How is the Man the Head of the Woman?

1 Corinthians 11:3

I received a typical, but understandable, response to my podcast entitled "No Gender-Based Hierarchy in Marriage, Because....

A viewer posted a Bible verse (with no additional commentary) in the comment section. They posted 1 Corinthians 11:3, and nothing else: "But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of the woman is the man, and the head of the Christ is God."

My response to the comment: Thank you for taking the time to watch my podcast and comment on it. 1 Corinthians 11:3, is one of the most mis-understood and mis-used verses in the Bible.

It is not about gender-based submission and authority. Nor is it about authority within the Godhead. It is about chronology. It is a prepositional phrase, denoting source, time, movement, and direction. The word "head," in this verse, refers to the chronological and directional source of all humanity, from whom sprang the most important, human of all, the Messiah.

1 Corinthians 11:3 It is not a treatise on the order preeminence among humans—although the reader will find no disagreement, here, that our Creator, Christ, is indeed above all.

Note that the verse begins with Christ, who is (according to Genisis 1:1 and Colossians 1:16-17) Creator of ALL things. Christ created the first human (the first biological male), who was followed by the creation of the second human (the first biological female).

The word "man," as used the first time in 1 Corinthians 11:3, is used in the sense of the archaic and androcentric (male-centered) word for human. Virtually every language, including modern English and ancient New Testament Greek, is androcentric. They literally have no word for humanity that includes women.

Even the word human is not neutral. It is formed using the word man. Via language and semantics, women are collectively absorbed into the existence of the men, rendering them semantically invisible. That has, in part, happened through the mistranslation of 1 Corinthians 11:3. which should have read that, Christ is the head of every human.

Virtually all modern languages still refer to all humanity as, “man, men, he, him, and his.” We should know better by now, but it is helpful to keep this in mind while reading our Bibles, where the usage of incorrect biological pronouns renders women (unless specifically mentioned by name) virtually invisible. E.G., Jesus said, “And if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto me.” Where do we see women in the translation of this verse? The word “men” in this verse, is an entirely unnecessary translator supplement, as it is non-existent in the Greek text, and without it, the verse is perfectly understandable. Yet spurious translations and insertions of the word man and other male-gendered words, as we see used in this verse, occurs thousands of times in most of our English Bibles.

1 Corinthians 11:3 speaks to Christ as being the head of every human, because, through the creation of the first couple, he is the source of ALL humanity's existence—In HIM we live and move and “be.” The first human was created as a biological male from whom God formed the first biological female. Therefore, Christ is the source of all humanity (every human).

I am willing yet [for] you be aware that the head of every human is Christ and the head woman the man and the head, also Christ, is God

Creator Christ formed the first human from the dust of the earth, and then formed the second human, the woman, using the side (not the rib) of the first human, the man. This does not negate the fact that Christ remains the creator (source) of EVERY HUMAN via the first man and the first woman.

1 Corinthians 11:3 does not speak to a gender-based authority and submission structure between every man and every woman. It only mentions all humanity in relation to our creation. The verse is about the chronological, prepositional flow, in the creation of humanity via the first pair, from whom EVERY other HUMAN descends.

“The source of EVERY HUMAN is Christ…,”and from the DNA of the first man, Creator Christ formed the first woman...and from the DNA of the first woman, came the most important human of all, the Messiah...who is Almighty God in the flesh; born of a woman.

Messiah (according to John 1:1 and numerous other witnesses) is the Living God.

The beginning of EVERY HUMAN is Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:3 simply presents the creative and chronological flow of how God's human creation and the Messiah (in whom dwelled ALL the fullness of the Godhead in PHYSICAL FORM) made their appearance in the world.

The head/beginning of Messiah is God? Think about it. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word WAS GOD. This verse refers to the creation of humans and the incarnation of the Messiah, when GOD (the Almighty) became flesh and dwelt among us. It does not refer to authority and submission within either the Godhead or God’s human creation.

1 Corinthians 11:3, chronicles the order of appearance of ALL humanity, including the most important human of all, the Messiah. The verse begins with Christ who is God and ends with Christ who is God.

I am willing yet [for] you be aware that the head of every human is Christ and the head woman the man and the head, also Christ, is God

Jesus is Jehovah.

I invite you to read my book on the subject of God and women and join the conversation. I welcome your insights and comments.

Jocelyn Andersen is a Bible teacher, blogger, and the author of several Christian books, including, Woman Submit! Christians & Domestic Violence and Woman this is WAR! Gender, Slavery, and the Evangelical Caste System. She is a regular contributor to Adorning His Bride Magazine and a member of AWSA (Advanced Writers & Speakers Association). Her work has been featured in magazines, newspapers, radio, and television. She can be contacted through her website www.JocelynAndersen.com.