Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians chapter 11, states quite clearly, that “if a woman have long hair it is a glory to her,” and “if a man have long hair it is a shame unto him,” and if what he says does not mean simply that it is wrong for women to wear the hair short, and men to wear their hair long, then language is meaningless.
If it is a matter of indifference why is it ever mentioned in the Word of God? Surely it is laid down by our Creator for a specific purpose: namely to show the distinction between male and female. In 1 Corinthians chapter 11 verses 3, 4 and 10, this distinction is particularly noted by Paul in the act of worship before God, and the long hair of the woman to be a sign of subjection to the man. More and more in modern times, Scriptural distinctions in the appearance of men and women are becoming blurred and indeed obliterated. Sinful men and women do their utmost to break down all lawful and reasonable distinctions made by God and righteous men, even to the extent of women becoming “ministers of the gospel.”
With regard to cutting a woman’s hair short, some maintain this to be in order, providing the head is not shorn. They say, “shorn or shaven” means simply to shave the head. If so why are both words used and not simply “shorn?” The answer must be because there is a degree of difference. This, Jameson, Faussett and Brown point out in their commentary on 1 Corinthians chapter 11, “A woman would not like to be ‘shorn’ and what is worse ‘shaven!'” C. Hodge says in his commentary on the same portion, “‘shorn or shaven’ the latter is the stronger term, it properly means to cut with a razor.”
The description understood from the original language, suggests as it is wrong for a woman to shave her head, so it is wrong to cut her hair short. “To cut off the hair,” “to clip short,” “shear,” “shave.”
However, were there nothing more in scripture that the words “if a woman have long hair it is a glory to her,” this is sufficient to understand that the contrary fashion is to cut the hair short, and “if a man have long hair it is shame unto him,” showing that the fashion becoming to the man is “shorn hair.”
Were it not the habit of some women in the church at Corinth to appear in public with shorn hair, there would be no need for Paul to give extensive advice as to why it was proper that women wear their hair long, and now the fact that he has served to highlight the fashion of how we are to wear our hair as something commended by nature and the God of Eternity. The question of women’s and men’s hair, and how they are to wear it may seem a trifling matter. This cannot be, since these matters are dealt with in the Scriptures which are given by the Holy Ghost and therefore are the Word of God.
To come short of the Word of God is to conform to the world. One of the elements in pure religion is to keep ourselves “unspotted from the world.” We read in 1 John 2 verse 15, “if any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him.” Such a truth should make us afraid of the least conformity with the world, “hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.” (Jude 22).
D. A. R.