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cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/ad7.htm" width="100%" height="48" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="/leviticus/19-26.htm" title="Leviticus 19:26">◄</a> Leviticus 19:27 <a href="/leviticus/19-28.htm" title="Leviticus 19:28">►</a></div></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="topverse"> <a href="#audio" class="clickchap2" title="Context and Audio Bible"> Audio </a> <a href="#crossref" class="clickchap2" title="Cross References"> Cross </a> <a href="#study" class="clickchap2" title="Study Bible"> Study </a> <a href="#commentary" class="clickchap2" title="Commentary"> Comm </a> <a href="#lexicon" class="clickchap2" title="Lexicon"> Heb </a> </div><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheadingv"><b>Verse</b><a href="/bsb/leviticus/19.htm" class="clickchap" style="color:#001320" title="Click any translation name for full chapter">  (Click for Chapter)</a></div><div id="par"><span class="versiontext"><a href="/niv/leviticus/19.htm">New International Version</a></span><br />&#8220&#8217Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/leviticus/19.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />“Do not trim off the hair on your temples or trim your beards.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/leviticus/19.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />You shall not round off the hair on your temples or mar the edges of your beard.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/leviticus/19.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />You must not cut off the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/leviticus/19.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/leviticus/19.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />You shall not shave around the sides of your head, nor shall you disfigure the edges of your beard.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/leviticus/19.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />You shall not round off the hairline of your heads, nor trim the edges of your beard.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/leviticus/19.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />&#8216You shall not round off the side-growth of your heads nor harm the edges of your beard.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/leviticus/19.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />‘You shall not round off the side-growth of your heads, nor harm the edges of your beard.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/leviticus/19.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />You shall not round off the side-growth of your heads nor harm the edges of your beard.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/leviticus/19.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />You shall not trim <i>and</i> round off the side-growth of [the hair on] your heads, nor mar the edges of your beard.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/leviticus/19.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />You are not to cut off the hair at the sides of your head or mar the edge of your beard.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/leviticus/19.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />You are not to cut off the hair at the sides of your head or mar the edge of your beard.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/leviticus/19.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/leviticus/19.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/leviticus/19.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />"Never shave the hair on your foreheads, and never cut the edges of your beard.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/leviticus/19.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />Do not cut the hair on the sides of your head or trim your beard <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/leviticus/19.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />"You are not to cut your hair in ritualistic patterns on your head or deface the edges of your beard.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/leviticus/19.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />You must not cut off the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/leviticus/19.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />You must not round off the corners of the hair on your head or ruin the corners of your beard.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/leviticus/19.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />"'You shall not cut the hair on the sides of your heads, neither shall you clip off the edge of your beard.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/leviticus/19.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/leviticus/19.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />“‘You shall not cut the hair on the sides of your head or clip off the edge of your beard. <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/leviticus/19.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />You do not round the corner of your head, nor destroy the corner of your beard.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/leviticus/19.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> 'Ye do not round the corner of your head, nor destroy the corner of thy beard.