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Question: Silence of Women?

Published since 30. Aug. 2025
Bible passages:
1 Corinthians 11:5; 14:34; 1 Timothy 2:12

1 Corinthians 11:5
"But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for that is one and the same as if her head were shaved."

1 Corinthians 14:34
"Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law also says."

1 Timothy 2:12
"And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence."

Question:

Hello, as I have been thinking about the passage in 1 Timothy 2:12 for some time, I have a few questions.

  • Is it biblical for a woman of any age to teach other women?
  • What exactly do "teaching," "interpreting," and "prophesying" mean?
  • As a woman, am I allowed to prophesy in the presence of men?

I found the passage on prophesying in 1 Corinthians 14:3, and now the question arises as to how to implement this with the "covering commandment" from 1 Corinthians 11.

The fact that I cover my head when I pray is clear and easy to implement. But it also says that I should cover my head when prophesying. I have the following questions about this:

Does interpreting and teaching count as prophesying? And when exactly do I actually (consciously) prophesy, as I would never say of myself: "I'm going to prophesy now, so I'll cover my head." Mostly, this happens in private conversations or Bible study groups/home groups, and you don't really cover yourself there because God doesn't always want us to cover ourselves, either. After all, "the hair is given to her instead of a veil." I'm a little unsure about the best way to do this, as wearing a headscarf on much more private occasions may either have the character of a (sometimes stiff) church service or simply seem strange and disturbing ("So she wants to prophesy now") and sometimes also seem aloof and sectarian to outsiders.

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Answer:

Your questions touch on areas that are relevant in practice but, unfortunately, are interpreted differently. I would like to try to answer them as I understand the Bible. Since you have asked very differentiated questions (which I think is good and important), I will try to take into account the many different aspects and practical references of this topic in my answer. At the same time, I hope that you will receive clear guidance for yourself from the Lord in prayer and from the Word of God.

 

I. The Terms – What is Teaching, What is Interpreting, What is Prophesying?

The background to this question is that the Bible prohibits women from "teaching" (1 Tim. 2:12) but permits "prophesying" (cf. 1 Cor. 11:5; Acts 21:9) if it is not done in the meetings of believers (1 Cor. 14:34). There is no independent statement in Scripture about "interpreting" in this respect. "Interpreting" is usually in the context of speaking in tongues (1 Cor. 14) and is then to be seen more as a supplement to a translator's activity. In this sense, it no longer has any practical meaning today. "Interpreting" in the sense used today would be judged according to whether it constitutes "teaching" in a specific case (in which case it is not permitted) or not.

 

Someone has made the crude but useful distinction:

  • Prophecy is speaking on behalf of God, based on a "revelation" and resulting in a "message"; today, unlike the prophets in biblical times, the message must be based on the written Word of God.
  • Teaching is the instruction of believers, which is based on the (Spirit-led) study of Scripture and leads to a teaching ministry; however, this teaching is to be distinguished in the sense of an "explanation" of the truth from the mere "exposition" of the truth (which is not teaching, neither prophecy, see II. 1. below).

 

Let us take a closer look at the two terms:

 

  1. Teaching

The Greek word translated as "teaching" (cognate "doctrine," "teacher") means teaching, or instructing. Teaching has a fundamental role in the assembly, which is the pillar and foundation of truth; in this context, teaching serves to pass on the doctrine, the truth revealed by God.

Let's turn to the Bible and look up a concordance of terms. We find that "teaching" refers to what the Lord did to the crowds and His disciples (see only Acts 1:1), what He commissioned His disciples to do (Mark 6:30; Matthew 28:20) and what the apostles did in the early days of the assembly (Acts 2:42; 4:2; 5:21, 25; 11:26; 15:35; 1 Corinthians 4:17; Colossians 1:28). Later on, God gave gifts to the assembly, including teachers (Rom. 12; Eph. 4). Not everyone can teach, but the Bible speaks of "teaching ability" and of "being able to teach" (1 Tim. 3:2; 2 Tim. 2:2; Tit. 1:9; cf. Jas. 3:1).

 

  1. Prophesying

1 Corinthians 14:6 distinguishes (among other things, with regard to possible types of preaching) between revelation, knowledge, prophecy, and teaching. Prophecy is, therefore, to be distinguished from the "teaching" just discussed (1 Cor 14:6: "or ... or"), but also from "knowledge," i.e., the passing on of something previously known from the Bible, which is primarily aimed at spiritual understanding. Prophecy is rather the passing on of a message, i.e., of something that the preacher has received from the proximity of the Lord for his counterpart(s) and with which he addresses his heart and conscience. Let's look at the Bible as a whole. Prophecy reveals something hidden (in the OT and partly in the NT, this was the future, but often also the hidden inner state of the people of Israel or similar, in the NT also the revelation of the "secrets" about Christ and the assembly that were still hidden in the OT).

