Israel is called the head of nations (
De 28:13); "The head (capital) of Syria is Damascus, and the head (prince) of Damascus is Rezin" (
Isa 7:8); "heads of their fathers' houses," i.e. elders of the clans (
Ex 6:14); compare "heads of tribes" (
De 1:15), also "captain," literally, head (
Nu 14:4;
De 1:15;
1Ch 11:42;
Ne 9:17). The phrase "head and tail" (
Isa 9:14;
19:15) is explained by the rabbis as meaning the
nobles and the commons among the people; compare "palm-branch and rush" (
Isa 9:14), "hair of the feet.... and beard" (
Isa 7:20), but compare also
Isa 9:15. In the New Testament we find the remarkable statement of Christ being "the head of the church" (
Eph 1:22;
5:23), "head of every man" (
1Co 11:3), "head of all principality and power" (
Col 2:10), "head of the body, the church" (
Col 1:18; compare
Eph 4:15). The context of
1Co 11:3 is very instructive to a true understanding of this expression: "I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God" (compare
Eph 5:23). Here, clearly, reference is had to the lordship of Christ over His church, not to the oneness of Christ and His church, while in
Eph 4:16 the dependence of the church upon Christ is spoken of. These passages should not therefore be pressed to include the idea of Christ being the intellectual center, the brain of His people, from whence the members are passively governed, for to the Jewish mind the heart was the seat of the intellect, not the head.