Difference between revisions of "Baldness"

<p> The [[Israelites]] were forbidden to cut themselves or to make themselves bald for the dead, as the heathen did; for they were a holy people unto the Lord. &nbsp;Leviticus 21:5; &nbsp;Deuteronomy 14:1; &nbsp;Jeremiah 16:6 . [[Baldness]] is one of the judgements of the Lord: perhaps they would make themselves bald in their distress. &nbsp;Isaiah 3:24; &nbsp;Isaiah 15:2; &nbsp;Isaiah 22:12; &nbsp;Ezekiel 7:18; &nbsp;Amos 8:10; &nbsp;Micah 1:16 . See [[Nazarite]] </p>

<p> ''''' bôld´ness ''''' קרחה , <i> ''''' ḳorḥāh ''''' </i> ̌ : The reference in the Bible to baldness is not to the natural loss of hair, but to baldness produced by shaving the head. This was practiced as a mark of mourning for the dead (&nbsp;Leviticus 21:5; &nbsp;Isaiah 15:2; &nbsp;Isaiah 22:12 ); as the result of any disaster (&nbsp;Amos 8:10; &nbsp;Micah 1:16 ). The custom arose from the fact that the hair was regarded as a special ornament. It was the custom of the people of the land, and the Israelites were strictly forbidden to practice it (&nbsp;Leviticus 21:5; &nbsp;Deuteronomy 14:1 ). These are striking passages with reference to the knowledge the Israelites had concerning the future life. This is saying to them what Paul said to the Thessalonians (&nbsp;1 Thessalonians 4:13 ). To call one a "bald head" was an epithet of contempt, and was sometimes applied to persons who were not naturally bald. It was the epithet applied by certain infidel young men to Elisha (&nbsp;2 Kings 2:23 , &nbsp;2 Kings 2:24 ). In a figurative sense it is used to express the barrenness of the country (&nbsp;Jeremiah 47:5 ). See Hair; [[Shaving]] . </p>