Christians can you answer this?

Question

Since it proclaims in the bible that "it is a sin for a man to have long hair", and, "it shames a mother for her son to have long hair", then why is it that jesus has long hair in every picture I have seen of him AND Samson gained his strength from his long hair? Any good solid answers for this contradiction?

I no longer own a bible, but growing up in a christian church I wanted to have long hair and I was met with opposition WITH scripture from my minister and my step-father. I know it is in there because I have read it for myself, and was not allowed to have long hair for this fact. I was later kicked out of the church for asking these same questions and others!

Answer 1

In the long run, what it all boils down too is this.......... do you believe in God?.......... and do you have a personal relationship with him......... and if you do, then the rest doesn't matter, he will read your heart, not look at your outside....... he will judge you by what is on your heart and mind and soul.....

Answer 2

This is a very good question and valid. I'm sorry to hear that you were "kicked out" because of your appearance. I'm not so sure God is concerned with "hair-do's and hair-don'ts" as much as WHY you have a particular hair style.

But let's get to the question. Keep in mind when you read bible passages you should be very careful from lifting a particular piece and making a judgement on it without seeing the whole picture. Here are a couple of things to remember:

When you read the bible you have to take a couple of things into consideration:
1- Who is the writer's audience?
2- What is happening to those that he is writing too?
3- Is the instruction contained for all people for all times or is it giving direction for a specific person/circumstance

The verse you are considering comes from 1 Corinthians chapter 11 verse 14.

Who is the audience: Christians in the city of Corinth

What is the cultural context and what is happening to those people when this was written: The church of Corinth was an incredible melting pot of ethnic groups, social classes and converts from a variety of religions. Along with this everyone wore their hair differently. For instance during this period Jewish men wore their hair short, Greek men wore both long and short hair, Roman men wore short and uncovered.

Is this instruction for all people and circumstances everywhere for all time: There was one particular cult of interest that worshipped the the female goddess Dionysus, where men dressed as women with long hair and veils (this is found on an ancient vase found in Corinth depicting the festival). It is thought that Paul was trying to separate the pagan religious systems brought into the Corinth church, one of those things was the men wearing their hair long for the wrong purpose.

The long and short of it is: This command is not for all people for all time, it is for those early Christians at the church of Corinth.

Answer 3

Samson was a spiritual enigma. He was chosen by God to be a "Nazirite to God." A Nazirite could be man or woman, set apart from things of the world for the service of God. Samson's physical strength was in his hair.

We don't know if Jesus really had long hair because no picture or portrait was ever done.

You have to consider customs of that time when you read the Scriptures. You can't just read it like a regular book. It is for spiritual people.

Answer 4

You are referring to the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testiment (Old Law) is where Samson's strength was in his hair. The New Testiment, which Christians believe as the New Law is where Paul (who once was Saul) said that long hair was a "shame" to a man.( I Corithians chapter 11, verse 14) He also goes on to say that women should not speak in the Church (Chapter 14,verse 34) and that food was not to be served in the Church.(Chapter 11, verse 20-22).

Answer 5

When a person took the Nazirite vow to Jehovah he was not to cut his hair or shave his beard as long as the vow was upon him. So his long hair became a crowning sign of his Naziriteship (ne′zer). (Nu 6:4-21)
Since only Nazirites were not to cut their hair or drink wine, and Jesus was not a Nazirite, he no doubt had his hair neatly clipped like any other Jewish male. You can not always trust what others may feel is the way people look that they have never meet.

And the scripture is found at1Corinthians 11:14-15

Answer 6

1 Corinthians 11:13-15
"Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a woman to pray to God with head uncovered? Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him, but if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her? For her hair is given to her for a covering."

Judges 13:3-5
"Then the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman, and said to her, "Behold now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall concieve and give birth to a son. Now therefore, be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing. For behold, you shall concieve and give birth to a son, and no razor shall come upon his head, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines.""

First of all, to answer your question, I have never seen it in the Bible where it says it's a SIN to have long hair.

