All Israelite men grew beards; God commanded it: “You shall not round off the hair on your temples or mar the edges of your beard” (Leviticus 19:27). Beards were a facial billboard for manhood, distinguishing men, at first glance, from boys and women.
Leviticus 19:27 New American Standard Bible - NASB 1995 (NASB1995) You shall not round off the side-growth of your heads nor harm the edges of your beard.
Alternatively, a round bald spot might be shaved on the head. It is this type of false worship the Bible forbids. Shaving one's beard and cutting one's hair for normal good grooming is something entirely different and not at all condemned in the Scriptures.
What does the Bible say about beards? Among many ancient peoples of the East, including the Israelites, a beard was cherished as an evidence of manly dignity. God's law to Israel prohibited the cutting off of the “sidelocks,” the hair between the ear and the eye, and the extremity of the beard. (Leviticus 19.27; 21.)
Shaving the beard is muthla (mutilation). Verily the Prophet ﷺ has prohibited muthla. The great Imam of Madinah, Imam Mâlik is reported to have said: The sin of shaving the beard is not only a kabîra (major sin), but it is also bagi (open offence).
Historical appearance
Scholars have also suggested that it is likely Jesus had short hair and a beard, in accordance with Jewish practices of the time and the appearance of philosophers. The earliest depictions of Jesus from the Roman catacombs depict him as free of facial hair.
Why does God like facial hair so much? Because it's manly. Although beards appear repeatedly in religious texts, God never explicitly tells us why they're so holy. In the absence of any divine exposition, many theologians have posited that a hairy face is a symbol of masculinity bestowed upon men by God.
They are aware of the admonition in Ezekiel 44:20: “Neither shall they shave their heads, nor suffer their locks to grow long ….” The only exception for long hair for men was during Old Testament times when a man took a Nazarite vow. This represented subjection to God for a specific time (Numbers 6:5).
Christianity. Some Christians take issue with tattooing, upholding the Hebrew prohibition. The Hebrew prohibition is based on interpreting Leviticus 19:28—"Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you"—so as to prohibit tattoos. Interpretations of the passage vary, however.
These religions include Orthodox Judaism, Rastafarianism, and Sikhism. These religions prohibit haircuts and the removal of facial hair as they believe hair to be a gift from God. Other branches of Judaism state that men must not only grow beards but are forbidden to remove any portion of their sideburns at any time.
Because God wants us to take care of our bodies the Bible affirms, “Physical training is good…” (1 Timothy 4:8). It's good because being healthy and fit will help us better fulfil our God-given purpose in a variety of ways.
Muslims learn about the Prophet's views on facial hair not from the Koran, but through hadith - or sayings - attributed to Muhammad. One such hadith, in a collection by Muslim scholar Muhammad al-Bukhari centuries ago, stipulates: "Cut the moustaches short and leave the beard."
Leviticus 19:27 in Other Translations
27 "Don't cut the hair on the sides of your head or trim your beard. 27 Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard. 27 "Never shave the hair on your foreheads, and never cut the edges of your beard.
Eastern Christianity
Traditionally, Syrian Christians from Kerala wear long beards. Some view it as a necessity for men in the Malayali Syrian Christian community because icons of Christ and the saints with beards were depicted from the 3rd century onwards.
Denominations that teach that women should wear head coverings at all times additionally base this doctrine on Saint Paul's dictum that Christians are to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17), Saint Paul's teaching that women being unveiled is dishonourable, and as a reflection of the created order.
In Leviticus chapters 19 and 21, God commands the both the Israelites and their priests not to “mar the corners of thy beards”. Why would God command this? Men having a beard was so important to God in Moses' day that they weren't even to partially shave.
Christians – no matter which church they belong to – should follow Paul and extend it to the heterosexual-homosexual distinction. We are all “clothed in Christ” (3:27): God only sees Christ, not our different sexualities.
The bible talks about dreadlocks too: Numbers 6:5 “All the days of his vow of separation, no razor shall touch his head. Until the time is completed for which he separates himself to the Lord, he shall be holy. He shall let the locks of hair of his head grow long.
From ancient civilizations to modern-day society, beards have been a symbol of power, wisdom, and even rebellion. Beards in Ancient Times: In ancient Egypt, a well-groomed beard was a sign of high social status. Pharaohs even wore fake beards made of metal as a symbol of their divine power.
As a faithful, law-abiding Jewish man, Jesus likely would have had a beard. Jesus would have carefully taken care of his beard by putting oil on it, and he would have refrained from clipping the corners.
The study also found that women were not only more attracted to them, but expected to have longer relationships with men rocking a beard.
If your motives are to glorify His work in your life (Romans 14:23), the tattoo can be an excellent conversation starter. Just as we are commanded to do all things to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31), we can view the act of tattooing in the same manner.
In her 2018 book What Did Jesus Look Like?, Taylor used archaeological remains, historical texts and ancient Egyptian funerary art to conclude that, like most people in Judea and Egypt around the time, Jesus most likely had brown eyes, dark brown to black hair and olive-brown skin. He may have stood about 5-ft. -5-in.
Job, Elijah, Jeremiah, Ezra and the Apostle Paul were all bearded. I couldn't find any women in the Bible who had a beard, but there's no version that says that they didn't have beards, so that's something.