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Beard
Beards • Moustache • Whiskers
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Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible
Beard
Beard. Hair growing on the lower part of a man’s face, worn as a sign of maturity among all ancient Semitic peoples including the Israelites. Certain styles of beards were characteristic of specific cultures. Egyptian art objects, for example, often depict Egyptians as cleanshaven. Joseph may have shaved
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised
Beard
Beard [Heb. zāqān]. The Hebrews generally wore full rounded beards, as contrasted with the desert nomads who frequently clipped or cut their beards (cf. Jer. 9:26; 25:23; 49:32; etc.). The Egyptians were clean shaven, although high officials wore artificial beards. In Babylonia and Assyria the aristocrats
Tyndale Bible Dictionary
Beard
BEARD Hair growing on the lower part of a man’s face, worn as a sign of maturity among all ancient Semitic peoples, including the Israelites. Among the Israelites, care of the beard took on religious significance (Lv 19:27). Levitical law prohibited priests from shaving their heads or clipping their
The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary (Revised and Updated)
Beards
beards. Judging from ancient reliefs, Egyptians were generally clean shaven and Syrians were bearded, while in Mesopotamia the fashion changed several times. The Israelites depicted in the Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III (mid-ninth century bce) and the Israelite delegation standing before Sennacherib
The New Bible Dictionary, Third Edition
Beard
BEARD. 1. Heb. zāqān. Israelites and their neighbours generally wore full round beards which they tended scrupulously. The beard was a mark of vitality and of manly beauty (Ps. 133:2; cf. 2 Sa. 19:24); to shave or cover it was a sign of grief or mourning (Is. 15:2; Je. 48:37, etc.; cf. Lv. 19:27; 21:5,
Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible
Beard
BeardHair grown on the lower half of the face, usually excluding the mustache. Beards worn during ancient periods were viewed with great reverence and often symbolized strength and virility. In some cultures, such as ancient Babylon, important oaths were sworn upon beards. In contrast, Egyptians generally
Eerdmans Bible Dictionary
Beard
Beard. The Old Testament distinguishes between the beard (Heb. zāqān, Lev. 13:29; JB, NIV “chin”) and the moustache (lit. “upper lip,” Heb. śāp̱ām, Lev. 13:45; NIV “lower part of the face” 2 Sam. 19:24). As depicted in ancient Near Eastern art, the Israelites and other Semites wore full
Catholic Bible Dictionary
Beard
BEARD Among Semitic men, beards were almost universal. Their beards set the Semitic peoples apart from neighboring peoples, in particular the Egyptians (Gen 41:14) and later the Greeks and Romans. Trimming the edges of the beard, which seems to have been a pagan mourning rite (Lev 19:27; 21:5), was forbidden
Smith’s Bible Dictionary
Beard
Beard. Western Asiatics have always cherished the beard as the badge of the dignity of manhood, and attached to it the importance of a feature. The Egyptians, on the contrary, for the most part shaved the hair of the face and head, though we find some instances to the contrary. The beard is the object
Easton’s Bible Dictionary
Beard
Beard—The mode of wearing it was definitely prescribed to the Jews (Lev. 19:27; 21:5). Hence the import of Ezekiel’s (5:1–4) description of the “razor” i.e., the agents of an angry providence being used against the guilty nation of the Jews. It was a part of a Jew’s daily toilet to anoint his beard with
Harper’s Bible Dictionary
Beards
Beardsbeards, hair left growing on the lower male face. Beards were worn in a wide variety of styles among ancient Near Eastern peoples. Judging from ancient reliefs, Egyptians were generally clean shaven, Syrians were bearded, while in Mesopotamia the fashion changed several times. The Israelites
Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary
Beard
BEARD — the hair on a man’s face. In biblical times most adult males of Israel wore full beards. An oiled and well-kept beard was a mark of pride (Ps. 133:2). The Law of Moses required Israelite men not to “disfigure the edges” of their beards (Lev. 19:27), a common practice of Israel’s pagan neighbors.
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Hair
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