Better Bibles Blog: Head of a Family Suzanne McCarthy
Up until now I have always thought that it was best to translate κεφαλη kephale in 1 Cor. 11 as "head" by default. I still think this is likely the only solution, but I am not happy with the conclusions drawn from this translation.
In fact, "head of the family" of "head of the household" is a common phrase in English and in Latin as "caput familiae." In Greek it was οκοδεσποτέω and is found in 1 Timothy 5:14,…
…So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander.
…The LSJ lexicon clearly offers only one definition for οἰκοδεσποτέω oikodespoteo and that is "to be master of a house or head of a family." However, it is never translated that way.
Let's see what happens when we do find "head of a family" in the original language. …
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