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/leviticus/19.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />Ye shall not cut the extremities of your head, and thou shalt not destroy the extremities of thy beard.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/leviticus/19.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />Nor shall you cut your hair roundwise: nor shave your beard. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/leviticus/19.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />And you shall not cut the hair of your head circularly, nor shave your beard.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/leviticus/19.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />Do not clip your hair at the temples, nor spoil the edges of your beard.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/leviticus/19.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />You shall not round off the hair on your temples or mar the edges of your beard.<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/leviticus/19.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />You shall not let the hair of your heads grow, neither shall you trim the corners of your beard.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/leviticus/19.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />Do not grow the hairs of your heads and you shall not twist the mustache of your beards.<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/leviticus/19.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/leviticus/19.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />Ye shall not make a round cutting of the hair of your head, nor disfigure your beard.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/leviticus/19-27.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NWs_V1RyMFo?start=5184" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/leviticus/19.htm">Keep My Decrees</a></span><br>…<span class="reftext">26</span>You must not eat anything with blood still in it. You must not practice divination or sorcery. <span class="reftext">27</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/3808.htm" title="3808: lō (Adv-NegPrt) -- Not. Or lowi; or loh; a primitive particle; not; by implication, no; often used with other particles.">You must not</a> <a href="/hebrew/5362.htm" title="5362: ṯaq·qi·p̄ū (V-Hifil-Imperf-2mp) -- A primitive root; to strike with more or less violence; by implication to knock together, i.e. Surround or circulate.">cut off the hair</a> <a href="/hebrew/6285.htm" title="6285: pə·’aṯ (N-fsc) -- Corner, side. Feminine of poh; properly, mouth in a figurative sense, i.e. Direction, region, extremity.">at the sides</a> <a href="/hebrew/7218.htm" title="7218: rō·šə·ḵem (N-msc:: 2mp) -- Head. From an unused root apparently meaning to shake; the head, whether literal or figurative.">of your head</a> <a href="/hebrew/3808.htm" title="3808: wə·lō (Conj-w:: Adv-NegPrt) -- Not. Or lowi; or loh; a primitive particle; not; by implication, no; often used with other particles."></a> <a href="/hebrew/7843.htm" title="7843: ṯaš·ḥîṯ (V-Hifil-Imperf-2ms) -- Perhaps to go to ruin. A primitive root; to decay, i.e. ruin.">or clip off</a> <a href="/hebrew/853.htm" title="853: ’êṯ (DirObjM) -- Apparent contracted from 'owth in the demonstrative sense of entity; properly, self."></a> <a href="/hebrew/6285.htm" title="6285: pə·’aṯ (N-fsc) -- Corner, side. Feminine of poh; properly, mouth in a figurative sense, i.e. Direction, region, extremity.">the edges</a> <a href="/hebrew/2206.htm" title="2206: zə·qā·ne·ḵā (N-csc:: 2ms) -- Beard, chin. From zaqen; the beard.">of your beard.</a> </span><span class="reftext">28</span>You must not make any cuts in your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/deuteronomy/14-1.htm">Deuteronomy 14:1</a></span><br />You are sons of the LORD your God; do not cut yourselves or shave your foreheads on behalf of the dead,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_corinthians/11-14.htm">1 Corinthians 11:14-15</a></span><br />Doesn’t nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, / but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/15-2.htm">Isaiah 15:2</a></span><br />Dibon goes up to its temple to weep at its high places. Moab wails over Nebo, as well as over Medeba. Every head is shaved, every beard is cut off.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/9-26.htm">Jeremiah 9:26</a></span><br />Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab, and all the inhabitants of the desert who clip the hair of their temples. For all these nations are uncircumcised, and the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/ezekiel/44-20.htm">Ezekiel 44:20</a></span><br />They must not shave their heads or let their hair grow long, but must carefully trim their hair.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_samuel/1-11.htm">1 Samuel 1:11</a></span><br />And she made a vow, saying, “O LORD of Hosts, if only You will look upon the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, not forgetting Your maidservant but giving her a son, then I will dedicate him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall ever touch his head.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/numbers/6-5.htm">Numbers 6:5</a></span><br />For the entire period of his vow of separation, no razor shall touch his head. He must be holy until the time of his separation to the LORD is complete; he must let the hair of his head grow long.