Bible Question:
19:28 Tattoos??-Okay or not for those under a "new covenant"? Any thoughts? |
Bible Answer: Greetings, let me answer your post in two parts. Pt.1 You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo [KJV, "print"] any marks upon you: I am the LORD. [Leviticus 19:28, NKJV] "There it is," brethren opposed to tattooing would say, pointing to this verse as the primary weapon in their arsenal. "A clear cut prohibition of tattooing in the Scriptures." It might seem that way to some, if the verse is just casually read without much attention to what is actually being said here and to whom this command applies. The reason behind the prohibition in this verse against tattooing had to do with ancient pagan practices in mourning the dead. As the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia puts it, "Here the practice [of tattooing] is associated with mourning rites for the dead and is forbidden as a heathen practice." [ISBE Vol. IV, page739] The ancient occupants of Canaan would make marks in their skin, either by incision or by burning the flesh to appease their "gods," or, as Matthew Henry puts it, "to pacify the infernal deities they dreamt of, and to render them propitious to their deceased friends." The Good News Bible in Today's English Version even renders this verse to show that both cutting the flesh and tattooing here apply to mourning rituals: "or tattoo yourselves or cut gashes in your body to mourn for the dead." Those of the opposing view may say, "Granted, but a prohibition is still a prohibition. Regardless of the historical/cultural reason behind it, this verse commands Christians not to get tattoos." Actually, that's not true. This verse does not command Christians to reject tattoos as unacceptable. This verse was a part of the Old Covenant given by God through Moses to the Israelites. It applied only to a specific period of Jewish history: from the time of the giving of this covenant at Mount Sinai (Deuteronomy 5:2-3) until the covenant was "made obsolete" and "taken away" by the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrew 8:13; 10:9-10). The commands of the Hebrew Scriptures, therefore, are stipulations of covenant requirements, a covenant Gentiles were never under, a covenant that has been set aside as "old" for the sake of the "new" covenant in Christ (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 8:7-13). If an Old Covenant command is not repeated in the New, then it is not binding upon the Christian. The verse in Leviticus is the only place in most English versions where the word "tattoo" appears. However, those wishing to condemn the practice cite other passages to buttress their weak position. To my knowledge, the only other verses they use are found in the Revelation, which refer to the mark of the beast (Revelation 13:16, 17; 14:9, 11; 16:2; 19:20; 20:4). These verses, it is claimed, refer to tattoos, which are marks of ownership or allegiance. These verses could indeed refer to tattoos. However, the aspect of having this mark that is condemned is not that it is a tattoo upon one's flesh, but that those possessing the mark are showing their allegiance to the beast, that they "worship the beast and his image" (Revelation 14:9, 11; 16:2; 19:20; 20:4). Once again, it is the purpose behind the mark or tattoo that is condemned in the Scriptures, and not the tattoo in and of itself. Con't. |