What Determines If a Woman's Head Is Covered? Is It the Scalp Visibility or the Uncut Hair? Does It Matter If the Hair Is Matted in Cornrows or Plait?
1) Direct answer
A woman’s head is covered when her hair is uncut and allowed to grow. It is not about hiding the scalp with fabric, and it’s not undone by how the hair is arranged. Cornrows, plaits, or other styles do not remove the covering so long as the hair remains uncut and the styling is modest.
2) Scriptural explanation
- 1 Corinthians 11:15: “Her hair is given her for a covering.” The God‑given covering is hair itself.
- 1 Corinthians 11:5–6: Uncoveredness is linked with being shorn or shaven. That shows cutting the hair brings the shame of uncoveredness.
- 1 Timothy 2:9 and 1 Peter 3:3 warn against showy “broided/plaited” hair as outward adornment. The issue is vanity and display, not the mere act of arranging hair.
3) Simple clarifying logic
- Covered = hair God gave, uncut and growing (that is “long”—not measured by inches but by not cutting what God gives).
- Uncovered = shorn/shaven/cut, even if a hat or scarf hides the scalp.
- Styling (cornrows, plaits, buns, etc.) does not cancel the covering, but Scripture cautions against ornate, attention‑seeking braiding. Keep it modest and feminine.
4) Reinforcing statement
Keep what God gave—don’t cut it—and wear it with modesty. That is the Bible’s covering for a woman. Final biblical conclusion: A woman is covered by her uncut, growing hair (1 Corinthians 11:15). Scalp visibility and hats are irrelevant. Plaiting or cornrows do not remove the covering, but must be modest and not for display (1 Timothy 2:9; 1 Peter 3:3).
Existing Follow-Up Answers
- So What If a Woman by Accident, Age or Health Condition Has Short or No Hair, How Should She Be Covered If Hats and Scarfs Are Not a Covering?
1) Direct answer If a woman loses hair by accident, age, or sickness, she is not made “uncovered” in guilt before God. The Bible’s covering is he
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What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
An Exposition Of The Seven Church Ages
CAB 9:E-70
Now I know you ladies don't like this kind of preaching, but sister, you are dead wrong in what you are doing. The Bible forbids you to cut your hair. God gave it for a covering. He gave a command for you to wear it long. It is your glory. When you cut your hair you signified that you left the headship of your husband. Like Eve you walked out and went on your own. You got the vote. You took men's jobs. You left off being females. You ought to repent and come back to God. And if all this wasn't bad enough, a whole l...
Influence
63-1114 §24
But since then, there has been so many little things creep into the church, because the church has to rub shoulders with the world each day. Now, and I don't mean to come back to this again, to our sisters, see, or our brothers. Many times, it used to be years ago, that it was wrong (for as I said the other night) for our sisters to cut their hair. It used to be a Pentecostal affair, that they shouldn't do that and those things. But what is it? Now we go into the different parts of the country, and we find our Pent...
A True Sign that's overlooked
61-1112 §108
I wish Billy was sitting here. I just got a letter from down there somewhere the other day where a woman said, "I belong to a certain great (the biggest organization of the Pentecostals, big trinitarian organization)..." And said, "All of our women, Brother Branham, all cut their hair. I had long black hair." She said, "I always loved it, because I believe it was of the Lord." Said, "I never did wear make-up. Our church teaches that that's old-fashioned." Said, "They tell me when I had my hair rolled up in a bun on...
Seals 7: The Fifth Seal
63-0322 §141
I like a pretty horse, and he just stands in its statue of a real pretty horse, or anything like that. A pretty mountain, pretty women, pretty men---anything that stands in the making of God, I always admired it. And these were perfect. But no matter how much they would hug me up into their arms---and they were women, you understand---but there could never be no sin. The male glands and the female glands both were gone. Thank the Lord. They were my sisters completely. I looked and I begin to... I looked at my hands...
Questions and Answers, Part 2
64-0823E §83
QUESTION: Brother Branham, is it wrong to have a flattop haircut? I suppose this is a man; I hope it is. Well now, some women do that. Sure. I was going up on the bus one time when I was state game warden here. Going up here ... I was setting there, and a man was talking like that, had a welder's cap on, and I was just talking to him. And he was going ahead smoking a cigarette, had a welder's glasses pushed up like that. Was right up here around Sellersburg. And I was setting there talking to that fellow. He said s...