Paula

Paul tells Christian men not only that they must not cover their heads, but also why. The head covering was a symbol of guilt and shame before God, so for a Christian to cover in God’s presence was insulting to the sacrifice Jesus made. But upon hearing this, a Christian woman, especially one married to an unbeliever, was immediately between a rock and a hard place. If she covered she would shame God, and if she didn’t, she would shame her husband! No doubt the Corinthians needed to know the answer, because a woman’s life could be at stake.

So Paul’s solution is brilliant: Let her decide! He knew very well that a woman would face strong social disapproval at the very least, and possible death, if she followed this new rule about head coverings in church gatherings. This was not for the church, or Paul, or any husband to dictate to his wife, but for her alone.

As for vs. 8-10a:

7 A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. 8 For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; 9 neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. 10 It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own [b] head,

The man is the glory of God. Does God hide him? Push him down? What does it mean to be the glory of God, if not his “crowning achievement”, the pinnacle of the tower, something to be proud of and to be ELEVATED for all to see?

Therefore, when it says the woman is the glory of man, this in no way indicates that the woman is to be kept out of sight, under foot, silenced. She is his glory, not his shame! So he should treat her as one he is proud of, he should ELEVATE her and honor her.

Paul speaks of her coming from man and being made for him. Did not Jesus come down to our level and die FOR US? Does that make him inferior to us? Hardly! Being “for” someone else is not a statement of inferiority but an indication of the recipients NEED or deficiency. And that Eve came from Adam makes her his complete equal in every way, since they share the same flesh. In stating this, Adam was surely noticing the difference between her and all the animals; they were not of his “flesh” but she was.