Today's prophetic ministry cannot reveal the future or any hidden truth. Still, it can – as it did back then – reveal God's assessment of the inner state of the individual addressee, convict him of sin, enlighten him about the path ahead, and so on.

Prophecy has its place in Christian gatherings, but also the private sphere; it takes place in an assembly of believers as well as in individuals. The purpose of prophecy is to edify, exhort and comfort believers (1 Cor. 14:3) and thereby edify the assembly (1 Cor. 14:12). It also has the effect of convicting unbelievers and leading them to the knowledge of God (1 Cor. 14:25). I personally believe that the prophesying person is often aware that he has a message from God in order to fulfill the stated purpose; however, the effects of his message are usually unknown to him. Prophecy should, therefore, not be confused with the proclamation of the gospel. Although one would also like to place unbelievers in God's light and bring them a message that strikes their heart and conscience, this is not prophecy because this is done to believers and to edify the congregation.

 

II. When and to whom may a woman teach and prophesy?

  1. Teaching

As differently as 1 Timothy 2:12 is interpreted, it seems clear to me that there are two prohibitions here (plus a supplementary commandment), each with a justification:

  • The woman must not teach – justification: fall of man: the woman (Eve), not the man (Adam) was deceived [1] – this is about activity – the good alternative is "be still" and "learn."
  • The woman must not rule over the man – reason: order of creation: Adam was formed first, then Eve – this is about attitude – the good alternative is "to submit."

According to this, the prohibition of teaching and the ban on ruling over men are related to each other, but they stand side by side and complement each other. Women are not only forbidden to teach when they actually rule over men, i.e. when they teach men in a specific situation but they are always forbidden to teach.

This once again raises the question of what "teaching" is in this sense. Since no scripture is of its own isolated interpretation, we must turn to the overall context of Scripture. In addition to the above, the following seems to me to be characteristic of teaching from the use of the word in the Bible:

  • It takes place on God's behalf (cf. 1 Cor. 12:4 ff.; 12:11; 1 Pet. 4:11).
  • In terms of content, it is about the faith (cf. 1 Cor. 2:13; Col. 2:7). (Teaching in school or similar is therefore not covered here).
  • It typically takes place in public (e.g., Mk 4:1 – by the lake; 6:2 – in the synagogue; 12:35 and 14:49 – in the temple; Lk 13:22 – in the cities; 13:26 – in the streets; Jn 18:20 – I have spoken publicly to the world; however, we also find in the Bible that, for example, Paul spoke in private homes (Acts 20:20; 28:30) and – separate from teaching – that people talked about the Scriptures or carried out pastoral ministries in private homes; however, "teaching" in the Bible is typically used in public). (This is in contrast to the private sphere, in which women have a shared responsibility, for example, in the context of education, to provide their children with knowledge of the Scriptures and also exercise authority, cf. 2 Tim. 1:5 in comparison with 3:15; or in which they interpret the Bible to others together with their husband, cf. Acts 18:26).
  • It takes place in a role situation of "teachers" and "students," i.e. it has to do with the exercise of authority (Mt. 7:29; 10:24; Lk. 2:46; Jn. 13:13; 1 Tim. 4:11; 6:2). (This is in contrast to a private, spiritual conversation between friends/families who are "equals" in this respect, in which 1 Tim. 2:11 (learning in silence and submission) and 1 Cor. 14:35 (asking your own husbands) must be observed. This is also to be distinguished from personal "witnessing," according to 1 Peter 3:15, where the focus is not on teaching but on taking responsibility. In general, Scripture reports on the cooperation of sisters in the gospel without describing this in more detail (cf. Phil. 4:3; public preaching was not meant by this).
  • It is not limited to the mere passing on of facts but is "teaching" in the sense that the teacher applies a (teaching) method (systematics, argumentation, "red thread" ...) (cf. 1 Tim. 3:2; 2. Tim. 2:2; Tit. 1:9; it is interesting to read the practical examples in the Bible in which teaching sermons are explicitly reproduced ("he taught them: ..."), e.g. in Mt. 5:2 ff; Mk. 4:2; 12:35 ff; Jn. 6:59; 8:20; Acts 4:2; 18:24 ff; cf. also the description of Paul's teaching in Acts 20:17 ff). This is in contrast to the mere passing on/singing, etc., of "biblically correct statements" (cf. Col. 3:16 – teach one another with songs), which should characterize every fraternal togetherness, but also to the telling and explaining of Bible texts, for example in Sunday school, etc. This is also in contrast to the role of women as "teachers of what is good" according to Titus 2:3; this is not about systematic Bible teaching but about practical "instruction" in certain areas of life and relationships that are particularly relevant for women – which is, of course, scripture-based and by no means at a spiritually low level. The "old women" are called upon here, but younger sisters who are older in the faith can also play a good role in this respect.

