Topical Encyclopedia
In the Bible, the concept of baldness is mentioned in various contexts, often carrying cultural and religious significance. The term "bald" or "baldness" appears in several passages, reflecting both literal and symbolic meanings.
Levitical Law and Ritual PurityIn the Old Testament, baldness is addressed in the context of Levitical laws concerning ritual purity.
Leviticus 13:40-41 states, "Now if a man loses his hair and is bald, he is still clean. Or if his hairline recedes and he is partially bald, he is still clean." This passage clarifies that natural baldness does not render a person ceremonially unclean, distinguishing it from skin diseases like leprosy, which required isolation and purification rituals.
Symbol of Mourning and JudgmentBaldness is also associated with mourning and lamentation. In the ancient Near Eastern culture, shaving one's head was a common expression of grief.
Isaiah 15:2 describes such a practice: "Dibon goes up to its temple, to its high places to weep; Moab wails over Nebo and Medeba. Every head is shaved, every beard is cut off." Here, baldness signifies deep sorrow and loss.
Furthermore, baldness can symbolize divine judgment. In
Isaiah 3:24 , the prophet warns of impending judgment on the daughters of Zion: "Instead of fragrance there will be a stench; instead of a belt, a rope; instead of styled hair, baldness; instead of fine clothing, sackcloth; instead of beauty, shame." The removal of hair, a symbol of beauty and dignity, represents the shame and humiliation that accompany God's judgment.
Prophetic SymbolismThe prophet Ezekiel also uses baldness as a prophetic symbol. In
Ezekiel 7:18 , the people of Israel are described in a state of despair: "They will put on sackcloth, and horror will cover them. Shame will be on all faces, and all their heads will be shaved." This imagery underscores the severity of the coming calamity and the people's utter desolation.
Mockery and DisrespectAn incident involving the prophet Elisha highlights the cultural perception of baldness as a potential source of mockery. In
2 Kings 2:23-24 , as Elisha travels to Bethel, a group of youths jeer at him, saying, "Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!" Elisha's response, invoking a curse that results in the youths being mauled by bears, underscores the seriousness of showing disrespect to God's prophet.
ConclusionIn biblical times, baldness carried various connotations, from natural aging and mourning practices to symbols of judgment and disrespect. The Bible's references to baldness reflect the cultural and religious milieu of the ancient world, where physical appearance often intersected with spiritual and communal life.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
a.) Destitute of the natural or common covering on the head or top, as of hair, feathers, foliage, trees, etc.; as, a bald head; a bald oak.
2. (a.) Destitute of ornament; unadorned; bare; literal.
3. (a.) Undisguised.
4. (a.) Destitute of dignity or value; paltry; mean.
5. (a.) Destitute of a beard or awn; as, bald wheat.
6. (a.) Destitute of the natural covering.
7. (a.) Marked with a white spot on the head; bald-faced.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
BALD LOCUSTbold lo'kust.
SeeLOCUST.
Strong's Hebrew
7139. qarach -- to makebald... 7138, 7139. qarach. 7140 . to make
bald. Transliteration: qarach Phonetic Spelling:
(kaw-rakh') Short Definition: make. Word Origin a prim.
...7142. qereach --bald
... 7141, 7142. qereach. 7143 .bald. Transliteration: qereach Phonetic Spelling:
(kay-ray'-akh) Short Definition: baldhead....bald head....
1371. gibbeach -- having abald forehead
... 1370, 1371. gibbeach. 1372 . having abald forehead. Transliteration: gibbeach
Phonetic Spelling: (ghib-bay'-akh) Short Definition: forehead.... foreheadbald....
1372. gabbachath -- abald forehead
... 1371, 1372. gabbachath. 1373 . abald forehead. Transliteration: gabbachath
Phonetic Spelling: (gab-bakh'-ath) Short Definition: forehead....
7144. qorchah -- baldness,bald spot
... 7143, 7144. qorchah or qorcha. 7145 . baldness,bald spot. Transliteration:
qorchah or qorcha Phonetic Spelling: (kor-khaw') Short Definition: baldness....
4803. marat -- to make smooth, bare orbald, to scour, polish
... 4802, 4803. marat. 4804 . to make smooth, bare orbald, to scour, polish.
Transliteration: marat Phonetic Spelling: (maw-rat') Short Definition: polished....
1548. galach -- to bebald, shave, shave off
... 1547, 1548. galach. 1549 . to bebald, shave, shave off. Transliteration: galach
Phonetic Spelling: (gaw-lakh') Short Definition: shave. Word Origin a prim...
