What Does The Bible Say About Braided Hair
N ow that we’ve all had a good laugh at my expense, let’s take a closer look at The Bible. Specifically, the part about women’s hair. I know it sounds silly when you say it like that—it’s just hair!—but there are some interesting things about braided hair in the Bible.
“Your hair is like a flock of goats, streaming down from Gilead. Each of your teeth is like a young sheep; each bears twins, and not one among them has lost its young.”
Hair is a symbol of strength, beauty, and fertility. Hair also represents youth and health. It has long been used as a symbol of female beauty and wealth, as well as pride. Finally, hair is also viewed by many cultures as an indicator of vanity. As such, there are many instances in the Bible where people’s hair is mentioned for their good qualities or bad qualities respectively:
- The Bible mentions the “flock of goats” in reference to Saul’s braids (1 Samuel 17:40).
- In 1 Kings 15:5-8 we see that Jezebel would not allow her servants to trim their beards so that they could wear them like men instead of women.*
“His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;”
In the Bible, we are told that Jesus Christ will return to Earth in a white robe and with hair like wool. His eyes will also be as a flame of fire. We may not know what exactly this means, but we do know that it is important for us to keep our eyes on Jesus and his second coming.
“All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk. All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head…”
Because it was customary to grow hair long in biblical times, some people might think the following verses were written to describe men’s long hair. However, they were not. The Bible actually refers here to the custom of braiding one’s hair, which was common among both men and women:
“All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk. All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head; until a month is completed…and he shall let them grow like a woman’s hair [or] wool…(Leviticus 21:5).
“Yet she increased her whoring, remembering the days of her youth, when she played the whore in the land of Egypt”
“Yet she increased her whoring, remembering the days of her youth, when she played the whore in the land of Egypt.” – Ezekiel 23:3 (ESV)
The word “whoring” means to commit adultery or be unfaithful to your mate. In this case, it means that God’s wife was an adulteress. She had sex with other men besides God and she knew that He would not approve of this behavior.
“I said, I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of the boughs thereof: now also thy breasts shall be as clusters of the vine”
The palm tree is a symbol of victory, peace, fertility and beauty. In this verse we see the palm tree as a symbol of sexual vitality. The phrase “thy breasts” refers to the fruits from which wine was made. This is because it was believed that every fruit has its own wine within it (Deuteronomy 8:8).
Braided hair on women is considered a sign of beauty in Scripture which is why we see King David praising his wife Bathsheba for her braided hair (2 Samuel 11:2). When God appeared to Samson’s mother Manoah and showed her what would happen with her son she quickly recognized what God was talking about when he said he would take away their vineyard and make it a forest (Judges 13:23).
“For those who wait for me shall not be ashamed.”
The Bible is filled with verses about waiting on the Lord. He promises us that those who wait for Him will not be ashamed and that He will be faithful to fulfill His promise to bring us into His presence in the day of Christ (1 Corinthians 1:7; 2 Timothy 4:8).
The Bible also tells us that we should not give up, but rather keep on trusting in God (Hebrews 3:6). It says we should not fear any man or anything, because God is always greater than our circumstances (Philippians 4:13). We are told to have courage and faith when we face challenges (Hebrews 10:35). Even when there seems no hope, God has promised never to leave or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5), so don’t be afraid!
“And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him and said”
The Bible says, “And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.”
Jesus Christ was teaching. He was sitting with his disciples (disciples are followers of Jesus). A young woman named Martha was busy with serving the people who were listening to Jesus teach. When Martha saw that Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening to him teach, she came to him and said: “Lord, if thou hadst been here my brother had not died. But I know that even now whatsoever thou wilt ask God he will give it thee.”
“Let her hair hang loose and disheveled.” (Hosea 2:3)
Hosea 2:3 tells the people of Israel to let their hair hang loose and disheveled. The word “hanging” means to be hanging down, so this verse is telling women to let their hair hang loose and not tied back or braided.
The word “disheveled” means messy, which could mean that Hosea was telling women not to put too much product in their hair (such as gel), but it could also mean that he wanted women’s hair unbraided because he thought that would look better than a tight braid or ponytail.
As you can see from the verses above, the Bible has a lot to say about hair. The Bible tells us that our hair is a beautiful thing and should be treated with respect. It also tells us that braided hair has been used as an expression of mourning or grief throughout history.