Definition and Context:
Ugliness, in a biblical context, often refers to that which is aesthetically displeasing or morally repugnant. While the Bible does not frequently address physical ugliness directly, it does speak extensively about spiritual and moral ugliness, which is of greater concern in the biblical narrative. Ugliness can be understood as the opposite of beauty, which in Scripture is often associated with God's creation, holiness, and righteousness.

Physical Ugliness:
The Bible does not emphasize physical appearance as a measure of worth or virtue. In 1 Samuel 16:7, the LORD tells Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not see as man does. For man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart." This passage underscores the biblical principle that God values inner character over outward appearance.

Moral and Spiritual Ugliness:
Moral ugliness is depicted in the Bible as sin and unrighteousness. Isaiah 64:6 describes the spiritual state of humanity: "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind, our sins sweep us away." This verse highlights the inherent moral ugliness of sin, which separates humanity from the holiness of God.

Ugliness in Idolatry and Sin:
Idolatry is often portrayed as spiritually ugly in the Bible. In Ezekiel 16:25, the prophet describes Israel's idolatry with vivid imagery: "At every street corner you built your lofty shrines and degraded your beauty, spreading your legs to all who passed by and multiplying your promiscuity." Here, the ugliness of idolatry is contrasted with the beauty of faithfulness to God.

Transformation from Ugliness to Beauty:
The Bible offers hope for transformation from ugliness to beauty through redemption. In Isaiah 61:3, the prophet speaks of God's promise "to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair." This transformation is made possible through the work of Jesus Christ, who redeems and restores.

Christ's Suffering and Ugliness:
In Isaiah 53:2-3, the suffering servant, a prophecy of Christ, is described: "He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief." This passage emphasizes that Christ took on the ugliness of human sin and suffering, yet through His sacrifice, He brought about the ultimate beauty of salvation.

Application for Believers:
Believers are called to focus on inner beauty and righteousness. 1 Peter 3:3-4 advises, "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." This instruction encourages Christians to cultivate spiritual beauty through a life of holiness and devotion to God.

Conclusion:
While the Bible acknowledges the existence of physical and moral ugliness, it places greater emphasis on the transformation and redemption available through Christ. Believers are encouraged to seek the beauty of holiness and to reflect God's glory in their lives.(n.) The quality or state of being ugly.7455. roa -- badness, evil
... Word Origin of uncertain derivation Definition badness, evil NASB Word Usage evil
(10), rottenness (4), sad (1), sadness (1), ugliness (1), wickedness (2). ...
/hebrew/7455.htm - 6k

Daily Bread
... You say, "We see ugliness as well as beauty,"what does that mean?" Ugliness serves
its purpose in aiding by repulsion to train the sense of beauty. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/merriam/the chief end of man/v daily bread.htm

Sixth Tractate. Beauty.
... total. Yet beauty in an aggregate demands beauty in details; it cannot be
constructed out of ugliness; its law must run throughout. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/plotinus/the six enneads/sixth tractate beauty.htm

The Problem of Evil
... The ugliness of evil lies precisely in the fact that it always, somehow or other,
consists in the corruption of something inherently good. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/rolt/dionysius the areopagite/iv the problem of evil.htm

The Last Few Decades have Been Marked by a Special Cultivation of ...
... why modern armaments do not inflame the imagination like the arms and emblazonments
of the Crusades is a reason quite apart from optical ugliness or beauty. ...
/.../chesterton/whats wrong with the world/chapter 4 the last few.htm

Seemingly from the Dawn of Man all Nations have had Governments...
... And if anyone asks what is the use of insisting on the ugliness of this task of
state violence since all mankind is condemned to employ it, I have a simple ...
/.../chesterton/whats wrong with the world/chapter 23 seemingly from the.htm

Letter i. --About Vanity and Infidelities.
... You must know that before curing you of vanity God wills to make you feel all the
ugliness of this accursed passion, and to convince you thoroughly of your ...
/.../abandonment to divine providence/letter i about vanity and infidelities.htm

Note
... [26]The cheapness is not the direct cause of the ugliness of our common
hymn-books, nor is their ugliness the cause of their cheapness. ...
/.../bridges/a practical discourse on some principles of hymn-singing/note.htm

Christmas and the Aesthetes
... In an age of dusty modernity, when beauty was thought of as something barbaric and
ugliness as something sensible, he alone saw that men must always have the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/chesterton/heretics/vi christmas and the aesthetes.htm

The Programme of the Society
... the graveyard, of the sweating-shop and the pawn-shop and the drink-shop; think
of the cold, the cruelty, the fever, the famine, the ugliness, the loneliness ...
/.../the programme of the society.htm

Unfruitful Works of Darkness
... No doubt, the best way, in some circumstances, to convict the darkness is
to shine. Our holiness will convict sin of its ugliness. ...
/.../expositions of holy scripture ephesians peter/unfruitful works of darkness.htm

Ugliness (1 Occurrence)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (n.) The quality or state of being ugly.
Multi-Version Concordance Ugliness (1 Occurrence). Genesis 41:19 ...
/u/ugliness.htm - 6k

Ugly (7 Occurrences)
... Genesis 41:19 and behold, seven other cattle came up after them, poor and very ugly
and thin, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for ugliness. ...
/u/ugly.htm - 8k

Uel (1 Occurrence)

/u/uel.htm - 6k

Gaunt (7 Occurrences)
... Genesis 41:19 and behold, seven other cattle came up after them, poor and very ugly
and thin, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for ugliness. ...
/g/gaunt.htm - 8k

Filth (21 Occurrences)
... at close of verse (niddah); nechosheth, "brass," figuratively (for "impurity" or
"impudence") (Ezekiel 16:36); aischrotes, primarily "ugliness," tropical for ...
/f/filth.htm - 17k

Filthiness (16 Occurrences)
... at close of verse (niddah); nechosheth, "brass," figuratively (for "impurity" or
"impudence") (Ezekiel 16:36); aischrotes, primarily "ugliness," tropical for ...
/f/filthiness.htm - 16k

Filthy (22 Occurrences)
... at close of verse (niddah); nechosheth, "brass," figuratively (for "impurity" or
"impudence") (Ezekiel 16:36); aischrotes, primarily "ugliness," tropical for ...
/f/filthy.htm - 16k

Thin (39 Occurrences)
... Genesis 41:19 and behold, seven other cattle came up after them, poor and very ugly
and thin, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for ugliness. ...
/t/thin.htm - 19k

Deformity (2 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (a.) Lack of proper form or symmetry; distortion; any
unnatural form or shape; irregularity of shape or features; ugliness. ...
/d/deformity.htm - 7k

Monster (10 Occurrences)
... 3. (n.) Any thing or person of unnatural or excessive ugliness, deformity, wickedness,
or cruelty. 4. (a.) Monstrous in size. 5. (vt) To make monstrous. Int. ...
/m/monster.htm - 10k

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