Leviticus Chapter 19 verse 28 Holy Bible

Ellicott's Commentary

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(28) Cuttings in your flesh for the dead.--It was not only the custom for mourners to let their hair grow long and wear it in a disorderly manner (see Leviticus 10:6), but the bereaved in the East to this day make cuts and incisions in their bodies in mourning for the dead. The Israelite, however, who is created in the image of God, and who is to be as holy as the Lord is holy, must not thus disfigure his body (see Leviticus 21:6; Deuteronomy 14:1, &c.); he must not sorrow as others which have no hope. For transgressing this law the offender received forty stripes save one.Nor print any marks upon you.--This, according to the ancient authorities, was effected by making punctures in the skin to impress certain figures or words, and then filling the cut places with stibium, ink, or some other colour. The practice of tattooing prevailed among all nations of antiquity, both among savages and civilised nations, The slave had impressed upon his body the initials of his master, the soldier those of his general, and the worshipper the image of his tutelar deity. To obviate this disfiguration of the body which bore the impress of God's image, and yet to exhibit the emblem of his creed, the Mosaic Law enacted that the Hebrew should have phylacteries which he is to bind as "a sign" upon his hand, and as "a memorial" between his eyes "that the Lord's law may be in his mouth" (Exodus 13:9; Exodus 13:16; Deuteronomy 6:8; Deuteronomy 11:18). . . . Parallel Commentaries ...HebrewYou must notלֹ֤א (lō)Adverb - Negative particleStrong's 3808: Not, nomake any cutsוְשֶׂ֣רֶט (wə·śe·reṭ)Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singularStrong's 8296: An incisionin your bodiesבִּבְשַׂרְכֶ֔ם (biḇ·śar·ḵem)Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine pluralStrong's 1320: Flesh, body, person, the pudenda of a, manfor the deadלָנֶ֗פֶשׁ (lā·ne·p̄eš)Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singularStrong's 5315: A soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, passion, appetite, emotion or putתִתְּנ֖וּ (ṯit·tə·nū)Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine pluralStrong's 5414: To give, put, settattooקַֽעֲקַ֔ע (qa·‘ă·qa‘)Noun - masculine singularStrong's 7085: An incision, imprint, tattoomarks on yourselves.וּכְתֹ֣בֶת (ū·ḵə·ṯō·ḇeṯ)Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular constructStrong's 3793: A letter, brandedIאֲנִ֖י (’ă·nî)Pronoun - first person common singularStrong's 589: Iam the LORD.יְהוָֽה׃ (Yah·weh)Noun - proper - masculine singularStrong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of IsraelJump to PreviousAccount Bodies Body Cut Cuts Cutting Cuttings Dead Flesh Imprint Marks Print Printed Respect Soul Writing Yourselves