Topical Bible: The Hair: Sometimes Worn Long by Men

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Topical Encyclopedia

In biblical times, the length and style of hair held cultural and religious significance, and the Scriptures provide various references to men wearing their hair long. This practice can be seen in different contexts, often reflecting vows, cultural customs, or divine instructions.

Nazarite Vow:
One of the most notable instances of men wearing long hair in the Bible is associated with the Nazarite vow. This vow, described in Numbers 6:1-21, was a special commitment to God that included abstaining from wine, avoiding contact with the dead, and not cutting one's hair. The long hair served as a visible sign of the individual's dedication to the Lord. Samson is perhaps the most famous Nazarite, whose strength was linked to his uncut hair. Judges 16:17 records Samson's words to Delilah: "No razor has ever come upon my head, because I have been a Nazarite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaved, my strength will leave me, and I will become as weak as any other man."

Cultural Practices:
Long hair on men was also a cultural practice in certain periods and regions. For instance, Absalom, the son of King David, is noted for his long hair, which he cut only once a year. 2 Samuel 14:25-26 describes Absalom's hair: "In all Israel, there was no man as handsome and highly praised as Absalom. From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head, he was without blemish. And when he cut the hair of his head—he shaved it every year because his hair got so heavy—he would weigh it, and it would be five pounds according to the royal standard."

Prophetic Symbolism:
Long hair could also serve as a prophetic symbol. The prophet Ezekiel was instructed by God to shave his head and beard as a sign to the people of Israel, symbolizing the coming judgment and exile (Ezekiel 5:1-4). This act of shaving contrasted with the norm of longer hair, highlighting the severity of the message.

Apostolic Teaching:
In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul addresses the topic of hair length in 1 Corinthians 11:14-15 , where he writes, "Does not 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." This passage has been interpreted in various ways, often understood as reflecting the cultural norms of the time regarding gender distinctions and propriety in worship settings.

Conclusion:
The Bible presents a nuanced view of men wearing long hair, with instances that reflect religious devotion, cultural customs, and symbolic acts. While certain passages suggest a preference for shorter hair on men, the context and purpose behind long hair in specific situations reveal its deeper significance in biblical narratives.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

2 Samuel 14:26
And when he polled his head, (for it was at every year's end that he polled it: because the hair was heavy on him, therefore he polled it:) he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels after the king's weight.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Among the People, and with the Pharisees
... feet; but ladies wore also costly slippers, sometimes embroidered, or ... and the face,
even garlands worn at feasts ... The hair, which was considered a chief point of ...
/.../edersheim/sketches of jewish social life/chapter 13 among the people.htm

Homeward Bound
... friends might entreat him to put off the rasping hair. ... He had worn it for functions,
and would bear it ... the streets with mud above the ankles, sometimes up to ...
/.../marson/hugh bishop of lincoln/chapter x homeward bound.htm

Marriage of the Blessed virgin to Joseph
... The Blessed Virgin had very abundant hair, reddish-gold in ... over his breast, like
the bands worn by our ... in which these holy relics were sometimes preserved with ...
/.../emmerich/the life of the blessed virgin mary/vii marriage of the blessed.htm

Correspondences
... and arms, and often a necklet of berries is worn.]. ... All salvation is that in reality,
but sometimes, as in ... Within a hair's-breadth she drew back, and struck out ...
/.../wilson-carmichael/things as they are/chapter iv correspondences.htm

Missed Ends
... He was old and worn and thin. ... Sometimes she broke through all restraint, and clasped
him in her ... while the women all rushed out, tearing their hair and beating ...
/.../wilson-carmichael/things as they are/chapter vi missed ends.htm

The Vengeance of Heaven
... ultimate reward of good Nicarete or woe-worn Olympias ... He lived"for a continued life
is sometimes a chief ... shoulder, who has clutched thee by the hair for these ...
/.../chapter lx the vengeance of.htm

Ignatius Leaves his Native Land --What He did at Montserrat and at ...
... In former days he had been very careful of his hair, which he had worn, and, indeed ...
But during the time that the vision lasted, sometimes for days, or a ...
/.../loyola/the autobiography of st ignatius/chapter ii ignatius leaves his.htm

Matt. xxi. 33-44.
... them, and is not seen; and sometimes while appearing ... goat's hair, for some of camel's
hair, and there ... some for whom skins suffice alone, and these long worn. ...
/.../homilies on the gospel of saint matthew/homily lxviii matt xxi 33-44.htm

The Hermit and the Boy
... spot, and had, in fact, been mainly worn by his ... him he recognised Anthusa, whom he
had sometimes seen after ... tears, his cheeks were sunken, his hair was thin ...
/.../chapter v the hermit and.htm

Palestine under Pagan Kings.
... of destruction slew one hundred and eighty-five thousand men. ... for many hundred years
by them: sometimes hidden away ... that used to bind the long hair worn by the ...
/.../headley/half hours in bible lands volume 2/palestine under pagan kings.htm