Is it a sin for men to shave their beards?
We live in exciting times, friends. More and more Christians all the time are coming to the conclusion that the Torah of God is indeed relevant to our lives; we are beginning to acknowledge that the Torah defines God's standard for Christian living; we’re observing the Sabbath and Feast days, eating kosher, etc., all through the Spirit of our Messiah, Yeshua (Jesus). As we are embracing this extension of the Protestant Reformation, if you will, and returning to what the Bible alone says about many practical issues, it is only a matter of time before we begin to seriously consider one of my favorite topics -- beards!
The Bible does indeed have some things to say about beards, so in this article I hope to let the Bible answer an important practical question for those of us who desire to walk according to God’s standard of living. Many people might not feel like this is a big deal, but there are actual commandments concerning beards. If God makes a commandment, it's reasonable to believe that He cares about that topic. As Christians, we should care about the same things that God cares about. So with that said, let’s take a look at the two scriptures in Torah where these beard-commandments are found:
With just a cursory review of these verses, without considering the context, it seems pretty clear that God does not want men to shave their beards. For some, this is an open-and-shut case. There are people who will say that it is a sin to be “clean shaven” based on the verses above. I submit, however, that there is something more to be considered here. Let’s take a closer look and find out:
When studying and applying Torah, it is important to understand that not all laws apply to all of God’s people. The Torah has plenty of general commandments for everyone who is considered a child of God (e.g. the Sabbath), but it is also full of specific instructions for specific people and situations. For instance, there are certain laws that only apply to women, men, children, farmers, judges, etc. In this case, it seems like this commandment is specifically given to the priests who are operating within a physical Temple; therefore, this verse cannot be used as proof to support the belief that this is a general commandment for all men.
What about Leviticus 19:27? This one is definitely a general commandment. Moreover, it's right in the middle of a ton of other commandments that are clearly part of God's moral standard for His people today. I agree that this was/is something that God wanted/wants His people in general to obey; however, this verse is not commanding men to grow their beards like what is often inferred. Let’s flesh this out a little further to see how I have come to this conclusion:
1. There are instances in Scripture where God’s people shaved
Genesis 41:14 shows that Joseph shaved before coming before Pharaoh. There is no evidence that Joseph was forced to shave against His will, and there is no rebuke against Joseph for shaving.
2. God commands His people to shave in some cases
There are shaving instructions in the Torah that apply to matters of skin disease and cleanliness. In fact, God specifically instructs His people to shave as part of the cleansing process for those infected with Leprosy (Leviticus 13:33)! Moreover, when someone ends their Nazarite Vow, they are instructed to shave (Numbers 6:18). So if we take the “shaving is a sin” viewpoint to its logical conclusion, God would therefore literally be commanding His people to sin in these cases!
3. The meaning of 'mar' in Leviticus 19:27 doesn’t mean to remove hair
The word for 'mar' in Leviticus 19:27 is the Hebrew word 'Shachath,' which means 'to destroy, corrupt, go to ruin, decay.' This word does not mean, 'to remove hair.' There is a different Hebrew word with that meaning (galach). I submit that if Leviticus 19:27 is supposed to be a general commandment against shaving, the Hebrew Word ‘galach’ (shave, make bald) would likely have been used instead. The fact that the word, 'shachath' is used seems to suggest that there is something more to this commandment. In fact, the very next verse gives us a clue as to what exactly this Scripture is teaching us:
It seems that this commandment is all about not participating in the pagan mourning rituals of Israel’s neighbors. During these rituals, the pagans would 'mar' (shachath) the edges of their beards while cutting and tattooing themselves. They wouldn’t simply shave their beards, like how Joseph shaved in Genesis 41:14 or how Nazarites are instructed to shave (as in, simply removing hair from one's face). Rather, the pagans in this context would violently rip out the hair from their face, cut their skin, and tattoo themselves while mourning for the dead. In other words, God is saying, “don’t mutilate yourselves like the pagans do.” To give us some perspective, here are a few more verses where the word 'shachath' is used:
There are many more examples, and the word always carries the meaning of destruction and corruption. On the other hand, every time the Hebrew word, 'galach', is used in the Bible, it is always clearly talking about simply removing hair. Again, if Leviticus 19:27 was meant to be a commandment against shaving, the Hebrew word that means 'to remove hair' would have been used instead.
In conclusion, it is certainly not a sin to shave your beard. However (and this is a big however), why would you want to? Beards are awesome.
