What does the Bible say about tattoos? Leviticus 19:28 explained
The only Bible verse on the subject is Leviticus 19:28, which forbids cuttings for the dead and marks on the body, customs tied to pagan worship. So some Christians see tattoos as a matter of conscience and others as a prohibition that still stands. Either way, a tattoo does not decide anyone’s salvation.
Ye shall not eat any thing with the blood: neither shall ye use enchantment, nor observe times. Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard. Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.
Verse 28 forbids making cuttings in the flesh “for the dead” and printing marks on the body, alongside bans on divination and on cutting hair and beard in ways that copied the religious customs of neighboring peoples. Those who hold the law still binding read a ban on all tattoos here; others note that almost no Christian today keeps the rule of verse 27, about hair and beard.
Ye are the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead. For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.
The same custom, with the reason: cutting yourself and shaving your head “for the dead” was a mourning and worship rite of other peoples (the prophets of Baal also cut themselves, 1 Kings 18:28), and Israel was not to do it because it was “an holy people”.
For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.
When the church decided what to require of Gentile believers, it chose to lay on them “no greater burden” than a few necessary things — and body marks are not on the list. It is one of the texts used by those who hold that Israel’s ritual laws do not bind Christians.
Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
Paul calls rules about food, feasts and sabbaths “a shadow of things to come”, whose reality is Christ. Many place Leviticus 19:28 in that group; those who disagree point out that the same chapter holds moral laws, like honoring parents and not stealing (Leviticus 19:3, 11).
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
The body is “the temple of the Holy Ghost”, and a Christian is not his own master. In context Paul is speaking about sexual immorality, but the principle applies to every use of the body — and both sides use it: some to avoid tattoos, others to think about what they mark and why.
But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.
Spoken when David was chosen: “the LORD looketh on the heart”. God does not judge anyone by appearance — that goes for people with tattoos and for those who judge them.
Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
The test that fits any decision: do all “to the glory of God”. For anyone thinking about a tattoo, the question is not only whether it is allowed, but what the mark says and whom it honors.
Many Christians understand Leviticus 19:28 as part of the laws that set Israel apart from pagan customs, like the one before it about hair and beard, and hold that in the New Testament a tattoo became a matter of conscience: what it stands for, why you get it, and whether it wounds anyone (Romans 14). Others hold that the prohibition still stands, because it sits among moral laws and because the body belongs to God (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) — and many evangelical churches ask members not to get tattoos. Both agree that marks tied to the occult or to the worship of the dead go against the meaning of the text, and that no one should be looked down on for a mark on the skin.
Frequently asked questions
Can people with tattoos go to heaven?
Yes: a tattoo does not decide salvation. We are saved “by grace” through faith, “Not of works” (Ephesians 2:8-9) — neither the ones we do nor the ones we avoid. Whoever believes they did wrong in getting a tattoo finds forgiveness (1 John 1:9); whoever does not see it that way has no reason to live with guilt.
Is getting a tattoo a sin?
The Bible does not speak of tattoos as they are done today; the only text, Leviticus 19:28, is tied to the mourning and worship rites of Israel’s neighbors. For some, the prohibition still applies to every Christian; for others, it has become a matter of conscience and motive (Romans 14:5). If you belong to a church that asks members not to get tattoos, it is wise to talk with your leaders before deciding.
What about piercings? Can men wear earrings?
The Bible does not forbid piercing the ears or nose. Rebekah received a ring for her face (Genesis 24:47), the sons and daughters of Israel wore gold earrings (Exodus 32:2), and God uses the picture of earrings and jewels to describe his care for Jerusalem (Ezekiel 16:12). Earrings are sometimes tied to idols (Genesis 35:4), and the principle of 1 Peter 3:3-4, written to women, holds for everyone: the main adornment is the heart’s.
