While long hair is a disgrace for a man (1 Corinthians 11:14), it is the glory of the woman. This is the positive counterpart of Paul’s earlier statement that “it is disgraceful for a wife [or woman
] to cut off her hair or shave her head” (1 Corinthians 11:6).
Paul does not specify how long a woman’s hair should be, or how she should wear it. Again, what is of importance is that the creational order will be honoured. A woman’s dress and hairstyle should reflect the special glory that only she, as a woman, possesses.
Commentators differ as to the meaning of the phrase for a covering.
Since the Greek preposition “anti” can also mean in the place of,
some have understood Paul to mean that a woman’s long hair can serve as a substitute for a head covering.
Others have inferred that a woman should wear a head covering in addition to her long hair. Long hair, then, is especially suited for a head covering. This understanding seems to fit the context better (see especially 1 Corinthians 11:5–6).
15 but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering.