The Bible and Tattoos
March 1, 2010 by WitnessMark
Filed under The Word & Will of God
The Bible and Tattoos
Tattoos seem to be popular today among young Christians. The typical argument for those that believe we should not get tattoos is that we should glorify God with our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:20). Sadly, the Christian that wants the tattoo argues back by saying “if I get a tattoo about Christ, God, or my faith, then I am glorifying God with my body.”
I say sadly because there is an “obscure” verse in Leviticus that answers the question of whether Christians are permitted to get tattoos very clearly:
“Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.” – Leviticus 19:28
I know – the pro-tattooist will probably argue that this is in context of a mourning ritual. Linguistically, this argument is not valid. First, this sentence is a conjunction of two separate warnings that are tied together through “or”. The first warning is “Do not cut your bodies for the dead.” It was a popular practice in ancient Middle East to show respect and honor for the dead by cutting oneself and rubbing the ash from the funeral into the infliction. This was the earliest form of a tattoo. The ash rubbing into an open wound symbolized that the memory of the recent deceased would continue on with the living. God is not telling us to not hold a ritual or funeral for the dead, rather He is telling us not to put tattoos on our bodies for the dead.
The second warning is that you should not put a tattoo mark on yourself. Since “tattoo” as we know it is modern, we should explore the original meaning of this word. The words that are used to transcribe tattoo in Hebrew are kethôbeth qa‛ăqa‛. kethôbeth is a derivative of kâthab, which means to write and kethôbeth means to write on your skin. Qa‛ăqa‛ literally means an incision or gnash and in this context, Qa‛ăqa‛ is implied as scarring or making something permanent on the skin. Combining these together, God is telling us not to write any permanent letter or mark on our skin. But on this side of the conjunction, God is not referencing “for the dead”, rather He is generalizing the prohibition of any form of a tattoo on our bodies.
Therefore, both warnings within this conjunction are referencing a warning against any act of putting a mark on your skin, whether for the dead or for yourself. None of these warnings are speaking directly against the act of flesh ritual practices. God accomplishes such warnings against idolatry in Exodus 20:4-6 “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.”
On the contrary, there are multiple references to God-ordained “tattoos” on our bodies. Again, only when Qa‛ăqa‛ is used, does it refer to a permanent tattoo since an incision or gnash needs to be made for ink to become permanent…
In Isaiah 44:5, God is describing a generation of Israel that He will pour out His spirit on; “still another will write on his hand, The Lord’s”. However, here, “write” is translated as kâthab, which means to write, but since qa‛ăqa‛ is not used, this example is only a temporary marking.
In Ezekiel 9:4, God tells a certain man clothed in linen to put a mark on the foreheads of certain men. Here, “mark” is translated as tâv, which means a signature. Again, since qa‛ăqa‛ is not used, this is only a temporary marking.
In Revelation 7:3, God seals His bond-servants so that they are not harmed by the opening of the seven seals. Here, the word sphragizō is used and translated as “to stamp for security or preservation.” God has a purpose for this mark on the foreheads of His servants during this time – it is to preserve them from judgment.
In Revelation 22:4, God marks his servants that inherit Him by putting His name on our foreheads. The adverbial preposition here is meta, which is denoting “association” or “accompaniment” with God. This is a permanent association in an eternal inheritance. However, this is God-given, not man-created.
-Mark