Now I'll start with Paul's teachings. First, you need a background on Paul. Paul admitted (in the Bible) to writing some of his letters through his own thoughts, and not through the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 7:6). In the chapter 11 passage we read these words: "Judge for yourselves". This isn't a command. It's a strong suggestion, based on Paul's ideas.

As for your argument about Jesus having long hair, there is no written or historical proof of that. It was someone's view of what they thought Jesus might have looked like. Can you also give credibility to paintings of unicorns and U.F.O.'s?

Now, on to the passage about Samson. The Nazarite vow was a VERY big thing to them. It was so important that the Angel of the LORD came down to deliver the message. Samson was to help save Israel. God made Samson holy. God set him apart so everyone would recognize him as a Nazarite. I don't remember every detail that's involved in the Nazarite vow, but I know it's either the equivalent or bigger than being voted president of the United States.


I'm sorry you were kicked out of your church for your appearance. No one should be part of those churches.

Answer 7

First off; the Bible says "Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?" ICor 11:14 KJV. Regarding Samson. Samson did receive his strength from having long hair, this is evident when he died. Samson had no hair when he died but he prayed for strength and God gave him strenght. The strength came by FAITH in his God. Regarding Christ. I do not think Christ ever had his picture taken when he was here 2000 years ago. As a matter of fact I doubt he ever even had His pictured chiseled out. No one alive no what Christ looked like 2000 years ago. And jsut because some queer wanted to be like Christ so he drew Him with long hair 400 years ago does not mean that Christ had long hair.

Answer 8

Since Samson was a Nazirite he obeyed the Following.
There were three principal restrictions resting on those taking the Nazirite vow: (1) They were to drink no intoxicating beverage; neither were they to eat any product of the grapevine, whether unripe, ripe, or dried, nor drink any of its juice, whether in the fresh, fermented, or vinegar state. (2) They were not to cut the hair of their heads. (3) They were not to touch a dead body, even that of the closest relative—father, mother, brother, or sister.
Secondly The so called Pictures of Jesus are the Artist Imagination. There was NO religious painting for the first 300 years after Christ Dead.

Answer 9

Almost all artists' renderings portray Jesus with long hair, soft, feminine—if not effeminate—features, and a sentimental, sanctimonious look in His eyes. They probably bear no similarity in any way to what Christ really looked like as we really don't know. In fact, nowhere in God's Word are we told to be concerned with what Christ looked like as a human being. The only description we are given is this: “For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: He has no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him” (Isa. 53:2). Jesus would have looked like any other Jewish man of His time. He would have been a normal, healthy, masculine-looking man.

As far as the situation with it being a shame for men to have long hair, Paul spoke on the basis of scripture where it says that we are not to have the appearance of evil. At the time, if you do research, the male prostitutes of the time had long hair and the women had short hair or shaven hair, that's why Paul said that for that paticular time.

Answer 10

This long hair thing is as the universe itself - relative. Relative to the customs of the land in which you live. Today, men have ultra short hair. It doesn't seem that old portraits show men using this hair style!

This question is better researched in history than in the Bible. As you show, Samson's case was special by decree from God himself -- however, it is telling isn't it.

So, perhaps again we ran into the wall of human interpretation and local customs, local small mindedness.

Wasn't Paul bald -- that would sure go a long way to explain his opinion on this.

Still you have to admit that it is a standard feature for women in general to have longer hair than men -- in non-technological countries.

Answer 11

Jesus didn't have long hair, a bunch of fruity pansys in the 1400's painted him with long hair and with a tiny amount of blood on the cross to turn him into pansy Jesus because it fit thier pansy worldview. Sampson was what we call a nazarite. A Nazarite was someone who was to bare a shame and reproach as he was concecrated to God and not his own man. He was to have long hair and a long beart that razor never cut because he had to bare a burdon and a reproach. This is why sampson had long hair. It wasn't the hair itself that gave him power, it was God's blessing.