Baldness
Baldness [1]
bôld´ness קרחה , ḳorḥāh ̌ : 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 ( Leviticus 21:5; Isaiah 15:2; Isaiah 22:12 ); as the result of any disaster ( Amos 8:10; 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 ( Leviticus 21:5; 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 ( 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 ( 2 Kings 2:23 , 2 Kings 2:24 ). In a figurative sense it is used to express the barrenness of the country ( Jeremiah 47:5 ). See Hair; Shaving .
