Short Answer
In this context, “angels” likely means messengers, not heavenly beings. It refers to people observing and reporting on church practices.
The Overview
The phrase “because of the angels” in 1 Corinthians 11:10 can be confusing, especially if we assume it refers to supernatural beings. However, the underlying Greek word (angelos) simply means “messenger.” In many places, it is transliterated as “angel,” but it can also refer to human messengers.
In the context of Corinth, Paul is addressing issues related to order, gender distinctions, and cultural practices within the church. Corinth was a progressive and influential city, and some believers were pushing boundaries regarding roles and appearances. Paul is correcting this by emphasizing appropriate conduct.
The idea of “messengers” fits naturally here. Paul often relied on people to carry letters and reports between churches. These messengers would observe what was happening in different congregations and communicate it back. Therefore, maintaining proper conduct—including visible symbols of authority—was important for the church’s testimony and consistency across regions.
This interpretation also aligns with how the same word is used elsewhere in Scripture, where it can refer to human representatives, such as those delivering messages or leading churches. Translating the word as “messengers” instead of “angels” helps clarify the meaning and removes unnecessary confusion.
Key Takeaways
- “Angels” Can Mean Messengers
The Greek word allows both meanings. - Context Supports Human Messengers
Likely referring to people observing churches. - Corinth Had Cultural Tensions
Paul addresses order and roles in worship. - Public Witness Matters
Behavior affected how churches were perceived. - Translation Affects Understanding
“Messengers” clarifies the meaning better. - Study Context Carefully
Words must be understood in their setting.
Bible Verse Mentioned
- 1 Corinthians 11:10
- Revelation 2–3
Transcript
First Corinthians 1110. What does this mean? Oh, that’s a good question. I know this passage. First Corinthians chapter 11, verse ten. Yeah, we ought to have a symbol of Florida because of the angels. I love that we’re bringing this up because we just talked about a concordance. Yeah. Angels. Angels is a word that is a Greek word.
It’s we’re not translating it. The word angels. There’s a few places where the word angels maybe should be translated. Well, it should. I don’t know. It’s like the word baptism. I always say this to my church when we have baptism. It’s good. If we were to translate it because we would always wonder. Wonder if we’re talking about are we talking about being dunked into water or being dumped into Christ?
Are we being placed into water or being placed into Christ? We’d want to know the context. If I said, does baptism save you? Do you want to know? What do you mean? Being placed into Christ, right? Judicially. Legally. Right by the spirit being placed into a relationship with Christ. That does save me being placed into water? No, that doesn’t save me.
Right. Anglos in Greek. Right? That’s a Greek word. We just transliterate that into English like we do the word baptism. We just turn it into a English word, baptize. Right? And glosses the same way. We just turn it into an English word, which I wish we translated because if we did, we would translate it into the word messenger, because that’s what the word Anglos means.
But instead we just turn it into an English word angle. Anglos or angels is what we did. Well, here’s one place. And in the book of revelation where it may be helpful if we did translate it, because then it would read this way the wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head because of the messengers.
Okay. Paul is talking here about the practice in Corinth. Paul has got messengers going back and forth with these letters. Verse 16 says, if anyone is inclined to be contentious about this matter, we have no such practice, nor do the churches of God. Paul can’t get a letter to the Corinthians without messengers. Messengers are bringing these letters to them.
I’ve said this just recently. I was preaching Second Corinthians to my congregation in this last week, and I reminded them that Corinth is the Orange County, the ancient world, right? Is that the crossroads on an isthmus? It’s just it’s a lot of money there, and it’s progressive. And so, you know, feminine feminization of this area in terms of, you know, feminist movement and the empowerment of women and all the rest of cutting edge stuff.
And it showed here in first Corinthians chapter 11, when you had a lot of feminists saying, we want to take the pulpit and we don’t care about, you know, gender roles, and we’re going to do all this stuff. Well, they wanted to to press the limits of, of gender distinctions. And they were wanting to cast off women being feminine and men being masculine.
And there was blurring of the lines here that Paul’s trying to correct. Well, even this picture of why women should be covering their head and having, you know, even it depends on how you read this text. The covering of their hair as their glory is in verse 15, a woman has long hair. It is their glory. It’s given to her as a covering.
You know, the women cutting their hair off and trying to, you know, where man’s hair styles all the rest. He says, no, it shouldn’t happen. At least it says, for the sake of the angels. Well, what angels? When we hear the word angels, we think these, this other class of beings that you know, are angel, like Gabriel and Michael and Satan.
No, that’s not what we’re talking about. Probably talking here about the messengers that are bringing these letters back and forth for Paul. And they are not living in Orange County, right? They’re they’re from Cincinnati, so to speak. Right. They’re coming from other places. And as he brings up in verse 16, they have the traditions or the practices. And that’s even where it starts.
Earlier in the passage when he talks about the traditions. And, you know, I think that’s probably what’s in view here. And even the ESV puts a footnote here next to the word angels, and it says or messengers, people sent to observe and report for the Apostle Paul. The other passage I said were it probably be helpful if we did translate it is revelation chapters two and three, because it says at the beginning of all those seven letters to the seven churches, to the angel of the messenger, I’m sorry, to the angel of the church of Ephesus, you know, and the spur.
And it goes on Pergamum, Thyatira, and on through the seven churches. Well, the angel probably not talking about an angelic being. We’re probably talking about the pastor, the preacher, the messenger, the one who brings the message, the one who brings the sermon. And you know, the letter that Christ is bringing to these churches are going to be read by the pastor of those churches.
So that probably should have been translated there too, I think would have been helpful. But every time the word Angela shows up in the Greek New Testament, it’s usually just transliterated instead of translated or transliterated. We’re left with a little confusion. If it were translated, we’d probably do better and think, oh, are we talking about a heavenly messenger from heaven?
Are we talking about like a pastor like or a messenger from the Apostle Paul? All right, all right, all right.
