Ezekiel 44:20
in Ezekiel 44They must not shave their heads or let their hair grow long, but must carefully trim their hair.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Neither shall they shave their heads, nor suffer their locks to grow long; they shall only cut off the hair of their heads.
KJV
Neither shall they shave their heads, nor suffer their locks to grow long; they shall only poll their heads.
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This verse in Ezekiel 44
Commentary
8 notes on this verseNeither shall they shave their heads - The priests of Isis shaved their heads close to the skin; the priests of Budhoo do so still, their ordinances oblige them to shave their heads every tenth day. To let the hair grow long would have been improper; therefore the Lord commands them to poll - cut the hair short, but not to shave.
This site's exposition
shave their heads, nor suffer their locks
on Ezekiel 44:20-27
The priests neither shave their heads nor let their locks grow long, but poll them, a middle course between the shaved heads of pagan mourning rites and unkempt hair, and they drink no wine when they enter the inner court, the same caution Leviticus 10 already tied to Nadab and Abihu's death before the Lord. Marriage is restricted to a maiden of Israel or a widow who had a priest before, and the priests' teaching office is stated plainly, to teach the difference between the holy and the profane and to judge Israel's controversies by the Lord's own statutes. Corpse defilement is avoided except for the closest kin, father, mother, son, daughter, brother or an unmarried sister, and even then seven days and an offering restore the priest to his ministry, the same structure of controlled contact and required cleansing that has governed the whole chapter.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Verses 17 onwards) And when they enter the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments (or robes); they shall not wear anything made of wool (or they shall not wear garments made of wool) when they minister at the gates of the inner court and inside. Linen turbans shall be on their heads (or they shall have linen turbans on their heads) and linen undergarments shall be around their waists, and they shall not be bound in sweat (or forced).
The Medieval Church1 voice
They are rightly called priests who are set over the faithful for giving them sacred guidance. But hairs outside the head are thoughts in the mind, which, as they spring up without notice above the brain, denote the cares of the present life, which sometimes come forth unseasonably, due to negligent perception, since they arise without our feeling them. Because all who are over others ought indeed to have external anxieties, and yet should not be overly concerned about them, priests are rightly forbidden either to shave their heads or to let their hair grow long.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
To grow long - Priding themselves in it, as Absalom. Shall only poll - When the hair is grown, they shall cut the ends of their hair, and keep it in moderate size.
If a man, especially a minister, wear long hair, it is not becoming ( 1 Cor. xi. Concerning their diet; they must be sure to drink no wine when they went in to minister, lest they should rink to excess, should drink and forget the law,
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
Neither shall they shave their heads,....
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Neither . . . shave . . . heads--as mourners do (Le 21:1-5). The worshippers of the Egyptian idols Serapis and Isis shaved their heads; another reason why Jehovah's priests are not to do so. nor suffer . . . locks to grow long--as the luxurious, barbarians, and soldiers in warfare did [JEROME].
The words behind it
10 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְרֹאשָׁם֙ | verosham | and head their | H7218 → | 599 times |
| לֹ֣א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יְגַלֵּ֔חוּ | yegalechu | they will shave | H1548 → | |
| וּפֶ֖רַע | ufera' | and hair | H6545 → | |
| לֹ֣א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יְשַׁלֵּ֑חוּ | yeshalechu | they will let loose | H7971 → | 845 times |
| כָּס֥וֹם | kasom | surely <trim> | H3697 → | |
| יִכְסְמ֖וּ | yikhsemu | they will trim | H3697 → | |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| רָאשֵׁיהֶֽם׃ | rasheihem | heads their | H7218 → | 599 times |
וְרֹאשָׁם֙and head their
veroshamH7218 →599 times
לֹ֣אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
יְגַלֵּ֔חוּthey will shave
yegalechuH1548 →
וּפֶ֖רַעand hair
ufera'H6545 →
לֹ֣אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
יְשַׁלֵּ֑חוּthey will let loose
yeshalechuH7971 →845 times
כָּס֥וֹםsurely <trim>
kasomH3697 →
יִכְסְמ֖וּthey will trim
yikhsemuH3697 →
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
רָאשֵׁיהֶֽם׃heads their
rasheihemH7218 →599 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Deuteronomy 14:1You are sons of the LORD your God; do not cut yourselves or shave your foreheads on behalf of the dead,
it leads to
- Romans 9:8
So it is not the children of the flesh who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as offspring.
- Galatians 3:26
You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
- Leviticus 21:5
Priests must not make bald spots on their heads, shave off the edges of their beards, or make cuts in their bodies.
- Romans 9:26
and, “It will happen that in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’”
- Hebrews 2:10
In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting for God, for whom and through whom all things exist, to make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.
- Romans 9:8
Through
Numbers 6:5For the entire period of his vow of separation, no razor shall pass over his head. He must be holy until the time of his separation to the LORD is complete; he must let…
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 1:11
And she made a vow, pleading, “O LORD of Hosts, if only You will look upon the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, not forgetting Your maidservant but giving her a son, then…
- Judges 16:17
Samson told her all that was in his heart: “My hair has never been cut, because I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaved, my strength will…
- Judges 13:5
For behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son. And no razor shall come over his head, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he will…
- 1 Samuel 1:11
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Ezekiel
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Gregory the Dialogist, PASTORAL RULE 2:7; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Ezekiel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.