 

  1. Prophesying

The Bible does not forbid women to prophesy; on the contrary, it reports (without criticizing it) that women prophesied. Philip's daughters were known for this (Acts 21:9). Anna was known to everyone as a prophetess who spoke intensively – apparently in her contacts – about salvation (Luke 2:37). We can also think of Mary who was sent by the risen Lord with a message to the disciples (who unfortunately did not believe her proclamation; John 20:17; Mark 16:9 ff.).

There is no prohibition on women prophesying to men. However, the woman must not "rule"; she must take into account the "soft" factors of 1 Timothy 2:11, and she must cover herself (1 Cor. 11:5). This is probably because prophesying is also connected with authority in a certain respect (although this authority lies more in God's message, which the prophesying woman only passes on without being in a position of authority herself – unlike the teacher; and it is also only selective).

You are now asking how the covering of the head is to be practiced. Because of the ambiguous definition of divination, it can be difficult for a woman to spontaneously judge in a given situation whether she is prophesying and, therefore, needs to cover her head. One could certainly recommend that a woman should always cover herself in case of doubt, but 1 Corinthians 11 does not command a permanent head covering; this idea would also harbor the danger of legalism or promote overanxiety (even if God certainly appreciates such a practice if it follows from a good attitude). Rather, I believe that the woman should let the Lord show her good practice in individual cases.

There are two things to consider here:

  • On the one hand, there is the requirement that women should cover themselves when prophesying; otherwise, it is a disgrace for them. This commandment is to be taken seriously.
  • On the other hand, I believe that this commandment to cover herself when prophesying refers to a conscious action on the part of the woman: Prophesying is, in my opinion, as I described above, a conscious thing ("I want to pass on a message") and does not depend on what effects actually occur afterward with the recipient ("the listener has actually been edified, exhorted or comforted"). In this respect, it is the same as praying, which is also done consciously. For I cannot recognize that God would impose a commandment whose observance presupposes that one would have insight into the soul of the other (especially since a woman would have to cover herself before these effects even occur).

 

  1. Summary

Each individual should personally form a firm conviction based on Scripture and practice it. As far as judging others is concerned, it seems useful to me to summarize with a comment on balance. This topic is not purely a question of biblical interpretation but is influenced by social trends, church practices, and traditions, as well as perceived and existing dangers. In this sense, balance seems to me to be important in the following points:

  • These are explicit commandments that are to be taken seriously. They are also not just formalities, but there are important underlying principles that can ultimately be traced back to the order of creation. On the other hand, these issues should not be overemphasized, as there are topics that are more relevant to the well-being of the community and the individual. It is important to distinguish between the clearly regulated area (e.g., it is clear that a woman may not preach a public sermon) and borderline cases (e.g., dealing with private house groups, gradual differences in children's and youth work, etc.).
  • Especially when such borderline cases take place in the private sphere, one should be cautious in judging the behavior of others and seek appropriate questions in personal, possibly pastoral contact (the letters to Timothy are written to Timothy as a servant and not to the congregation). In addition to outward behavior, the inner attitude is important. Even in a behavior that does not correspond to my personal view (be it "narrower" or "wider") but which takes into account the clear statements of the Bible, a good attitude can nevertheless be shown. In this, every sister stands or falls before the Lord; if she is completely convinced of her opinion before the Lord within one of the limits above, I should, and we should respect this conviction (Rom. 14:4.5).
  • If one wants to examine a certain behavior, whether it is teaching or prophesying, one must pay attention to uniformity and balance with regard to the activity of brothers and sisters. The Bible uses the same terms regardless of whether brothers or sisters are active. One cannot limit the teaching of brothers to the activity of those brothers who have been given to the assembly as a gift and have perhaps given up their secular profession (this view would also be far too narrow), and on the other hand, consider a Sunday school lesson or an exchange between sisters based on the Bible to be "teaching." Nor can we call prophecy what brothers preach in a meeting as a congregation (this would also be too narrow – but at the same time too broad, because not every ministry with the Word is automatic "prophecy," see above) and on the other hand consider it prophecy when one sister says encouraging words to another or gives testimony in personal evangelistic contact (prophecy does not take place towards unbelievers anyway).

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Footnote:

[1] The man is not better than the woman, nor is he infallible. But God uses this event after creation to prove that the woman who allowed herself to be deceived by Satan should not be given a role of teaching and authority.

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