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_samuel/10-4.htm">2 Samuel 10:4-5</a></span><br />So Hanun took David’s servants, shaved off half of each man’s beard, cut off their garments at the hips, and sent them away. / When this was reported to David, he sent messengers to meet the men, since they had been thoroughly humiliated. The king told them, “Stay in Jericho until your beards have grown back, and then return.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_kings/1-8.htm">2 Kings 1:8</a></span><br />“He was a hairy man,” they answered, “with a leather belt around his waist.” “It was Elijah the Tishbite,” said the king.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/judges/13-5.htm">Judges 13:5</a></span><br />For behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son. And no razor shall touch his head, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hand of the Philistines.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_corinthians/6-19.htm">1 Corinthians 6:19-20</a></span><br />Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; / you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/romans/12-1.htm">Romans 12:1-2</a></span><br />Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. / Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_peter/3-3.htm">1 Peter 3:3-4</a></span><br />Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair or gold jewelry or fine clothes, / but from the inner disposition of your heart, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in God’s sight.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_timothy/2-9.htm">1 Timothy 2:9-10</a></span><br />Likewise, I want the women to adorn themselves with respectable apparel, with modesty, and with self-control, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, / but with good deeds, as is proper for women who profess to worship God.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/5-36.htm">Matthew 5:36</a></span><br />Nor should you swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black.</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">You shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shall you mar the corners of your beard.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/leviticus/21-5.htm">Leviticus 21:5</a></b></br> They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/isaiah/15-2.htm">Isaiah 15:2</a></b></br> He is gone up to Bajith, and to Dibon, the high places, to weep: Moab shall howl over Nebo, and over Medeba: on all their heads <i>shall be</i> baldness, <i>and</i> every beard cut off.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/jeremiah/16-6.htm">Jeremiah 16:6</a></b></br> Both the great and the small shall die in this land: they shall not be buried, neither shall <i>men</i> lament for them, nor cut themselves, nor make themselves bald for them:</p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/leviticus/14-9.htm">Beard</a> <a href="/leviticus/13-29.htm">Chin</a> <a href="/jeremiah/9-26.htm">Clip</a> <a href="/leviticus/19-9.htm">Corner</a> <a href="/leviticus/19-9.htm">Corners</a> <a href="/leviticus/19-9.htm">Cut</a> <a href="/exodus/34-13.htm">Destroy</a> <a href="/exodus/39-19.htm">Edge</a> <a href="/leviticus/19-9.htm">Edges</a> <a href="/exodus/39-19.htm">Ends</a> <a href="/leviticus/19-15.htm">Face</a> <a href="/leviticus/14-9.htm">Hair</a> <a href="/leviticus/5-16.htm">Harm</a> <a href="/leviticus/16-32.htm">Head</a> <a href="/leviticus/10-6.htm">Heads</a> <a href="/1_corinthians/3-17.htm">Mar</a> <a href="/philippians/3-2.htm">Mutilate</a> <a href="/leviticus/16-18.htm">Round</a> <a href="/leviticus/14-9.htm">Shave</a> <a href="/leviticus/16-18.htm">Sides</a> <a href="/leviticus/13-41.htm">Temples</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/leviticus/21-5.htm">Beard</a> <a href="/1_samuel/21-13.htm">Chin</a> <a href="/jeremiah/9-26.htm">Clip</a> <a href="/leviticus/21-5.htm">Corner</a> <a href="/leviticus/21-5.htm">Corners</a> <a href="/leviticus/19-28.htm">Cut</a> <a href="/leviticus/23-30.htm">Destroy</a> <a href="/numbers/20-16.htm">Edge</a> <a href="/leviticus/21-5.htm">Edges</a> <a href="/deuteronomy/28-49.htm">Ends</a> <a href="/leviticus/19-32.htm">Face</a> <a href="/leviticus/21-5.htm">Hair</a> <a href="/numbers/16-15.htm">Harm</a> <a href="/leviticus/19-32.htm">Head</a> <a href="/leviticus/20-11.htm">Heads</a> <a href="/ruth/4-6.htm">Mar</a> <a href="/galatians/5-12.htm">Mutilate</a> <a href="/leviticus/25-31.htm">Round</a> <a href="/leviticus/21-5.htm">Shave</a> <a href="/numbers/22-24.htm">Sides</a> <a href="/judges/4-21.htm">Temples</a><div class="vheading2">Leviticus 19</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/leviticus/19-1.htm">A repetition of various laws</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/leviticus/19.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/leviticus/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/leviticus/19.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>You must not cut off the hair at the sides of your head</b><br>This command is part of the Holiness Code, a section of Leviticus that outlines how the Israelites are to live as God's holy people. The prohibition against cutting the hair at the sides of the head is often understood as a directive to distinguish the Israelites from surrounding pagan cultures, which may have practiced specific hair-cutting rituals as part of idol worship or mourning rites. