Leviticus 19:27 Meaning – Do Not Cut the Hair At The Sides
In this post, we will be sharing with you Leviticus 19:27 meaning of do not cut the hair at the sides of your head, what the Bible says about cutting hair.
Leviticus 19:27 NIV - "Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip the edges of your beard."
It’s important to understand the context in which this verse was written. Leviticus is a book that contains a lot of regulations and laws for the Israelites.
These laws were given to help the Israelites stay holy and set apart from other nations. Many of the laws were specific to the culture at that time and are not applicable to us today.
Leviticus 19:27 Meaning and Commentary
The Israelites were instructed not to cut their hair at the sides in order to avoid looking like the people of the nations around them. The people of those nations would often shave their hair in order to show their allegiance to their false gods. By not shaving their hair, the Israelites were to show that they worshiped the one true God.
This command was also likely given in order to prevent the Israelites from participating in practices associated with witchcraft. In those days, it was common for people who practiced witchcraft to shave their hair in order to make themselves more appealing to evil spirits.
Today, we can apply this passage by being careful not to imitate the world in our appearance. We should also be careful not to idolize anyone, whether it be a celebrity or someone we know personally. Instead, we should seek to imitate Christ in all that we do.
Be Holy, Because I Am Holy
The book of Leviticus starts with God commanding the Israelites to be holy, because he is holy (Leviticus 19:1-2). This is a theme that is repeated throughout the book (Leviticus 11:44-45, 20:7, 21:8).
One way that we can be holy is by being careful not to imitate the world in our appearance. We should also be careful not to idolize anyone, whether it be a celebrity or someone we know personally. Instead, we should seek to imitate Christ in all that we do.
What does it mean to be Holy?
The word “holy” means to be set apart. When God commands us to be holy, he is asking us to set ourselves apart from the world and to live in a way that is pleasing to him.
This doesn’t mean that we should isolate ourselves from the world, but we should be careful not to allow the world to influence us in a negative way.
How To Put Leviticus 19:27 Into Practice
If you want to put the meaning of Leviticus 19:27 into practice, here are some things you can do:
1. Be careful not to imitate the world in your appearance.
As Christians, we are called to be set apart from the world. One way we can do this is by being careful not to imitate the world in our appearance. We should be careful not to copy the hairstyles or clothing of those who are involved in sinful activities. We should also be careful not to become too focused on our appearance.
2. Be careful not to idolize anyone.
Idolizing someone means that we put them on a pedestal and try to imitate everything about them. This can be dangerous because it can lead us down a path of sin. Instead, we should seek to imitate Christ in all that we do.
3. Seek to imitate Christ in all that you do.
One of the best ways to put Leviticus 19:27 into practice is to seek to imitate Christ in all that you do. When we imitate Christ, we are setting ourselves apart from the world and living in a way that is pleasing to God.
How do you apply Leviticus 19:27 in your life? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
Leviticus 19:27 Translations
NIV – “Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.”
ESV – “You shall not round off the hair on your temples or mar the edges of your beard.”
KJV – “Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard.”
NKJV – “Do not cut the hair on the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.”
NLT – “Do not shave the hair around the edges of your scalp or trim your beard.”
Bible Verse Of The Day
Leviticus 11:44 – “I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves along the ground.”
Is Cutting Your Hair A Sin?
The short answer is no, cutting your hair is not a sin. For many people, hair is an important part of their identity. For example, a woman with long hair may feel feminine and beautiful, while a man with a shaved head may feel powerful and strong.
It is important to note here that, we are constantly sending messages about who we are and what we believe in based on our appearance.
For men, how you style or cut your hair must be morally neutral, it should not promote sexual immorality or be a hindrance to prayer.
Bible Verses About Cutting Your Hair
1 Corinthians 11:14
“Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair it is a disgrace for him”
Leviticus 21:5
“They shall not make bald patches on their heads, nor shave off the edges of their beards, nor make any cuts on their body.”
1 Peter 3:3
“Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—”
Leviticus 19:27
“You shall not round off the hair on your temples or mar the edges of your beard.”
Ezekiel 44:20
“They shall not shave their heads or let their locks grow long; they shall surely trim the hair of their heads.”
2 Samuel 14:26
“And when he cut the hair of his head (for at the end of every year he used to cut it; when it was heavy on him, he cut it), he weighed the hair of his head, two hundred shekels by the king’s weight.”
Judges 16:19
“She made him sleep on her knees. And she called a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him.”
2 Samuel 10:4
“So Hanun took David’s servants and shaved off half the beard of each and cut off their garments in the middle, at their hips, and sent them away.”
1 Timothy 2:9
“Likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire”
See also:
Pin this!
What of if you cut your hair in a way that the down side is down but you leaving the top bushe small, is it wrong?