Bible Dictionary
Hair
Hair was carefully groomed and symbolically significant in biblical cultures. Long or uncut hair could mark beauty, mourning, or a Nazirite vow, while anointing the hair expressed joy and hospitality; disheveling or cutting it often expressed grief or humiliation.
Biblical Usage
Long hair marked Samson’s Nazirite devotion and is noted in descriptions of Absalom and others. Cutting, tearing, or dishevelling the hair expressed mourning or humiliation, while anointing it expressed joy and hospitality. Hair also symbolizes numberlessness, safety, strength, old age, and glory.
Scripture References
Genesis 41:14
1 Corinthians 11:14
1 Corinthians 11:15
1 Timothy 2:9
1 Peter 3:3
Luke 7:38
John 11:2
1 Corinthians 11:6
Leviticus 21
2 Kings 1:8
2 Samuel 14:26
Numbers 6:5
Judges 13:5
Acts 18:18
Isaiah 3:17
Isaiah 3:24
Jeremiah 7:29
Amos 8:10
Ezra 9:3
Isaiah 7:20
Ruth 3:3
2 Samuel 14:2
Psalms 23:5
Psalms 45:7
Matthew 6:17
Luke 7:46
Isaiah 15:2
Daniel 7:9
Revelation 1:14
2 Kings 9:30
Judges 16:13
Judges 16:19
Psalms 23:6
Psalms 92:10
Ecclesiastes 9:8
Matthew 5:36