Nature Itself...

I have often wondered this myself...

Take the Lion.. the Male has the longer hair, which would seem to contradict what Paul is saying...

 

Even in nature the male and female look different. You can tell a female lion from a male lion because of his long mane.
A male cardinal is bright red, the female is dull.

Hair really isn't the issue. Looking and behaving like the sex that God created you is the real issue.

 

But what lessons in nature teach that the human male must have short hair...
Why not the woman have short hair, and male long hair...
I know.. that is just not natural... but why not?

Does women's hair grow faster?
Or could he be even referring to baldness here? Since in nature, the human male is more susceptable to baldness than the female is...

I agree we need to tell each other apart... but why did males start shaving and cutting their hair, and the women didn't?

 

Paul was using what was acceptable in society (hair lengths) at that time to make his point.

In our society it's acceptable for women to have short and men to have long hair, but we still know which one is male and which is female. Now when men dress like women and wear makeup and such, then that is not acceptable because they are trying to look like a woman.

 

Context is key here and your answer fits the context. It is also the answer of most of the commentators I have read.

 

The women didn't shave???? :laugh:

 

I have heard this verse explained by one preacher as a man's hair has a natural "hairline" beyond which it does not look right. Im not sure if this is true or not.....just by my own observations Ive never seen long hair on a man that didn't look thin, scraggly, and unkempt (I mean beyond shoulder length). So by my observations Id say there's some truth to what that preacher said.....there is a "natural" growth limit to man's hair.......

At least, from the example I mentioned, it was not referring to the animal kingdom as an example for us. Typically we're not supposed to look around at the animals in order to figure out how to act anyway.....:saint:

 

This is how I've heard that verse explained also.

 

Don't know about that. I've seen some guys with beautiful long hair. I think Absolam would have fit that category. I've also seen plenty of women with long, scraggly, thin , and unkempt hair

 

pits and legs are something else!

 

I was taught that in the Greek, the verse reads, "Does not THE nature..." not nature as in the natural world, but the nature of men having long hair is going against what society says is correct.

Maybe someone who reads Greek could tell us if this is true...

 

Indeed it does have the definite article and perhaps the NIV has caught the nuance...

NIV 1 Corinthians 11:14 Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him.

I believe it has something to do with the fact that men go to war and short hair makes them less vulnerable in hand-to-hand combat.

Also, "short hair" is a subjective thing involvimg one'e culture, etc.

And then there is the Nazirite vow (Samson).

HankD​