Paul wants to instruct the Corinthians concerning the wearing of head coverings in the worship service, specifically during the acts of praying and prophesying. To prophesy means to speak under the direct inspiration of the Spirit (Acts 3:18; Acts 11:27–28). Prayer is man speaking directly to God, and prophesy is God speaking directly to man.
In the Roman temples, it was customary for the (male) leaders of sacrificial ceremonies to cover their heads. This was not expected from the rest of the worshippers. In Greek temples, neither men nor women covered their heads.
Paul’s instruction stands in striking contrast with Greek and Roman customs. He differentiates between men and women in the worship service. Men, specifically, are not to cover their heads in the worship service. Covering the head is a sign of subordination to authority (1 Corinthians 11:10). If a man covers his head in the worship service, he is showing subordination to someone other than Christ, under whose direct authority he stands.
When Paul speaks of a head
that is being dishonoured, he may be referring to Christ as the head of the man (1 Corinthians 11:3) or to the man’s literal head. If the second meaning is followed, the implication is that a head covering dishonours the man who wears it, since by wearing it he takes on the role of a woman.
Paul has spoken only very briefly about men and head coverings. This suggests that the problem in the Corinthian church lies not with men who want to wear head coverings, but with women who do not want to wear them. This is the problem to which Paul will now turn.
4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head,