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, hair was often associated with one's identity and status, and altering it could symbolize allegiance to foreign gods. This command emphasizes the importance of maintaining a distinct identity as God's chosen people.<p><b>or clip off the edges of your beard.</b><br>Similar to the prohibition against cutting the hair on the sides of the head, this command likely served to set the Israelites apart from neighboring peoples. Beards were a common feature of male appearance in the ancient Near East, and specific styles could be associated with particular religious or cultural practices. By instructing the Israelites not to clip the edges of their beards, God was reinforcing their unique identity and commitment to Him. This command can also be seen as a call to avoid adopting the customs of other nations, which could lead to idolatry. In a broader biblical context, the beard is sometimes seen as a symbol of maturity and wisdom, as seen in passages like <a href="/psalms/133-2.htm">Psalm 133:2</a>, where the anointing oil on Aaron's beard signifies blessing and unity.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/m/moses.htm">Moses</a></b><br>The prophet and leader of the Israelites who received the laws from God, including the instructions in Leviticus.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/i/israelites.htm">Israelites</a></b><br>The chosen people of God to whom the laws in Leviticus were given, as they were being formed into a distinct nation.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/m/mount_sinai.htm">Mount Sinai</a></b><br>The place where Moses received the Law from God, including the instructions found in Leviticus.<br><br>4. <b><a href="/topical/c/canaan.htm">Canaan</a></b><br>The land promised to the Israelites, where they were to live according to God's laws and be set apart from the surrounding nations.<br><br>5. <b><a href="/topical/p/pagan_nations.htm">Pagan Nations</a></b><br>The surrounding cultures whose practices the Israelites were to avoid, including certain grooming habits that were associated with idolatry.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/c/cultural_distinctiveness.htm">Cultural Distinctiveness</a></b><br>The command in <a href="/leviticus/19-27.htm">Leviticus 19:27</a> was part of a broader call for the Israelites to be distinct from the surrounding nations. As Christians, we are called to live in a way that reflects our identity in Christ, distinct from worldly values.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/h/holiness_and_identity.htm">Holiness and Identity</a></b><br>The grooming laws were symbolic of a deeper spiritual truth about holiness and identity. Our outward actions should reflect our inner commitment to God.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/a/avoiding_idolatry.htm">Avoiding Idolatry</a></b><br>The prohibition against certain grooming practices was to prevent the Israelites from adopting pagan rituals. We must be vigilant in avoiding practices that could lead us away from God.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/r/respect_for_god's_creation.htm">Respect for God's Creation</a></b><br>The command can also be seen as a call to respect the way God has made us, avoiding unnecessary alterations that reflect pagan practices.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/u/understanding_context.htm">Understanding Context</a></b><br>While the specific command may not apply directly today, understanding its context helps us discern how to apply biblical principles in our cultural setting.<a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/leviticus/19.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(27) <span class= "bld">Round the corners of your heads.</span>--That is, they are not to shave off the hair around the temples and behind the ears, so as to leave the head bald except a dish-like tuft upon the crown, thus imparting to their heads the form of a hemisphere. This was done by the Arabs, and other worshippers of the god Orotal. Hence the Arabs are ironically called "those with the corner of their hair polled," as it is rightly rendered in the Margin (<a href="/jeremiah/9-26.htm" title="Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all that are in the utmost corners, that dwell in the wilderness: for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart.">Jeremiah 9:26</a>; <a href="/jeremiah/25-23.htm" title="Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all that are in the utmost corners,">Jeremiah 25:23</a>; <a href="/jeremiah/49-32.htm" title="And their camels shall be a booty, and the multitude of their cattle a spoil: and I will scatter into all winds them that are in the utmost corners; and I will bring their calamity from all sides thereof, said the LORD.">Jeremiah 49:32</a>).<p><span class= "bld">Mar the corners of thy beard.