What does the Bible say about tattooing your body?
Bible Topic · WEB
The Bible does not give a simple universal command forbidding all tattooing, but it calls God’s people to honor him with their bodies, motives, and choices. Leviticus 19:28 prohibited marking the body in connection with pagan mourning practices, and Deuteronomy 14:1 likewise guarded Israel from pagan rites. Christians should therefore avoid tattoos linked to idolatry, rebellion, immorality, or self-harm. Because believers belong to Christ and their bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 urges thoughtful stewardship. In matters not expressly forbidden, Christians should seek God’s glory, exercise wise conscience, and remember that the Lord sees the heart, as 1 Samuel 16:7 teaches.
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Rankings: OpenBible.info Topical Bible (CC BY) · Scripture: World English Bible
- Leviticus 19:28
"'You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you. I am Yahweh.
- 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
[19] Or don't you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which you have from God? You are not your own, [20] for you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.
- Revelation 19:16
He has on his garment and on his thigh a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."
- Deuteronomy 14:1
You are the children of Yahweh your God: you shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.
- 1 Corinthians 10:31
Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
- 1 Corinthians 6:19
Or don't you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which you have from God? You are not your own,
- 1 Corinthians 3:16
Don't you know that you are a temple of God, and that God's Spirit lives in you?
- Matthew 6:33-34
[33] But seek first God's Kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well. [34] Therefore don't be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day's own evil is sufficient.
- 1 Corinthians 6:20
for you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.
- 1 Samuel 16:7
But Yahweh said to Samuel, "Don't look on his face, or on the height of his stature; because I have rejected him: for [Yahweh sees] not as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but Yahweh looks at the heart."
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