Is It Okay For Men to Have Long Hair?

 Men’s hairstyles have ebbed and flowed over the centuries. Back in the 1600s and 1700s, it was common for men to have long hair. In the 1800s, short hair became the norm, and the vast majority of men in western society continue to have short hair to this very day. And yet some have always maintained long hair, especially from the hippie movement in the 1960s until now. You’ll see men with long, shaggy hair; mullets; Afros; “man buns”; ponytails; and the like.

But God’s standards do not change with society. Society wavers back and forth like the ocean tides, but God’s Word remains steadfast through every generation. Society changes, but God does not.

And yet, not every fashion trend is bad. Clothing styles change every few years, but that doesn’t mean they're all bad. Some are, some aren’t. So what, if anything, does the Bible have to say about men having long hair? Is it a harmless fashion trend, or is it a matter of obedience to our Creator?

The apostle Paul wrote in no uncertain terms, “Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him?” (1 Cor. 11:14). Paul used the word “nature” in reference to God’s design, just as he did when he denounced homosexuality as being “against nature” (Rom. 1:26-27). In other words, both homosexuality and men wearing long hair are against God’s order and design.

As for the word “dishonor,” it’s Strong’s # G819, which Thayer’s Greek Lexicon defines as “dishonor, ignominy, disgrace.” Thus Paul declares that it is dishonorable and disgraceful for men to have long hair. It is a humiliation.

But did Paul really mean what he said?

Paul was one of the most eminent Bible scholars of his day: “And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers” (Gal. 1:14). He diligently based his teachings on what’s now called the “Old Testament,” but which at that time was simply called “the Scriptures.” He referred to them frequently in his writings, and told the Corinthians “not to think above that which hath been written” (1 Cor. 4:6; YLT).

So does the rest of the Bible say anything similar, or is this an isolated statement?

Scriptural Context

First, let’s look at the context of this statement within the whole passage. Immediately after asking, “Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him?” (1 Cor. 11:14), Paul continued, “But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given to her for a covering” (v. 15). Men should not have long hair, but women should.

So how long is long? What does it mean to cover one’s head? What is the minimum length a woman’s hair should be, and that a man’s should not be? The word Paul used for covering here is Strong’s # G4018, peribolaion, which Thayer’s defines as “a covering thrown around, a wrapper,” and also as a mantle or a veil. A woman’s hair, then, ought to be able to cover her whole head, like a veil or mantle, which would typically cover the head and neck down to least the shoulders, if not more. A man’s hair should not be able to do this.

Earlier in the chapter, Paul expounded on this point in greater detail:

5 But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for that is one and the same as if her head were shaved.

6 For if a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn. But if it is shameful for a woman to be shorn or shaved, let her be covered.

7 For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. (1 Cor. 11:5-7.)

What is this head covering that women ought to have? Paul explained it, and we already read it: a woman’s “hair is given to her for a covering.” If her hair isn’t long enough to cover her head, then she might as well be shorn or shaved. Just as it is dishonorable and shameful for men to have long hair, so it is also dishonorable and shameful for women to have short hair or to be shaved.

Many verses in the Old Testament agree. Again and again, we see that shaving one’s head is a sign of humiliation or sorrow, especially for women.

Speaking through the prophet Isaiah, God rebuked the women of Jerusalem for their pride and vanity: “The daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with outstretched necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, making a jingling with their feet” (Isa. 3:16). Because of this, God vowed humiliation for them in Jerusalem’s destruction: “Instead of a sweet smell there will be a stench; instead of a sash, a rope; instead of well-set hair, baldness; instead of a rich robe, a girding of sackcloth; and branding instead of beauty” (v. 24).

Elsewhere, we read that God had called them to repentance, but to no avail: “And in that day the Lord GOD of hosts called for weeping and for mourning, for baldness and for girding with sackcloth” (Isa. 22:12). And again, we read, “They will also be girded with sackcloth; horror will cover them; shame will be on every face, baldness on all their heads” (Ezek. 7:18).

In each of these passages, and many more, it’s clear that shaving one’s head, especially for women, is a sign of shame, humiliation, and sorrow. Yet Paul declared that a woman cutting her hair short is just as shameful as shaving her head!

Other verses, too, show that women are to have long hair. In a parable, God compared Jerusalem to a beautiful woman, saying, “I made you thrive like a plant in the field; and you grew, matured, and became very beautiful. Your breasts were formed, your hair grew, but you were naked and bare” (Ezek. 16:7). Notice that hair growth is here presented as one of the traits of a beautiful woman.

In Rev. 9:8, the apostle John had a vision in which he saw an army of “locusts” similar to those in the Book of Joel, describing them thus: “They had hair like women's hair, and their teeth were like lions' teeth.” Why is it called women’s hair? What’s distinctive about women’s hair that sets it apart from men’s hair? Quite simply, as we’ve seen already, the fact that it is long. Long hair is women’s hair.

