Author's Note: All previous volumes of this series are here. The first 56 volumes are compiled into the book "Bible Study For Those Who Don't Read The Bible." "Part Two," featuring volumes 57-113, was published in December 2022.
Thank you for joining us today. Since hair is an unconventional Bible topic, here is how this study came about. By mid-week, no topic had presented itself. So, I prayed, and ‘hair” immediately blasted through the heavens, which surprised me.
Upon telling my husband, he suggested that I include “Hair,” that iconic non-biblical song from the 1968 Broadway musical of the same name. My first response was “no,” then I obliged, as a subservient wife. (Joke! and eye rolls from friends and family.) When I listened to “Hair” after not hearing it for many decades, what popped out were the following lyrics:
“My hair like Jesus wore it, Hallelujah, I adore it. Hallelujah, Mary loved her son
Why doesn’t my mother love me?”
Such was confirmation of this holy, hairy topic. Consider this hair study as a companion piece to “What the Bible Says About Clothes,” Vols. 269 - 270. Also, “Appearance” from Vol. 201. So, “hair” we go! Beginning with the first mention in Genesis:
“When [Rebekah] her days to give birth were completed, behold, there were twins in her womb. The first came out red, all his body like a hairy cloak, so they called his name Esau. Afterward, his brother came out with his hand holding Esau’s heel, so his name was called Jacob” (Genesis 25: 24-26).
Later, when Rebekah and Jacob planned their deceitful act to steal Esau’s birthright, Jacob describes what could be an obstacle in the plan: “Behold, my brother Esau is a hairy man, and I am a smooth” (Genesis 27:11). (See Vol. 173 for the Bible’s first case of identity theft.)
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The first mentions of hair were related to identification. However, there was no unified teaching about hair. Various passages suggest that hair can have symbolic significance in relation to gender, authority, and blessings. We only touch on a few in this study.
Hair was a symbol of strength and a vow to God. That means there is a relationship between our physical appearance and our Creator, as first recorded in the Old Testament book of Numbers 6. There, the Lord told Moses about the “Nazirite Vow.”
The vow required abstaining from fermented drinks and other indulgences, including refraining from hair cutting. Taking this vow was an act of total dedication to the Lord, who said to Moses:
“‘During the entire period of their Nazirite vow, no razor may be used on their head. They must be holy until the period of their dedication to the Lord is over; they must let their hair grow long” (Numbers 6:5).
The total dedication to the Lord can be completed in this manner, as He said:
“‘Then at the entrance to the tent of meeting, [where God dwelled inside] the Nazirite must shave off the hair that symbolizes their dedication. They are to take the hair and put it in the fire that is under the sacrifice of the fellowship offering ’” (Numbers 6:18).
The Old Testament story of Samson best illustrates this Nazirite vow, but with a twist. Samson’s saga spans the chapters of Judges 13-16. These chapters make for enthralling summer beach reading.
Samson’s birth story has a miraculous, familiar ring about a woman who could not conceive, and God intervened to create a great leader. That is similar to other biblical women who could not conceive, such as Sarah with Isaac, Rebekah with Jacob and Esau, Hannah with Samuel, and Elizabeth with John the Baptist.
Note that Samson’s mother was unnamed, but her son had a mission from God:
“And the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, ‘Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. Therefore, be careful and drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean.. No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines ’" (Judges 13:3-5).
Samson led Israel for 20 years. Then “one day,” he went to Gaza and spent the night with a prostitute named Delilah. She was allied with the Philistines, Israel’s enemy, who wanted to know the source of Samson’s strength. Judges’ records:
“So he told her everything. ‘No razor has ever been used on my head,’ he said, ‘because I have been a Nazirite dedicated to God from my mother’s womb. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man’” (Judges 16:17). (Lesson: Don’t share your deepest secrets with prostitutes.)
For this study, I will stop there. However, this complex and violent story does have a happy ending for the Israelites, who prevailed over their enemies because of the Lord. Our takeaway is that God used hair in the most dramatic way to symbolize a vow. Samson’s hair exemplifies physical might connected to his relationship with God.
Next, we discuss hair in terms of how God is intimately aware of it. Just like He knows every cell and thought in your brain, but loves and cares for you despite your flaws. In a long passage in Matthew 10, Jesus speaks to his disciples, comparing them to sparrows, reassuring them of God's care and provision:
“And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:30-31).
Again, Jesus used “hairs on your head” imagery in Luke 12. He is teaching his disciples about the importance of not fearing those who can only harm the body, but rather fearing God, who can destroy both body and soul in hell. Furthermore, because of God’s intimate knowledge and care about his disciples, Jesus says:
“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Luke 12:6-7).
Finally, a few verses relating to hair, beauty, and vanity. Senior readers rejoice:
“Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life” (Proverbs 16:31). And Peter knew all:
“Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious” (1 Peter 3:3-4).
That is a holy parting thought. No matter what you look like, the length of your hair, or whether you are bald, God created you. He thinks you are worthy of living to glorify Him. Amen!
Myra Kahn Adams is a conservative political and religious writer. Her book, "Bible Study For Those Who Don't Read The Bible," reprints the first 56 volumes of this popular study. "Part 2,” reprints Vols. 57 –113. Order it here.
She is also the Executive Director of the National Shroud of Turin Exhibit, dedicated to building a future permanent Shroud of Turin exhibit in Washington, D.C. Join our effort! Click to attend a major Shroud conference July 31- August 2 in St. Louis. Contact: <MyraAdams01@gmail.com>
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