Fausset
Shaved closely by men, worn long by women, in Egypt. The Hebrew wore long beards; the Egyptians only in mourning did so. At the same time the Hebrew kept the distinction of sexes by clipping the hair of men (though hardly so much as we do;
Lev_10:6; Hebrew: "let not loose (the hair of) your heads," not "uncover," etc.), but not of women (1Co_11:6, etc.;
Luk_7:38). The law forbad them to "round the corners of their heads, or mar the cornners of the beard"; for the Arabs in honour of the idol Orotal cut the hair from the temples in a circular form, and in mourning marred their beards (
Lev_19:27;
Jer_9:26 margin,
Jer_48:37). Baldness, being often the result of leprosy, disqualified for the priesthood (
Lev_21:20, Septuagint). (See BALDNESS.)
Absalom's luxuriant hair is mentioned as a sign of beauty, but was a mark of effeminacy; its weight perhaps was 20, not 200 shekels, the numeral resh (r) having by a copyist's error been substituted for kaph (k) (2Sa_14:26). Nazarites wore it uncut, a sign of humiliation and self-denial, at the same time of dedication of all the strength, of which hair was a token, to God (
Num_6:5;
Jdg_13:5;
Jdg_16:17). Shaving the head was often practiced in fulfillment of a vow, as Paul did, the shaving being usually followed by a sacrifice in 30 days (
Act_18:18); probably his vow was made in some sickness (
Gal_4:13).
Easton
The Egyptians let the hair of their head and beard grow only when they were in mourning, shaving it off at other times. “So particular were they on this point that to have neglected it was a subject of reproach and ridicule; and whenever they intended to convey the idea of a man of low condition, or a slovenly person, the artists represented him with a beard.” Joseph shaved himself before going in to Pharoah (
Gen_41:14). The women of Egypt wore their hair long and plaited. Wigs were worn by priests and laymen to cover the shaven skull, and false beards were common. The great masses of hair seen in the portraits and statues of kings and priests are thus altogether artificial.
Among the Greeks the custom in this respect varied at different times, as it did also among the Romans. In the time of the apostle, among the Greeks the men wore short hair, while that of the women was long (1Co_11:14, 1Co_11:15). Paul reproves the Corinthians for falling in with a style of manners which so far confounded the distinction of the sexes and was hurtful to good morals. (See, however, 1Ti_2:9, and 1Pe_3:3, as regards women.)
Among the Hebrews the natural distinction between the sexes was preserved by the women wearing long hair (
Luk_7:38;
Joh_11:2; 1Co_11:6), while the men preserved theirs as a rule at a moderate length by frequent clipping.
Baldness disqualified any one for the priest's office (
Lev. 21).
Elijah is called a “hairy man” (2Ki_1:8) from his flowing locks, or more probably from the shaggy cloak of hair which he wore. His raiment was of camel's hair.
Long hair is especially noticed in the description of Absalom's person (2Sa_14:26); but the wearing of long hair was unusual, and was only practiced as an act of religious observance by Nazarites (
Num_6:5;
Jdg_13:5) and others in token of special mercies (
Act_18:18).
In times of affliction the hair was cut off (
Isa_3:17,
Isa_3:24;
Isa_15:2;
Isa_22:12;
Jer_7:29;
Amo_8:10). Tearing the hair and letting it go disheveled were also tokens of grief (
Ezr_9:3). “Cutting off the hair” is a figure of the entire destruction of a people (
Isa_7:20). The Hebrews anointed the hair profusely with fragrant ointments (Rth_3:3; 2Sa_14:2;
Psa_23:5;
Psa_45:7, etc.), especially in seasons of rejoicing (
Mat_6:17;
Luk_7:46).
(and everything is going absolutely SWIMMINGLY really! It's just "everything" is such an expansive list)
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