human head hair

The Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew that is translated as “hair” in English is translated in Tzeltal as stsotsil sjol (Tzeltal de Oxchuc y Tenejapa) / stsotsel sjol (Tzeltal Bachajón): “blanket for the head.” (Source: Slocum / Watkins 1988, p. 35)

See also hair (body hair) and hairy (like Esau).

complete verse (1 Corinthians 11:6)

Following are a number of back-translations of 1 Corinthians 11:6:

  • Uma: “So, if there is a woman who doesn’t want to wear-a-veil in the service, it would be better if she just had her hair cut. But if she is ashamed to have-her-hair-cut or be-shaved, she must wear-a-veil.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “If a woman does not want to wear-a-cover in the prayer-house, na, it would be better if she yet cut her hair. But because it is shameful if a woman is shaved or has cut hair, na, she should wear-a-cover.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Because if there isn’t a covering for her head, it’s better if she just shaves all of her hair off. And it would be very shameful for a woman if she has her hair cut or if she has her head shaved, because she would look like a man. And if she’s ashamed to have her head shaved, there must be a covering for her head.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Therefore if a woman refuses to wear-a-headcloth, it would be better if she got-a-haircut like a man’s hair. But since it would be shameful/embarrassing to get-a-haircut or to get-herself-made-bald, she should wear-a-headcloth.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Yes indeed, if a woman doesn’t want to veil her face, let her just have her hair cut very short. Well, since it is shameful for women to have their hair cut very short or their head shaved, it’s essential that they have their face veiled when you gather together.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Concerning the woman who does not want to cover her head, it would be better that she cut off her hair. But if the woman says that it is shameful to cut off her hair, then it would be better to cover her head.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on 1 Corinthians 11:6

Paul reinforces the argument of verse 5 by two contrasting conditions, introduced respectively in Greek by For if and but if. Good News Bible translates these by two separate sentences. However, they are not very close in either meaning or language. In verse 6a a woman means “any woman.” Good News Bible‘s translation “her head” and “her hair” are implied throughout the verse, though, as we noted in 1 Cor. 11.4, the garment that Revised Standard Version calls a veil probably covered the shoulders as well as the hair.

She should cut off her hair: this seems to imply that the woman herself cuts her hair. In verse 5 the implication is that someone else did the cutting.

The word translated disgraceful is related to the verb translated dishonors in verses 4-5. It has a similar meaning. Paul is probably referring to both unmarried and married women. Is disgraceful for a woman can be rendered as “brings shame to a woman,” or more idiomatically as “makes a woman sell (or, lose) her face.”

To be shorn, literally “cut-her-hair” in Greek, probably referred to a regular trimming of her hair.

Quoted with permission from Ellingworth, Paul and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, 2nd edition. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1985/1994. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .