · Has the pre-eminence in all things — Has the pre-eminence in all things
Family · GOVERNMENT OF — GOVERNMENT OF
Head · Illustrative: Of God — Illustrative: Of God
Husband · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Husbands · Have authority over their wives — Have authority over their wives
Man · Christ: Is the head of every — Christ: Is the head of every
Vail Or Veil · Was worn: As a token of subjection — Was worn: As a token of subjection
Wife · Relation of, to husband — Relation of, to husband
Woman · Originally made: Subordinate to man — Originally made: Subordinate to man

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

1 Corinthians 11:3

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Corinthians 11:1-16

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Corinthians 11:3

Adam Clarke on 1 Corinthians 11:3

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

1 Corinthians 11:3

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Corinthians 11:1-16

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Corinthians 11:3

Adam Clarke on 1 Corinthians 11:3

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on 1 Corinthians 11:3

John Calvin on 1 Corinthians 11:1-16

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 1 Corinthians 11:3-16