</span>--The beard was regarded by the Hebrews and other eastern nations as the greatest ornament of a man, and was as dear to them as life itself. It was the object of salutation (<a href="/2_samuel/20-9.htm" title="And Joab said to Amasa, Are you in health, my brother? And Joab took Amasa by the beard with the right hand to kiss him.">2Samuel 20:9</a>), and the mutilation of it was looked upon as the greatest disgrace and most degrading punishment (<a href="/2_samuel/10-4.htm" title="Why Hanun took David's servants, and shaved off the one half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away.">2Samuel 10:4</a>; <a href="/isaiah/7-20.htm" title="In the same day shall the Lord shave with a razor that is hired, namely, by them beyond the river, by the king of Assyria, the head, and the hair of the feet: and it shall also consume the beard.">Isaiah 7:20</a>; <a href="/context/ezra/5-1.htm" title="Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, even to them.">Ezra 5:1-5</a>, &c.). It was only in seasons of sorrow that the Hebrews neglected their beards; and sometimes, to show how deeply they were afflicted, they covered them up, or even cut them off, or tore them out (<a href="/2_samuel/19-24.htm" title="And Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king, and had neither dressed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came again in peace.">2Samuel 19:24</a>; <a href="/isaiah/15-2.htm" title="He is gone up to Bajith, and to Dibon, the high places, to weep: Moab shall howl over Nebo, and over Medeba: on all their heads shall be baldness, and every beard cut off.">Isaiah 15:2</a>; <a href="/jeremiah/41-5.htm" title="That there came certain from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, even fourscore men, having their beards shaven, and their clothes rent, and having cut themselves, with offerings and incense in their hand, to bring them to the house of the LORD.">Jeremiah 41:5</a>, &c.). Because it was so precious a treasure, it was customary among some of the ancients to present to their gods the firstlings of their beards. The prohibition before us alludes to this practice. . . . <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/leviticus/19-27.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">You must not</span><br /><span class="heb">לֹ֣א</span> <span class="translit">(lō)</span><br /><span class="parse">Adverb - Negative particle<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3808.htm">Strong's 3808: </a> </span><span class="str2">Not, no</span><br /><br /><span class="word">cut off the hair</span><br /><span class="heb">תַקִּ֔פוּ</span> <span class="translit">(ṯaq·qi·p̄ū)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5362.htm">Strong's 5362: </a> </span><span class="str2">To strike, to knock together, surround, circulate</span><br /><br /><span class="word">at the sides</span><br /><span class="heb">פְּאַ֖ת</span> <span class="translit">(pə·’aṯ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - feminine singular construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_6285.htm">Strong's 6285: </a> </span><span class="str2">Mouth, direction, region, extremity</span><br /><br /><span class="word">of your head</span><br /><span class="heb">רֹאשְׁכֶ֑ם</span> <span class="translit">(rō·šə·ḵem)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7218.htm">Strong's 7218: </a> </span><span class="str2">The head</span><br /><br /><span class="word">or clip off</span><br /><span class="heb">תַשְׁחִ֔ית</span> <span class="translit">(ṯaš·ḥîṯ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7843.htm">Strong's 7843: </a> </span><span class="str2">Perhaps to go to ruin</span><br /><br /><span class="word">the edges</span><br /><span class="heb">פְּאַ֥ת</span> <span class="translit">(pə·’aṯ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - feminine singular construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_6285.htm">Strong's 6285: </a> </span><span class="str2">Mouth, direction, region, extremity</span><br /><br /><span class="word">of your beard.</span><br /><span class="heb">זְקָנֶֽךָ׃</span> <span class="translit">(zə·qā·ne·ḵā)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - common singular construct | second person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_2206.htm">Strong's 2206: </a> </span><span class="str2">Beard, chin</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/leviticus/19-27.htm">Leviticus 19:27 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/leviticus/19-27.htm">Leviticus 19:27 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/leviticus/19-27.htm">Leviticus 19:27 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/leviticus/19-27.htm">Leviticus 19:27 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/leviticus/19-27.htm">Leviticus 19:27 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/leviticus/19-27.htm">Leviticus 19:27 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/leviticus/19-27.htm">Leviticus 19:27 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/leviticus/19-27.htm">Leviticus 19:27 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/leviticus/19-27.htm">Leviticus 19:27 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/leviticus/19-27.htm">Leviticus 19:27 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/leviticus/19-27.htm">OT Law: Leviticus 19:27 You shall not cut the hair (Le Lv Lev.) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/leviticus/19-26.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Leviticus 19:26"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Leviticus 19:26" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/leviticus/19-28.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Leviticus 19:28"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Leviticus 19:28" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>