Many Scriptures make it plain that women are to cover their heads with their hair, while men are not. And this is further illustrated by the fact that it’s rather common for men to experience balding, but it is extraordinarily uncommon for women to do so, and those rare cases when women experience baldness and hair loss are generally due to sickness and nutritional deficiencies.

As we’ve seen before, God created men and women to be different. He designed them differently to fulfill different roles. One is no more important or more valuable than the other, but they are very different.

In his passage about men’s and women’s hair, Paul did, in fact, refer back to God’s original creation and design for Adam and Eve. He pointed out that one is no more valuable than the other: “Nevertheless, neither is man independent of woman, nor woman independent of man, in the Lord. For as woman came from man, even so man also comes through woman; but all things are from God” (1 Cor. 11:11-12).

But he also pointed out that they are different and created differently: “But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God” (1 Cor. 11:3). Again, “For man is not from woman, but woman from man. Nor was man created for the woman, but woman for the man” (1 Cor. 11:8-9).

So why is it against God’s design for men to have long hair? And why is it disgraceful for men to have long hair?

Because these are part of the gender roles established by our Creator. Men and women should never try to usurp one another’s roles, nor even dress, act, or try to look like one another. To do so is against God’s design. It’s disgusting and disgraceful. It is, in fact, an abomination: “A woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman's garment, for all who do so are an abomination to the LORD your God” (Deut. 22:5).

This alone would be enough to show why Paul said what he said, and why he meant exactly what he said. But wait, there’s more!

The Priestly Example

In the Old Testament, God instructed the priests, “They shall neither shave their heads nor let their hair grow long, but they shall keep their hair well trimmed” (Ezek. 44:20).

Though this is directed specifically at the priests, elsewhere we can see that God gave the same instructions regarding hair and beards to both the priests and the common men. In Lev. 19:27, God said to all Israel, “You shall not shave around the sides of your head, nor shall you disfigure the edges of your beard.” And in Lev. 21:5, God gave virtually identical instructions to the priests specifically: “They shall not make any bald place on their heads, nor shall they shave the edges of their beards nor make any cuttings in their flesh.”

Further, God intended the priests to set an example of holy conduct for the rest of the people. He spoke through the prophet Malachi, “For the lips of a priest should keep knowledge, and people should seek the law from his mouth; for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts” (Mal. 2:7). He further instructed the priests, “They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God” (Lev. 21:6).

But this, too, wasn’t just for the priests. Rather, they were to set the example. Just as God instructed the priests to be holy, so He also instructed the whole congregation of Israel to be holy: “Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy’” (Lev. 19:2). And again, “And you shall be holy to Me, for I the LORD am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine” (Lev. 20:26).

In fact, God intended for all His people to ultimately be priests. Shortly before delivering the ten commandments, God said to Moses, “‘And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel” (Ex. 19:6).

And regarding that glorious day when Jesus Christ returns and sets up His kingdom here on earth, we have this promise for His people: “But you shall be named the priests of the LORD, they shall call you the servants of our God” (Isa. 61:6). This is our destiny if we remain faithful to our Creator! Lest we should misunderstand, the apostle Peter told us plainly, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Pet. 2:9).

Again, we read in the Book of Revelation, “Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years” (Rev. 20:6).

So when God told the priests to keep their hair well-trimmed, He meant those instructions for us as well.

What About Jesus?

Now some will argue, “Well, what about Jesus? Didn’t Jesus have long hair?” No. No, He didn’t. Timothy Griffith has written in detail about this previously. Despite the vivid imaginations of artists who have lived centuries after Jesus lived, died, rose from the dead, and returned to His Father, there is no evidence whatsoever that Jesus Christ had long hair. There is not a single passage of Scripture that says He had long hair.

Folks, do you think the apostle Paul would’ve said it was disgraceful for men to have long hair if his very own Savior had long hair?

Do you think that the Bible would’ve described long hair as “women’s hair” if Jesus Himself had long hair?

Do you think that God would have given instructions about the behavior of priests that did not apply to the High Priest of the New Covenant?

Of course not. Such ideas are ludicrous.

Jewish men of the day had short hair, and so did even the Greeks and Romans. Like His fellow Jews and in accordance with God’s design and instructions, Jesus Christ also would have had short hair.

What About the Nazirites?

There was one group of Israelite men, however, which was allowed to have long hair: whoever took a Nazirite vow. Here are the instructions for a Nazirite vow:

2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When either a man or woman consecrates an offering to take the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the LORD,

3 ‘he shall separate himself from wine and similar drink; he shall drink neither vinegar made from wine nor vinegar made from similar drink; neither shall he drink any grape juice, nor eat fresh grapes or raisins.

4 ‘All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, from seed to skin.

5 ‘All the days of the vow of his separation no razor shall come upon his head; until the days are fulfilled for which he separated himself to the LORD, he shall be holy. Then he shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.

6 ‘All the days that he separates himself to the LORD he shall not go near a dead body.

7 ‘He shall not make himself unclean even for his father or his mother, for his brother or his sister, when they die, because his separation to God is on his head. (Num. 6:2-7.)

