1 Corinthians 11:5 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth— Because they who gave thanks, and praised the Lord with musical instruments, are said, 1 Chronicles 25:1-2 to prophesy with harps, &c.; and because the priests of Baal, who prayed and sang hymns to that idol in the contest with Elijah, are said, 1 Kings 18:29 to have prophesied till the time of the evening sacrifice, many, by the women's praying and prophesying, understand their joining in the public prayers and praises, as a part of the congregation. Yet, as it is reasonable to think that this praying and prophesying of the women, was of the same kind with the praying and prophesying of the men who acted as teachers, mentioned 1 Corinthians 11:4 we may suppose that the Corinthian women affected to perform these offices in the public assemblies, on pretence of their being inspired; and though the Apostle in this place has not condemned that practice, it does not follow that he allowed it, or that it was allowed in any church. His design here, was not to consider whether that practice was allowable, but to condemn the indecent manner in which it had been performed. For the women, when they felt, or thought they felt, themselves moved by the Holy Spirit in the public assemblies, throwing away their veils, prayed and prophesied with their heads uncovered, and perhaps with their hair dishevelled, in imitation of the heathen priestesses in their heathen raptures. See Virgil Eneid. lib. vi. l. 48. Non comptae mansere comae, &c. This indecency in the manner of their praying and prophesying the Apostle thought proper to correct before he prohibited the practice itself, because it gavehim an opportunity of inculcating due subjection to the men, which is their duty, though some of them are unwilling to acknowledge it. Women's praying and prophesying in the public assemblies, the Apostle afterwards condemned in the most express terms, chap. 1 Corinthians 14:34. See the note there. We have an example of the same method of teaching, 1 Corinthians 8 where, without considering whether it was lawful to join the heathens in their feasts on the sacrifice in the idol's temple, the Apostle shewed the Corinthians, that although they thought it was lawful because they knew an idol was nothing, yet the weak, who had not that knowledge, but who believed the idol to be a real, though subordinate god, might, by their example, be led to join in these feasts, and thereby be guilty of direct idolatry. This evil consequence the Apostle thought proper to point out before he determined the general question: because it afforded him an opportunity of inculcating the great Christian duty, of taking care never to lead our brethren into sin, even by our most innocent actions. See the note on Romans 16:1.