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.
And knoweth it not
65-0815 §68
That's why that woman will wear them shorts. She's counted a prostitute the same as the woman in the act, see. She doesn't know that that spirit... How does she know her ultimate? What is an ultimate? It's the last word. The ultimate is the Amen; it's the end of all strife---your ultimate. And if your church ... a Pentecostal church that tells you that long hair stuff is just fanaticism---"You've got a spare tire on the back of your head," and so forth and them kind of things---the man is possessed of the devil; fo...
A thinking man's filter
65-0822E §35
Now, this is going to be a little bitter maybe to somebody, but when she started through God's filter, and it says in there for them not to cut their hair, then what? She lodges on the other side. If it said it's a sin for a woman to do such and she's dishonorable to do such... If she wants to... He said ... "Well, she's got to have her hair cut." Said, "Then shave it off then." And said, "We know that that's a shame for a woman to have a head shorn"; said, "Then let her have her head covered." And her hair is her...
Questions and Answers, Part 4
64-0830E §69
QUESTION: Why is it that we make so much of a big issue of women's dress (oh, oh, I'm getting it on this one, ain't I?)--- big issue of women's dressing and cutting of hair, and do---nothing said about the hair of the man or the way he dresses? Well, Sister, I'm going to agree with you one thing. First place, the Bible said that a man should not have long hair. And if he had long hair, I'd tell him, just the same as I tell you. He's wrong. But most men, lot of them's like me, don't have any at all. But most men cut...
Questions and Answers, Part 3
64-0830M §116
But that's all right. If you ain't got no hair and you want one. If you can do it, that's perfectly all right. Yes, sir! If a woman, her hair isn't long enough, she wants a switch of hair in it, I'd say, put it on, sister. If a man takes bad colds and things, and wants some way---even to his appearance to his wife, if he wanted to wear a hair piece, do it. Yes indeedy. Nothing wrong with that (no, sir!) no more than you would be your teeth, or artificial arm, or anything else. If nature has some---taken something f...
You must be born again
61-1231M §75
Now listen. I'm going to have to cut just a little bit here, you know, get the briars out of the way. Women and men that won't follow God's Word and His teaching after they claim to be born again, there's something wrong. I'm going to speak with the women just a minute. If a woman that knows that God's Word condemns bobbed hair, and wearing shorts, wearing slacks, dressing immorally, and haven't got the decency enough to let your hair grow out and put on clothes that look like a Christian, you're deceived. I don't...