Confused by the similarity between the terms “Nazarene” and “Nazirite,” some have mistakenly thought that Jesus was a Nazirite. But He was not! He was instead a Nazarene, that is, He was from the town of Nazareth. The fact that Jesus wasn’t a Nazirite is readily apparent from the fact that He regularly drank wine, as we can see throughout the Gospels, whereas Nazirites were strictly prohibited from eating or drinking ANYTHING made from grapes.

By God’s command, Samson was dedicated to Him as a Nazirite from his mother’s womb, so that even his mother could drink no wine or similar drink. God said to his mother, “Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. Now drink no wine or similar drink, nor eat anything unclean, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death” (Judg. 13:7). And later, of course, in Judges 16, we’re plainly told that Samson had long hair.

It’s likely that Samuel the prophet and John the Baptist were Nazirites from the womb as well, though the Bible doesn’t explicitly say. Samuel’s mother promised God concerning him, “I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head” (1 Sam. 1:11). And concerning John the Baptist, the angel Gabriel told his father before his birth, “He will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb” (Luke 1:15). Both seem consistent with a Nazirite vow, though it isn’t explicitly stated.

But though a Nazirite couldn’t cut his hair, most Nazirite vows lasted only a certain number of days. According to later Jewish tradition, most didn’t exceed thirty days. Contrary to popular conception, then, even most Nazirite men wouldn’t have had long hair. By the time their vow ended, their hair would’ve begun to be a bit shaggy, but not long like a woman’s. Samson was a profound exception, not the rule.

Absalom

The only man in the Bible who wasn’t a Nazirite and whom the Bible tells us had long hair was King David’s son Absalom. He was a vain and wicked man who prided himself on his long hair and his good looks:

25 Now in all Israel there was no one who was praised as much as Absalom for his good looks. From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.

26 And when he cut the hair of his head – at the end of every year he cut it because it was heavy on him – when he cut it, he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels according to the king's standard. (2 Sam. 14:25-26.)

But this was only the beginning of Absalom’s pride and vanity. Two years later, we read, “After this it happened that Absalom provided himself with chariots and horses, and fifty men to run before him” (2 Sam. 15:1). Even with all this self-promotion, Absalom still wasn’t satisfied. He decided that he also wanted his father’s throne, and began to undermine his father and tell the people that he would be a much better king (2 Sam. 15:2-6).

Ultimately, Absalom’s long hair in which he took so much pride and which was so precious to him would prove his undoing. He led an armed rebellion against his father King David, even plotting to murder him (2 Sam. 16:11; 17:1-14), but he was defeated and began to flee. As he fled on the back of a mule, “the mule went under the thick boughs of a great terebinth tree, and his head caught in the terebinth; so he was left hanging between heaven and earth. And the mule which was under him went on” (2 Sam. 18:9). The commander of David’s army, Joab, found him hanging there and killed him with three spears through the heart (v. 14).

In the story of Absalom, we can also see a type of Satan the devil. Satan, too, was puffed up by his beauty: “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor” (Ezek. 28:17). Much like Absalom did with the men of Israel, Satan tried to turn the angels against his Father and Creator and led one third of them away with him (Rev. 12:4). Satan, too, led a rebellion against the rightful King, Almighty God, and tried to overthrow Him (Isa. 14:14). Satan, too, was defeated and, like Absalom, his pride will ultimately prove his undoing and he will be destroyed.

Absalom, then, is the only example in Scripture of a man with long hair who wasn’t a Nazirite. A vain and wicked man who, puffed up with pride, rebelled against and tried to murder his own father. A man who was no less than a type of Satan himself. Not exactly a role model for any God-fearing man!

Concluding Thoughts

No, men having long hair isn’t a harmless fashion trend; it is a matter of obedience to our Creator. Almighty God created men and women with different purposes in this life, to fulfill different roles. Part of the outward expression of these roles is that men and women are to look differently, dress differently, and act differently. It is an abomination to God to deliberately confuse the two (Deut. 22:5).

God designed women to have long hair, which is a glory to them. He designed men to have short hair. Just as God inspired the apostle Paul to write, it is a shame, a disgrace, and a humiliation for healthy women, under any normal circumstances, to shave their heads or have short hair because they take on the appearance of men. It is likewise a shame, a disgrace, and a humiliation for a man to have long hair, apart from an unusually lengthy Nazirite vow, because he takes on the appearance of a woman.

A woman’s hair, as Paul wrote, should be like a veil or mantle to her. As such, it should be able to cover her whole head and neck, as a veil or mantle would. A man’s hair should not be able to do this. Men should not have women’s hair, nor should women have men’s hair. Such would be contrary to our Creator’s design.

God instructed the priests not to let their hair grow long, but to keep it well-trimmed. They served as a model for the rest of the nation, and we ourselves are priests in training for God’s Kingdom. Jesus Christ Himself, contrary to the vivid imaginations of artists who never saw Him, would’ve had short hair when He was on this earth, in keeping with Jewish custom, with Scriptural instruction, and with His own design as our Creator. Let us therefore obey our Creator and follow His design!