Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Why Does the Bible Forbid Tattoos?...And have we been misinterpreting Leviticus?
JSTOR Daily ^ | January 2, 2021 | By: Livia Gershon

Posted on 01/19/2024 8:42:39 PM PST by Red Badger

Tattoos have been around for millennia. People got them at least five thousand years ago. Today they’re common everywhere from Maori communities in New Zealand to office parks in Ohio. But in the ancient Middle East, the writers of the Hebrew Bible forbade tattooing. Per Leviticus 19:28, “You shall not make gashes in your flesh for the dead, or incise any marks on yourselves.”

Historically, scholars have often understood this as a warning against pagan practices of mourning. But language scholar John Huehnergard and ancient-Israel expert Harold Liebowitz argue that tattooing was understood differently in ancient times.

Huehnergard and Liebowitz note that the appearance of the ban on incisions—or tattoos—comes right after words clearly related to mourning, perhaps confirming the original theory. And yet, looking at what’s known about death rituals in ancient Mesopotamia, Syria, Israel, and Egypt, they find no references to marking the skin as a sign of mourning. They also note that there are other examples in Leviticus and Exodus where two halves of a verse address different issues. So that could be the case here, too.

What tattoos were apparently often used for in ancient Mesopotamia was marking enslaved people (and, in Egypt, as decorations for women of all social classes). Egyptian captives were branded with the name of a god, marking them as belongings of the priests or pharaoh. But devotees might also be branded with the name of the god they worshiped.

Huehnergard and Liebowitz suggest that, given the key role of the escape from Egyptian bondage in ancient Jewish law, the Torah originally banned tattooing because it was “the symbol of servitude.” Interestingly, though, they write that there’s one other apparent reference to tattooing in the Hebrew Bible. Isaiah 44:5 describes the children of Jacob committing themselves to God: “One shall say, ‘I am the LORD’s’… Another shall mark his arm ‘of the LORD.’” Here a tattoo appears to be allowable as a sign of submission, not to a human master but to God.

Ancient rabbinic debates produced a variety of different theories about the meaning of the prohibition on tattooing. Some authorities believed that tattoos were only disallowed if they had certain messages, such as the name of God, the phrase “I am the Lord,” or the name of a pagan deity. Talmudic law developed around 200 CE says that a tattoo is only disallowed if it is done “for the purpose of idolatry”—but not if it’s intended to mark a person’s enslaved status.

The meaning of the prohibition on tattooing may have shifted over time, of course. But in ancient times, it might never have been about mourning practices at all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Biblical Prohibition Against Tattooing By: John Huehnergard and Harold Liebowitz Vetus Testamentum, Vol. 63, Fasc. 1 (2013), pp. 59-77 Brill

DOWNLOAD PDF:

https://www.jstor.org/stable/23496450?mag=why-does-the-bible-forbid-tattoos


TOPICS: Arts/Photography; Health/Medicine; History; Religion
KEYWORDS: belongsinreligion; bible; christian; ink; jewish; tats; tattoo; tattooing; tattoos
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-88 next last
To: imabadboy99

“nothing worse than seeing a pretty girl with a tattoo.”

Well maybe worse to see an old lady that was a pretty girl once with a tattoo.


61 posted on 01/20/2024 5:49:49 AM PST by Jolla
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: vespa300

Do you let your sideburns go uncut or keep kosher too? Leviticus has lots of laws that were all superceded by the resurrection.


62 posted on 01/20/2024 5:54:47 AM PST by HonorInPa
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 38 | View Replies]

To: maddog55

All men, not women. Show me a high class woman with a tatoo. None.


63 posted on 01/20/2024 6:20:23 AM PST by Reno89519 (It's war. No one murders and takes Americans hostage. Time to act. Declare war on Islamic Hamas.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 51 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger

Well, I suppose I am very rebellious, as I have been an avid Biker and Rock Musician for over a half Century. And I have NO INK.

Nevertheless, my congregation (Biker Church) in Florida had enough to float a battleship.

Now that I am in my 70’s, I’m glad I never indulged, because my skin is getting OLD.

Old tats, especially on a woman, look creepy. I mean crepy. LOL!


64 posted on 01/20/2024 6:21:37 AM PST by left that other site (Romans 8:28)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: The Louiswu

Yes, tattoos and piercings definitely ruin an otherwise pretty and classy woman. End result is trashy skank.


65 posted on 01/20/2024 6:24:30 AM PST by Reno89519 (It's war. No one murders and takes Americans hostage. Time to act. Declare war on Islamic Hamas.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 50 | View Replies]

To: Wallace T.

