3587. xurao
Lexical Summary
xurao: To shave

Original Word: ξυράω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: xurao
Pronunciation: ksoo-rah'-o
Phonetic Spelling: (xoo-rah'-o)
KJV: shave
Word Origin: [from a derivative of the same as G3586 (ξύλον - tree) (meaning a razor)]

1. to shave or "shear" the hair

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
shave.

From a derivative of the same as xulon (meaning a razor); to shave or "shear" the hair -- shave.

see GREEK xulon

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 3587: ξυράω

ξυράω (a later form, from Diodorus (1, 84) down, for ξυρέω, which the earlier writers used from Herodotus down; (Winers Grammar, 24; Buttmann, 63 (55); especially Alexander Buttmann (1873) Ausf. Spr. ii., p. 53)), ξυρῷ: perfect passive participle ἐξυρημενος; middle, present infinitive ξυρᾶσθαι (for which some would read (1 Corinthians 11:6) ξυρᾶσθαι (1 aorist middle infinitive from ξυρῷ); see WH's Appendix, p. 166); 1 aorist subjunctive 3 person plural ξυρήσωνται (but T Tr WH read the future ξυρήσονται); (from ξυρόν a razor, and this from ξύω); the Sept. for גִּלַּח; to shear, shave: passive 1 Corinthians 11:5; middle to get oneself shaved, 1 Corinthians 11:6; 1 Corinthians 11:6; with an accusative specifying the object more precisely (cf. Buttmann, § 134, 7; Winer's Grammar, § 32, 5): τήν κεφαλήν, Acts 21:21 (the Sept. Numbers 6:9, 19: Leviticus 21:5; τάς ὀφρύας, Herodotus 2, 66; τό σῶμα, 2, 37).

Topical Lexicon
Overview

Strong’s Greek 3587 captures the act of shaving the head with a razor. In the New Testament it appears only three times and always marks an outward, visible statement—either of public shame (1 Corinthians 11) or of consecration and purification (Acts 21).

Old Testament Background

• Nazarite vow completion required the head to be shaved and the hair burned on the altar (Numbers 6:18).
• Certain cleansings—such as the restoration of a healed leper (Leviticus 14:8-9)—also involved shaving.
• Shaving could signify humiliation when forced by enemies (2 Samuel 10:4-5; Isaiah 7:20).

These precedents inform the New Testament use, where the razor becomes a symbol of either voluntary devotion or imposed disgrace.

Cultural Setting in the First Century

Among Greeks and Romans, philosophers often wore long hair and beards, while soldiers and athletes shaved for practicality. Jewish custom, however, prized uncut hair for men under specific vows and viewed the woman’s long hair as her “glory” (1 Corinthians 11:15). Thus, head-shaving carried layered meanings across the Mediterranean world, and Paul addresses believers who occupied all three cultures.

New Testament Usage

1 Corinthians 11:5-6 – Paul argues that a Christian woman who prays or prophesies without a covering “is one and the same as having her head shaved.” In Corinthian society a shaved female head could indicate adultery, slavery, or temple prostitution. Paul appeals to that cultural shame to press the theological point that public worship must reflect created order and honor.

Acts 21:24 – James advises Paul, “Take these men, join in their purification, and pay their expenses so they can shave their heads.” The suggested act corresponds to the Nazarite or similar temporary vow in which the final razor stroke testified that the period of devotion had ended in purity. Paul’s participation shows his respect for the Law, silencing rumors that he taught Jews “to forsake Moses.”

Theological Reflections

1. External signs matter because they proclaim internal realities. Whether the sign is disgrace (a woman defying headship) or devotion (men completing a vow), the action preaches.
2. Christian liberty never nullifies God-ordained distinctions. Paul affirms the created order of male headship and female glory while situating it within Spirit-filled worship.
3. The transition from Law to Gospel does not erase the principle of vow fulfillment. Acts 21 illustrates that voluntary acts of dedication remain legitimate expressions of faith so long as they do not supplant the finished work of Christ.

Ministry Implications

• Public worship should exhibit visual cues that align with biblical teaching on gender, holiness, and community witness.
• Leaders may at times participate in culturally intelligible rituals (as Paul did) to remove needless stumbling blocks, provided the gospel is not compromised.
• Vows, fasting, or other physical disciplines retain value when undertaken to deepen devotion, but they must be concluded faithfully lest they become empty gestures.

Practical Application for Today

1. Evaluate dress and appearance in worship through the lens of honor, modesty, and edification, not through legalism or cultural capitulation.
2. Use tangible actions—such as special seasons of consecration or service projects—to signal corporate commitment, ensuring they point to Christ and not to human merit.
3. When navigating multi-cultural settings, discern which external forms clarify the gospel and which confuse it, following Paul’s example of becoming “all things to all men” without violating conscience or Scripture.

Related Terms and Themes

• Keirō (Strong’s 2751) – “to cut the hair”: broader term for shearing or clipping.
• Head covering (1 Corinthians 11:2-16).
• Nazarite vow (Numbers 6).
• Ritual purification (Acts 21:26; Hebrews 9:13-14).
• Shame and honor dynamics in Scripture.

Forms and Transliterations
εξυρημενη ἐξυρημένῃ εξυρημένοι εξύρησαν εξυρήσατο εξυρήσε εξύρησε εξύρησεν ξύη ξυρασθαι ξυράσθαι ξυρᾶσθαι ξυρηθήναι ξυρηθήσεσθε ξυρηθήσεται ξυρηθήσονται ξύρησαι ξυρήσασθαι ξυρήσει ξυρήσεις ξυρήσεται ξύρησιν ξύρησίν ξυρησονται ξυρήσονται ξυρήσωμαι ξυρήσωνται ξυρόν ξυρός ξυρώ ξυστούς ξύων exuremene exurēmenē exyremene exyrēmenē exyreménei exyrēménēi xurasthai xuresontai xurēsontai xyrasthai xyrâsthai xyresontai xyrēsontai xyrḗsontai
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Acts 21:24 V-FIM-3P
GRK: αὐτοῖς ἵνα ξυρήσονται τὴν κεφαλήν
NAS: so that they may shave their heads;
KJV: that they may shave [their] heads:
INT: them that they may shave the head

1 Corinthians 11:5 V-RPM/P-DFS
GRK: αὐτὸ τῇ ἐξυρημένῃ
NAS: as the woman whose head is shaved.
KJV: all one as if she were shaven.
INT: same the with having been shaven

1 Corinthians 11:6 V-PNM/P
GRK: κείρασθαι ἢ ξυρᾶσθαι κατακαλυπτέσθω
NAS: or her head shaved, let her cover
KJV: or shaven, let her be covered.
INT: to be shaved or to be shaven let her be concealed

Strong's Greek 3587
3 Occurrences


ἐξυρημένῃ — 1 Occ.
ξυρᾶσθαι — 1 Occ.
ξυρήσονται — 1 Occ.

3586
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