If a Woman Willfully Cuts or Shaves Off Her Hair but Wears a Scarf or Hat to Pray, Is She Covered?
1) Direct answer
No. If a woman willfully cuts or shaves her hair and then puts on a scarf or hat to pray, she is still uncovered before God. The only covering Scripture names is her hair. She must repent, stop cutting, and let it grow. A scarf may be worn for modesty, but it does not fulfill 1 Corinthians 11.
2) Scriptural explanation
- “Every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head… for if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn… but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered” (1 Corinthians 11:5–6). Uncovered is tied to being shorn/shaven.
- “Her hair is given her for a covering” (1 Corinthians 11:15). The Bible names the covering: hair.
- God receives the repentant: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive” (1 John 1:9).
3) Simple clarifying logic
- Willful cutting/shaving = shorn/shaven = uncovered, regardless of any hat.
- The remedy Paul gives is not a hat, but to be “covered”—and he defines that covering as hair. So obedience is to cease cutting and let the hair grow back.
- While it grows, she can pray and walk modestly, but she must not claim a scarf as the Scriptural covering. God forgives the repentant heart immediately; the visible sign returns as the hair grows.
4) Reinforcing statement
Now notice, God is not measuring hats—He honors obedience. Let the hair grow, don’t cut it again, and the God-given covering will return.
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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.
Questions and Answers (God being misunderstood)
61-0723E §28
Here some time ago a man met me out here, aside. And I had a pianist here that had a little, short, little skirt, and wasn't just exactly, I guess, just right. And the lady had short hair. And she was just a babe in this way. And she was playing the piano. And a man met me out there and just tearing me to pieces. He said, "And you're a Pentecostal preacher, and let that woman sit up there! That short hair!" And just going on like everything. "Well," I said, "I think the woman has a good spirit in her. I certainly d...
Questions and Answers, Part 2
64-0823E §39
QUESTION: Also, Brother Branham, I believe a woman should be subject to her husband. But if a Christian woman has a sinner husband who does not even to one of your services---come to one of your services and won't---and wants his wife to be doing things, cutting her hair, wearing shorts, and going to ungodly places, is this woman supposed to be subject to this man in this way? Please explain this more clearly, as this is a question that is asked often. No, Sister, you are not subject to such a person. No indeedy. F...
Questions and Answers, Part 3
64-0830M §102
And of course, I know women wants to look pretty; that's nature, and that's what they should be, see. They should be that way. And so, that's fine, but just don't---don't, otherwise like this, don't look like the world (see?); don't pattern after the world. Things wrong... You want it cut off, like that, but don't cut your hair now. If you got the braids hanging down, or whatever it is in your hair, you leave it long. Don't cut it like it's going to look like the world. If you're just them little girls ...
Souls that are in prison now
63-1110M §92
Somebody's got to do it! The river's got to be crossed. The skin's got to be shucked off. I don't want to do it; God knows I don't want to do it! Many of them women feed my children, and they'd lay their life down for me almost. You think in the grace of God shed abroad by the Holy Ghost, you think I could stand still and see that poor person go plunge out yonder into eternity without hope if I don't scream out against it? Not to be a smart-aleck, but the spirit of this nation, the spirit of the church---not the Sp...
The mark of the beast
56-0715 §30
Like Eve was in the garden of Eden. Adam turned his back on God and went with Eve. And America and the rest of the world has turned their back on God and went with the women. That's scorching. But that's true. Look around. Why, you men! What's the matter with you? Any man that'll let his wife wear clothes like that and smoke cigarettes, that shows what you're made out of. Men, do you know you're the sons of God? You don't know God is; and you don't fear God, you fear your wife. That's right. Broken cisterns. Hollyw...