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What Does The Bible Say About Cutting Hair

The Hair Of Men And Women In The New Testament

Long Hair On Men: What the Bible Really Says

In the New Testament there is no prohibition of cutting or dyeing hair, however, there are very important principles to keep in mind because it speaks of honoring and dishonoring. Although the Bible tells us that we have freedom in Christ the Christian is called to be like Christ.

In 1 Corinthians 11:3-16, the Apostle Paul describes the usefulness of hair, this passage is used by Pentecostals as a prohibition on women cutting their hair, however, this is not the correct interpretation. The Apostle Pauls intention regarding hair is to leave a principle that Christian men and women should follow and that is to follow the natural order .

Bible Verses About Cutting Your Hair

Bible verses related to Cutting Your Hair from the King James Version by Relevance

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Leviticus 19:28 – Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.Ezekiel 44:20 – Neither shall they shave their heads, nor suffer their locks to grow long they shall only poll their heads.1 Corinthians 6:20 – For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 1 Corinthians 11:14 – Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?

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Is Eating Pork A Sin

In Leviticus 11:27, God forbids Moses and his followers to eat swine because it parts the hoof but does not chew the cud. Furthermore, the prohibition goes, Of their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch they are unclean to you. That message is later reinforced in Deuteronomy.

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Why Is Hair On Your Head Important

Depending on where it is, hair has different jobs. The hair on your head keeps your head warm and provides a little cushioning for your skull. Eyelashes protect your eyes by decreasing the amount of light and dust that go into them, and eyebrows protect your eyes from sweat dripping down from your forehead.

Every Church Must Implement This Distinction

What does the bible say about cutting hair ...

Lastly, since Scripture is clear, the church must be clear and uniform in its practice. If any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God . Those who would depart from the clear teaching of the apostle and seek to undermine it are being contentious. They are dividing their fellow believers from the requirements of Gods Word and from other believers. Paul gives ordinances by the authority of God but they would rather have their own custom. They are seeking to replace the commandment of God with mans custom or cultural norm. They would try to say that the apostle is simply reflecting the cultural norms and attitudes of his day and that these do not apply now. They think that they are free to substitute one set of human norms for another. It is, however, a dangerous act of rebellion against Gods Word and against nature itself.

In better days the visible church gave no unclear sound on this matter, demonstrating that up until recently there was no other custom in the churches of God.

In the seventeenth century, John Trapp wrote on verses 14 and 15:

Methinks our monstrous fashionists, both male and female, the one for nourishing their horrid bushes of vanity, the other for their most unnatural and cursed cutting their hair, should every hour fear and tremble. . . . It is a vile thing to go against nature.

In the eighteenth century, John Gill wrote in his commentary on verse 6:

Matthew Henrys commentary is no different:

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Does The Bible Prohibit Women From Cutting Their Hair

We read in I Corinthians 11:15 that “if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her, for her hair is given to her for a covering.” Something that is a glory should be given special care and attention. Hair should be groomed and worn in a tasteful and attractive manner. If left on its own, it would soon become quite unattractive.

At the same time, one ought to keep proper modesty in mind. Some have gone to extremes out of vanity, which, of course, is certainly not God’s will. In I Timothy 2:9-10, we find these instructions: “In like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works” . The “braided hair or gold or pearls” Paul mentions refers to a popular hairstyle of the day in which women piled their hair in an lavish set of braids interwoven with expensive jewelry, an attempt to proclaim their wealth and high station and incite envy.

Because Paul mentions long hair, some have been afraid to cut or style their hair at all. Notice, however, that I Corinthians 11:15 does not read “uncut hair” it reads “long hair.” The Bible nowhere prohibits tasteful cutting, curling, styling, or setting of a woman’s hair. Any length is appropriate if the hair is long enough to be a covering and feminine. Any style is proper as long as it is modest and looks feminine.

Who Hair Was Cut In The Bible

Samson, Hebrew Shimshon, legendary Israelite warrior and judge, or divinely inspired leader, renowned for the prodigious strength that he derived from his uncut hair. He is portrayed in the biblical Book of Judges . Samson demolishing the temple of the god Dagon, 19th-century chromolithograph.