The Bible does indeed have some things to say about beards, so in this article I hope to let the Bible answer an important practical question for those of us who desire to walk according to God’s standard of living. Many people might not feel like this is a big deal, but there are actual commandments concerning beards. If God makes a commandment, it's reasonable to believe that He cares about that topic. As Christians, we should care about the same things that God cares about. So with that said, let’s take a look at the two scriptures in Torah where these beard-commandments are found:
“You shall not round off the hair on your temples or mar the edges of your beard.” – Leviticus 19:27
“They shall not make bald patches on their heads, nor shave off the edges of their beards, nor make any cuts on their body.” – Leviticus 21:5
With just a cursory review of these verses, without considering the context, it seems pretty clear that God does not want men to shave their beards. For some, this is an open-and-shut case. There are people who will say that it is a sin to be “clean shaven” based on the verses above. I submit, however, that there is something more to be considered here. Let’s take a closer look and find out:
“And The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them…” – Leviticus 21:1
When studying and applying Torah, it is important to understand that not all laws apply to all of God’s people. The Torah has plenty of general commandments for everyone who is considered a child of God (e.g. the Sabbath), but it is also full of specific instructions for specific people and situations. For instance, there are certain laws that only apply to women, men, children, farmers, judges, etc. In this case, it seems like this commandment is specifically given to the priests who are operating within a physical Temple; therefore, this verse cannot be used as proof to support the belief that this is a general commandment for all men.
What about Leviticus 19:27? This one is definitely a general commandment. Moreover, it's right in the middle of a ton of other commandments that are clearly part of God's moral standard for His people today. I agree that this was/is something that God wanted/wants His people in general to obey; however, this verse is not commanding men to grow their beards like what is often inferred. Let’s flesh this out a little further to see how I have come to this conclusion:
1. There are instances in Scripture where God’s people shaved
Genesis 41:14 shows that Joseph shaved before coming before Pharaoh. There is no evidence that Joseph was forced to shave against His will, and there is no rebuke against Joseph for shaving.
2. God commands His people to shave in some cases
There are shaving instructions in the Torah that apply to matters of skin disease and cleanliness. In fact, God specifically instructs His people to shave as part of the cleansing process for those infected with Leprosy (Leviticus 13:33)! Moreover, when someone ends their Nazarite Vow, they are instructed to shave (Numbers 6:18). So if we take the “shaving is a sin” viewpoint to its logical conclusion, God would therefore literally be commanding His people to sin in these cases!
3. The meaning of 'mar' in Leviticus 19:27 doesn’t mean to remove hair
The word for 'mar' in Leviticus 19:27 is the Hebrew word 'Shachath,' which means 'to destroy, corrupt, go to ruin, decay.' This word does not mean, 'to remove hair.' There is a different Hebrew word with that meaning (galach). I submit that if Leviticus 19:27 is supposed to be a general commandment against shaving, the Hebrew Word ‘galach’ (shave, make bald) would likely have been used instead. The fact that the word, 'shachath' is used seems to suggest that there is something more to this commandment. In fact, the very next verse gives us a clue as to what exactly this Scripture is teaching us:
“You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves: I am The Lord.” – Leviticus 19:28
It seems that this commandment is all about not participating in the pagan mourning rituals of Israel’s neighbors. During these rituals, the pagans would 'mar' (shachath) the edges of their beards while cutting and tattooing themselves. They wouldn’t simply shave their beards, like how Joseph shaved in Genesis 41:14 or how Nazarites are instructed to shave (as in, simply removing hair from one's face). Rather, the pagans in this context would violently rip out the hair from their face, cut their skin, and tattoo themselves while mourning for the dead. In other words, God is saying, “don’t mutilate yourselves like the pagans do.” To give us some perspective, here are a few more verses where the word 'shachath' is used:
“And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy (shachath) them with the earth.” – Genesis 6:13
“So it was that, when God destroyed (shachath) the cities of the valley, God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived.” – Genesis 19:29
“When a man strikes the eye of his slave, male or female, and destroys (shachath) it, he shall let the slave go free because of his eye.” - Exodus 21:26
There are many more examples, and the word always carries the meaning of destruction and corruption. On the other hand, every time the Hebrew word, 'galach', is used in the Bible, it is always clearly talking about simply removing hair. Again, if Leviticus 19:27 was meant to be a commandment against shaving, the Hebrew word that means 'to remove hair' would have been used instead.
In conclusion, it is certainly not a sin to shave your beard. However (and this is a big however), why would you want to? Beards are awesome.
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