OET interlinear 1COR 11:10

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result

διὰ τοῦτο & ἡ γυνὴ & διὰ τοὺς ἀγγέλους

because_of this & the woman & because_of the angels

Here, For this reason could refer to: (1) both what Paul said in 11:7 about how “the woman is the glory of man” and what he will say at the end of this verse about the angels. Alternate translation: “Because of how the woman is the glory of the man and because of the angels, the woman” (2) just what Paul has said in 11:7 about how “the woman is the glory of man.” Alternate translation: “Because of what I have said, the woman … because of the angels” (3) just what Paul will say at the end of the verse about the angels. Alternate translation: “For this reason, that is, because of the angels, the woman”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ἡ γυνὴ

the woman

Here, the woman could refer to: (1) a female person. Alternate translation: “the female person” (2) a wife. Alternate translation: “the wife”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

ἡ γυνὴ

the woman

Paul is speaking of “women” in general, not of one particular woman. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this form with a form that refers to people in general. Alternate translation: “every woman”

Note 4 topic: translate-unknown

ἐξουσίαν ἔχειν ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς

authority /to_be/_having on her head

The phrase have authority on the head could refer to: (1) the authority that the “man” has over the woman. In this view, authority implies the head covering or long hair, which the woman wears as a sign of the man’s authority over her. Alternate translation: “to have a sign of the man’s authority on her head” (2) how the woman has authority over her own head. In other words, she has authority to decide what to wear or not wear on her head, or authority could imply the head covering or long hair, which the woman wears as a sign of her authority over herself. Alternate translation: “to have authority over her own head” or “to have a sign of her authority on her head”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

ἐξουσίαν ἔχειν ἐπὶ

authority /to_be/_having on

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea behind authority, you can express the idea in a different way. Make sure you use a word or phrase that fits with the interpretation you chose in the last note. Alternate translation: “to rule over” or “to have someone rule over”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

τῆς κεφαλῆς

her head

Here, the with head implies that the head belongs to the woman. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this implication with a word that directly states possession. Alternate translation: “her head”

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

διὰ τοὺς ἀγγέλους

because_of because_of the angels

Here, because of the angels clearly means that Paul considers the angels to be a reason for why the woman ought to have authority on the head, whichever meaning of that clause you decide on. However, what Paul means by the phrase because of the angels is not clear. Therefore, you also should leave your translation open so that your readers could draw any of the following conclusions. The phrase because of the angels could refer to: (1) how the angels oversee the order of the world and especially worship. The woman having authority on the head would satisfy what the angels require for worship practices. Alternate translation: “because of what the angels require” (2) how the angels can be sexually attracted to earthly women, so the woman ought to have authority on the head to keep the angels from acting or being tempted to act sexually with women. Alternate translation: “because otherwise the angels would be tempted” (3) how the angels are present in the worship of the community, and the woman must have authority on the head as a sign of respect to them. Alternate translation: “because angels are present when you worship”