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Can Men Have Long Hair And Beards

Although strict rules cannot be imposed on how a man should wear his hair in different cultures. You need to understand the culture in which you live and choose how you want to do it, trying to avoid scandal and above all maintain the testimony of Christ. In a culture where men have always worn their hair short, Christian men should wear their hair short.

A man although he has freedom in Christ, should not make use of that freedom to be a stumbling block to the weaker brethren , therefore, even if he wishes to have long hair, for Christs sake he should have it short. Even more so in todays culture where masculinity is being lost.

Big Chopping And The Bible

Does the Bible say women can’t cut their hair?

Shortly after I big chopped, I had an interesting conversation with a man whom I consider to be a casual acquaintance. I didnt know at the time that he belongs to a religion that frowns upon women cutting their hair.

I could see the look of shock on his face the first time he saw me post-big chop. I didnt ask his opinion on my new look, because I had decided before I big chopped that I wasnt going to invite comments or opinions from people about my hair. I loved it, and that was all that mattered to me. Besides, I found most people eventually got around to offering their opinions without me having to ask.

It didnt take long for him to speak up. A few minutes into our chat, he told me that my hair looked striking. I thanked him. He said that the cut really drew attention to my beautiful face. I thanked him again. But, he boldly added, he didnt believe my ultra short cut was OK from a biblical standpoint.

I bring up this issue because Im planning to big chop again very soon, and I know Ill be running into this man. If he finds it necessary to express his opinion again, I want to be prepared with a polite but firm comeback.

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A Woman With Short Hair Is Dishonouring Male Headship

Every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven . In other words, to have a shaven head would dishonour her head, just as her appearing in public worship without a headcovering would do. And the next verse equates a shorn head with a shaven head. Shortened hair is the same as a bald head, for such a woman would look like a man. That would bring dishonour upon her head, meaning not the head of her body, but her husband, the head of her family. Male headship is a theme running right through this passage in 1 Corinthians 11. Short hair on a wife, making her look like her husband, is not giving honour to the principle of the male headship of the home.

Paul says in verse 7 that the woman is the glory of the man. In other words, she is meant to bring honour to the man. She is to honour him as the head of the home and to acknowledge his God-ordained authority. The visible distinction of her long hair and his short hair signifies this honourable role distinction, but that symbol is obliterated in dishonour if she has short hair, making herself to appear the same as him, as if she were trying to assume his role in the family. This demonstrates how short hair in women undermines the creation order and ordinances in yet another way. It is no coincidence that in western society the introduction of short hair on women has coincided with women casting off their submissive role in marriage.

Is It Wrong For A Woman To Cut Her Hair

Growing up, 1 Corinthians 11 was a much-disputed passage. On one hand I grew up in an organization that advocated women veiling their heads, while we fellowshipped with another organization that believe this passage was not in reference to a hair covering, rather that a woman should not cut her hair. Then in certain circles some believed that 1 Corinthians 11:15 but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory meant that it gave a woman special spiritual superpowers and if she cut her hair she would lose her powers.

About a year ago after hearing a sermon on why woman should not cut their hair and that the original Greek was not about veiling, I realized that the argument made no logical sense . I decided to research and do some study on my own on the matter.

With that preface, this article is a simplified breakdown of 1 Corinthians 11 with much care taken to the context of what Paul was saying and why he was writing to the church of Corinth. As always I promise not to go to deep theologically that is never my intent.

As I have already stated, some teach that Paul was instructing women not to cut their hair because the word shorn in 1 Corinthians 11 means, cut at all. Others believe that the word uncovered describes the head of a woman who has cut her hair, while others teach that the words long hair in verses 14 and 15 or that the word hair by itself in the latter part of verse 15 means uncut hair.

Lets break down 1 Corinthians a bit.

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What Does Hair Symbolize In The Bible

Hair symbolizes physical strength and virility the virtues and properties of a person are said to be concentrated in his hair and nails. Carries the context of magical power witches had their hair shaven off, as well as in the Bible, in which Samson loses all his power when his locks are stripped.

Does The Bible Teach That Women Should Not Cut Their Hair

What Does The Bible Say About Women Cutting Their Hair ...
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In Pauls letter to the Corinthian church , he alluded to the hair of woman when discussing the roles of men and woman and the proper authority within the church.

