1 Corinthians 11:5

But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth This refers, of course, to the public assemblies of the Church, where the woman appears, not in her individual character, but as the member of a community. She must therefore perform her devotions in this latter character, and her attire must bear witness to the fact that she is subordinate to those of the other sex in whose presence she worships. Alone, of course, or in the presence of her own sex only, she has the same privilege of approaching God unveiled, that man has. Some difficulty has been raised about the words - or prophesieth." It has been thought that the woman was here permittedto prophesy, i.e. in smallerassemblies, and that the prohibitions in ch. 1 Corinthians 14:34, and 1 Timothy 2:12, referred to the more generalgatherings of the Church. The subject is one of some difficulty (see Acts 2:18; Acts 21:9), but it is perhaps best, with De Wette and Calvin (who says, "Apostolum hic unum improbando alteram non probare") to suppose that the Apostle blames only the prayingin public with uncovered head, and reserves his blame of the prophesying for ch. 1 Corinthians 14:34. As for the prophetic gifts of the daughters of Philip the evangelist, Acts 21:9, they were probably reserved for assemblies of their own sex.

with her head uncovered i.e. without the peplumor shawl, which (see Art. in Smith's Dictionary of Antiquities, and Dean Stanley's note), used ordinarily as a covering for the body, was on public occasions thrown over the head also. In Oriental countries, however, the women wore, and still wear, a veil.

dishonoureth her head "As the man honours his head by proclaiming his liberty, so the woman by acknowledging her subjection." Calvin. Cf. Numbers 5:18.

for that is even all one as if she were shaven i.e. she might just as well be shaven, as appear in the public assemblies with her face entirely uncovered.