Berean Fact Sheet Number 009

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Body Piercing and the People of God
Copyright © 1999, 2003 by Larry G. Overton

Ten years ago, I bumped into Steve, an old friend that I had not seen in quite a while. In the process of catching up on what was going on in his life, I noticed an earring. Now Steve is my age. Our birthdays are something like a month apart. So to see a guy at 40 get an earring made me wonder if he was having some sort of mid-life crisis. I asked him about it, and found out that a large part of his motivation behind getting this earring had to do with making a statement about being a willing, lifelong servant of His Lord and Master, Jesus. He cited as Scriptural precedent for his actions the Jewish Old Testament law concerning a freed slave not wanting to leave his master (Exodus 21:1-6; Deuteronomy 15:12-17). All of this did not make me want to go right out and get my ear pierced, but it did elicit feelings of respect and admiration of my friend’s motivations and faith.

It is quite popular these days to have one’s body pierced and/or to have tattoos. It is not unusual even amongst people professing faith in Christ, such as the friend mentioned above (although the ranks of pierced and printed believers are for the most part younger than Steve). Some Christians, however, have a problem with this. This Fact Sheet is a natural extension of Berean Fact Sheet No. 008, Tattoos and the People of God. In it, I aim to present a factual answer to the question: Do the Scriptures prohibit body piercing for Christians?

As was the case with tattoos, I can answer this question with a single word: “No.” Having an earring or nose ring as a form of body decoration is not forbidden in Scripture. On the contrary, the Scriptures actually record instances of the people of God having earrings and nose rings. From the time of the patriarchs onward, ancient Middle Eastern culture allowed for such piercing for jewelry for men, women and children.

The first reference to ornamental jewelry that required body piercing is found in Genesis chapter 24. Abraham sends his oldest and most trusted servant (Eliezer of Damascus? see ch. 15:2) to search for a wife for his son Isaac in his native country, Aram Naharaim ( Northwest Mesopotamia). When he is led to Rebekah, he gives her two gold bracelets and a golden nose ring, the latter of which he actually put on her nose (ch. 24:22, 30, 47).

The Hebrew term here is nezem. The KJV rendering of this term is inconsistent and a little confusing. Here in Genesis 24, verse 47 is rendered “…I put the earring upon her face.” Another example of an awkward rendering of this term in the KJV is “I put a jewel on thy forehead…” (Ezekiel 16:12).

Nezem literally means a “ring,” and its primary application according to Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the OT and others is to a nose ring. (Another Hebrew term more readily defined as “earring” is ‘āgīl: Numbers 31:50; Ezekiel 16:12.) The context determines whether nezem refers to a nose ring (Genesis 24:22, 30, 47; Proverbs 11:22; Isaiah 3:21 [“nose jewels,” KJV]; Ezekiel 16:12) or an earring (Genesis 35:4; Exodus 32:2-3). At times, the context does not help in determining conclusively whether nose ring or earring is meant (see Judges 8:24, 25; Job 42:11; Proverbs 25:12).

Whatever the Hebrew term, it is clear from the Hebrew Scriptures that a piercing of the flesh (whether earlobe, septum or nostril) was required for jewelry. McClintock and Strong’s Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature states “These rings were set with jewels and hung from the nostril, as ear-rings from the ears, by holes bored to receive them.” [Vol. VII, page 195.] It is obvious, then: far from being a condemned practice, the piercing of one’s body for the wearing of jewelry was a common practice in the Middle East throughout all periods of Biblical history.

And before closing out this discussion, let’s look more closely at the Scripture references cited at the beginning of this Fact Sheet, namely, Exodus 21:1-6 and Deuteronomy 15:12-17. These two parallel passages speak of covenant stipulations for the releasing of a slave after seven years. If, however, that slave did not want to leave, but chose to stay and continue to serve his master, then the ceremony indicating this slave’s intention was piercing through his earlobe to the doorpost of his master’s house with an “awl.”

This “awl” is a tool mentioned only in these two verses in the Hebrew Scriptures, so there is little information to describe it. What we do know, however, from the Hebrew term martsēa‘, derived from the primary verb rātsa‘, “to pierce,” is that it was “an instrument for boring a small hole.” It was probably “used by sandal-makers and other workers of leather” [McClintock & Strong’s, Vol. I, page 571.] At any rate, what is clear from these passages is that body piercing, even when not connected with the wearing of jewelry, was approved, even (under certain conditions) stipulated, by God.

The conclusion we must come to, then, is undeniable. The Scriptures do not condemn or forbid the piercing of one’s body for cultural/ornamental reasons. While I would not recommend body piercing, I cannot with Scriptural authority condemn it. While those of a previous generation of believers might not like this new cultural manifestation, we must realize that it is not Scripture that makes us uncomfortable with it, but our cultural background.

To the believer in Jesus that decides to exercise this freedom, I would speak a word of caution: check your attitude. I have known Christian young people that have pierced their eyebrows, noses, ears and navels in defiance of cultural norms out of rebelliousness in their hearts. If rebellion is your motivation for body piercing, then even though piercing is not wrong in and of itself, you will be in the wrong because of your attitude. In closing, I leave you with the words of the apostle Paul.

“Everything is permissible for me”—but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me”—but I will not be mastered by anything. [1 Corinthians 6:12, NIV]