In the ancient Corinthian culture, woman had to wear head veils to show respect and submission to their husbands. But apparently, some women in the Corinthian church didnt cover their heads. This action was not right and could be misunderstood as improper behavior because only women with ill reputation didnt cover their heads. At the same time, a man wearing a head cover in church was not appropriate no acceptable .

Paul said, For if a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn. But if it is shameful for a woman to be shorn or shaved, let her be covered . In other words, Paul said, if a woman wanted to act like a man, she should, in order to be consistent, to cut her hair like men. But since such an act would be regarded as disgraceful, she should be properly veiled in church.

And Paul gave the reason for this instruction: For man is not from woman, but woman from man. Nor was man created for the woman, but woman for the man. For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels .

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In His service,

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Can Christians Eat Pork

Although Christianity is also an Abrahamic religion, most of its adherents do not follow these aspects of Mosaic law and are permitted to consume pork. However, Seventh-day Adventists consider pork taboo, along with other foods forbidden by Jewish law. Many Yazidis in Kurdistan regard pork as forbidden.

Nature Teaches Long Hair For Women And Short Hair For Men

Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering .

The word nature in Scripture is always used to refer to creation ordinances. Paul constantly uses it to refer to the created order, what God has ordained from creation onwards. So Paul is speaking of the universal innate judgement that short hair is naturally becoming for a man and long hair is naturally the glory of the woman. Therefore short hair on women and girls is unnatural. It is a clear violation of Gods law relating to maintaining the God-ordained difference between the sexes established at creation. It is rebellion against the creation work of God, for male and female created He them . Secular writers of Pauls time such as Epictetus and Dio Chrysostom condemned long hair in men in exactly the same terms: as being against nature.

The argument in this passage clearly runs that short hair is masculine and not feminine. Paul states that nature teaches this distinction. It is something that applies in all cultures in all places at all times. Nature here altogether excludes the idea of a mere local custom, specific to Corinth in the first century.

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What Does The Bible Say About Self

Self-injury is also called self-mutilation, self-harm, or self-abuse. It can be defined as the deliberate, repetitive, impulsive, non-lethal harming of one’s self. Believe it or not, cutting is pretty common . Those who struggle are not alone in this!

Many teens and even adults hurt themselves physically as a way to try and relieve the hurt that is taking over their lives. Cutting is behavior that stems from depression, which is a much deeper problem than the marks in your skin. Self-injury is considered to be an addiction, and it’s not easy to just stop. Behaviors include, but are not limited to:

  • cutting
  • inserting objects in to skin
  • bruising or breaking bones and
  • some forms of hair pulling

I know school is very stressful. Work can be stressful. Friendships can be stressful. We have a lot going on in life. Sometimes, the emotional pain is unbearable. Relief would be fantastic at some points. But that doesn’t mean every outlet for relief is right or healthy . If you cut to relieve depression, you’re opening not only your flesh, but the possibility to be hurt inside even more.

What Does The Bible Say Abouteating Meat And Cutting Hair

What Does The Bible Say About Women Cutting Their Hair?

Leviticus: 7.26-27 forbids people to eat rare meat…. Moreover ye shall eat no manner of blood, whether it be of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwellings. Whatsoever soul it be that eateth any manner of blood, even that soul shall be cut off from his people. Ye shall not eat any thing with the blood.

Leviticus 19.27 forbids Shaving and cutting your hair short. Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard.

Do the first passages mean that we can never eat meat? And do the last passages mean that I cannot cut my hair short?

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Womens And Mens Hair Are To Be Distinct

The Bible insists on a distinction between male and female, involving not only their distinct characters and roles but also their outward appearance. This visible distinction includes their different clothing, and this passage extends it to differences in hair. Men and women are not to have the same hair. The passage shows that if a man have long hair , that is one thing. But if a woman have long hair , that is an entirely different matter. Therefore hair does matter! A womans hair is given to her, not to a man, for a covering .

That there is to be a distinction between male and female hair is confirmed by an assumption in another passage of Gods Word. Revelation 9:7-8 states in its description of the locusts that their faces were as the faces of men but they had hair as the hair of women. Clearly, as far as Scripture is concerned, mens and womens hair are to be visibly different, just as their faces are.

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