7143. Qareach -- "bald one," a man of Judah
... 7142, 7143. Qareach. 7144 . "bald one," a man of Judah. Transliteration: Qareach
Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-ray'-akh) Short Definition: Kareah....
7146. qarachath -- baldness of head
... Word Origin from qarach Definition baldness of head NASB Word Usagebald head
(2), bareness* (1), head (1), top (1).bald head, bare within....
7140. qerach -- frost, ice
... crystal, frost, ice. Or qorach {ko'-rakh}; from qarach; ice (as ifbald, ie Smooth);
hence, hail; by resemblance, rock crystal -- crystal, frost, ice....
Library
Psalm XLVII.
... When God's Prophet Elisha was going up, children called after him mocking, "Go up
thoubald head, Go up thoubald head:" but he, not so much in cruelty as in...
Election
... Remember what became of the children who found fault with God's prophet, and exclaimed,
"Go up, thoubald-head; go up, thoubald-head." Say nothing against...
A Prophet of Peace
... These youth had heard of Elijah's ascension, and they made this solemn event the
subject of their jeers, saying to Elisha, "Go up, thoubald head; go up, thou...
Acts of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul.
... But Dioscorus the shipmaster, being himself alsobald, wearing his shipmaster's
dress, and speaking boldly, on the first day went out into the city of Pontiole...
Of the Gods Peculiar to the Romans, and their Sacred Rites.
... by the Gauls, and the Romans, who were besieged in the Capitol, had made military
engines from the hair of the women, they dedicated a temple to theBald Venus...
Christ Our Passover
... I venture to believe that the Lord's Supper is nothing more. I know how people
talk about the bare,bald, Zwinglian ideas of the Communion....
Paul Before his Conversion.
... more probably of the fourth century), Malala of Antioch (sixth century), and Nicephorus
(fifteenth century), represent Paul as little in stature,bald, with a...
Papal Tombs.
... The type never varies: S. Peter's face is full and strong, with short curly hair
and beard, while S. Paul appears more wiry and thin, slightlybald, with a...
Acts of Paul and Thecla.
... And he saw Paul coming, a man small in size,bald-headed, bandy-legged, well-built,
[2108] with eyebrows meeting, rather long-nosed, full of grace....
The Church and the Empire
... "Usually such an 'outline' is abald and bloodless summary, but Mr. Bruce has
written a narrative which is both readable and well-informed....
Thesaurus
Bald (12 Occurrences)... 1. (a.) Destitute of the natural or common covering on the head or top, as of hair,
feathers, foliage, trees, etc.; as, a
bald head; a
bald oak.
...Bald-head (1 Occurrence)
Bald-head. Baldhead,Bald-head. Baldness . Multi-Version Concordance
Bald-head (1 Occurrence). 2 Kings 2:23 And he went...
Forehead-bald (1 Occurrence)
Forehead-bald. Forehead, Forehead-bald. Foreheads . Multi-Version
Concordance Forehead-bald (1 Occurrence). Leviticus...
Baldness (11 Occurrences)
... to (Micah 1:16; Amos 8:10; Jeremiah 47:5). The Jews were forbidden to follow the
customs of surrounding nations in making themselvesbald (Deuteronomy 14:1)....
White-reddish (4 Occurrences)
... Leviticus 13:42 And if there be in thebald head, orbald forehead, a white-reddish
sore, it is a leprosy which hath broken out in hisbald head, or hisbald...
Infectious (19 Occurrences)
... Leviticus 13:42 But if there is in thebald head, or thebald forehead, a
reddish-white plague; it is leprosy breaking out in hisbald head, or hisbald...
Reddish-white (4 Occurrences)
... Leviticus 13:42 But if there is in thebald head, or thebald forehead, a
reddish-white plague; it is leprosy breaking out in hisbald head, or hisbald...
Reddish (6 Occurrences)
... Leviticus 13:42 But if there is in thebald head, or thebald forehead, a
reddish-white plague; it is leprosy breaking out in hisbald head, or hisbald...
Diseased (39 Occurrences)
... Leviticus 13:42 But if there be in thebald head, or thebald forehead, a
reddish-white plague, it is leprosy breaking out in hisbald head, or hisbald...
Infection (24 Occurrences)
... Leviticus 13:42 But if there is in thebald head, or thebald forehead, a
reddish-white plague; it is leprosy breaking out in hisbald head, or hisbald...
Resources
Why did the Prophet Elisha curse the “youths” for making fun of his baldness (2 Kings 2:23-24)? | GotQuestions.orgWhat does the Bible say about the eagle? | GotQuestions.orgWhat does the Bible say about hair length? | GotQuestions.orgBald: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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