Excellent post.

Thank you.


66 posted on 01/20/2024 6:26:30 AM PST by Arlis
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 48 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger

“A tatoo is a permanent reminder of a temporary feeling.”

“A scar is a tatoo not willfully chosen that has a better story behind it than a tatoo.” I have many of these, none of the other.

Against our wishes and knowledge, a son (who knows Greek) had “In God’s hands” tatooed on his lower back in Greek, and an ICHTHEUS symbol on his wrist when a teen. He is a godly Christian father now and loves the Lord. No - think we should not tat ourselves, but at least he sealed himself outwardly as belonging to the Lord.


67 posted on 01/20/2024 6:31:44 AM PST by Arlis
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger

Seems liberals want to change Christ’s teachings to meet their biased needs.


68 posted on 01/20/2024 6:40:21 AM PST by chopperk (e )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: HonorInPa

>>>Do you let your sideburns go uncut or keep kosher too? Leviticus has lots of laws that were all superceded by the resurrection.>>>>

I suggest a study on the shadows that point to Jesus...done away at the cross. The Ten Commandments do not point to Jesus. They are his moral law. The Sabbath predates the Jews and ceremonial law and shadows pointing to the cross. It was made for man before sin.

And if a pig was dirty before the cross.....it’s dirty now. If you want to eat meat...go ahead. Colon Cancer can be forgiven too. But I sure don’t want it.


69 posted on 01/20/2024 6:49:50 AM PST by vespa300
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 62 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger

Fantasy Island would not have worked without him.


70 posted on 01/20/2024 6:54:58 AM PST by SunkenCiv (Putin should skip ahead to where he kills himself in the bunker.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger
"What tattoos were apparently often used for in ancient Mesopotamia was marking enslaved people slaves..."

"Talmudic law developed around 200 CE AD 200..."

FIFY

71 posted on 01/20/2024 7:06:05 AM PST by Fiji Hill
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: The Louiswu

Those nose rings look like snot coming out of their noses. Why does anyone think that’s attractive?


72 posted on 01/20/2024 7:20:25 AM PST by Nea Wood ( )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 50 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger

I remember teens in the 1950s and 1960s who, living in an area tattoos were illegal to make, would take a bottle of ink and do self tattooing. They always looked horrible.

The American Indian would do tattoos and also slash themselves with knives when a kinsman died.
Mountain man Andrew Garcia (Tough Trip Through Paradise) mentions his woman cut herself when a kinsman died. Some of the slashes were a half inch deep.


73 posted on 01/20/2024 7:21:26 AM PST by Ruy Dias de Bivar
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger

And God created man in His image and said it is good. So why would anyone want to deface a perfect creation. Who would want to add paint to a Michael Angelo?


74 posted on 01/20/2024 7:25:55 AM PST by roho (SemperFi)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Robert357

1 Corinthians 10.......................


75 posted on 01/20/2024 7:26:51 AM PST by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: Robert357

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%2010&version=NIV


76 posted on 01/20/2024 7:27:19 AM PST by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: Responsibility2nd

“She’s graffitied up like a railroad boxcar.”

Brings back memories of an old movie BOXCAR BERTHA. She had no tattoos. Today she would.

I am reminded of 1985 when I was in a book store when a couple came in with two small children. The two adults had tattoos all over them. The proceeded to the adult magazines and opened one in which the nude women were covered with tattoos. Even the kids were looking at them.


77 posted on 01/20/2024 7:28:21 AM PST by Ruy Dias de Bivar
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: Reno89519

I mention Churchill’s mother having one..

Princess Sofia of Sweden
Princess Stephanie of Monaco
Dana Loesch
Tomi Lahren
Dolly Parton
Sandra Bullock

Depends on your idea of high class.


78 posted on 01/20/2024 7:28:50 AM PST by maddog55 (The only thing systemic in America is the left's hatred of it!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 63 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger

Dad who was in Europe in WW II, warned me about tattoos as he had seen or heard of soldiers with tattoos being taken prisoner and turned into lampshades.

When I was in, some of the enlistees went down and had tattoos done. I noticed the sharp detail but after a few weeks the tattoos began to lose their sharpness.

I never desired to be branded and had no desire for a tattoo.


79 posted on 01/20/2024 7:31:25 AM PST by Ruy Dias de Bivar
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger

I am surprised another thing the Egyptians did to rebels has not taken hold on today’s “rebellious” youth.

They would cut the noses off such rebels.


80 posted on 01/20/2024 7:40:12 AM PST by Ruy Dias de Bivar
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-88 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson