Why can a veiled woman in the Middle East go anywhere without fear?
In that Middle Eastern culture, a veiled woman is protected: she can go almost anywhere, on any street or in any place, without fear, because no one dares touch a veiled woman. If she removes her veil, however, she becomes the object of almost anything others want to do to her.
Les teaches that this Middle Eastern practice illustrates the principle Paul is applying to the church. In that culture, a veiled woman can go almost anywhere in any street or place without fear; no one dares touch a veiled woman. But if she takes off her veil, she becomes the object of almost anything they want to do to her. Paul uses this as an example because the prostitutes were brazen in dress, behavior, and talkativeness. He therefore tells the women of the church not to be like women of the street, but to be subdued, subservient to their husbands, and to keep silence as the opposite of those on the street. Les also notes that under the Law, even God's Law to Israel, a woman had almost no rights, though God had His reason.