Leviticus 21:5

21:5 Priests ¹  must not have a bald spot shaved on their head, they must not shave the corner of their beard, and they must not cut slashes in their body. ² 

Isaiah 15:2

15:2 They went up to the temple, ³ 

the people of Dibon went up to the high places to lament. ⁴ 

Because of what happened to Nebo and Medeba, ⁵  Moab wails.

Every head is shaved bare,

every beard is trimmed off. ⁶ 

Jeremiah 16:6

16:6 Rich and poor alike will die in this land. They will not be buried or mourned. People will not cut their bodies or shave off their hair to show their grief for them. ⁷ 

Jeremiah 48:37

48:37 For all of them will shave their heads in mourning.

They will all cut off their beards to show their sorrow.

They will all make gashes in their hands.

They will all put on sackcloth. ⁸ 

Ezekiel 7:18

7:18 They will wear sackcloth, terror will cover them; shame will be on all their faces, and all of their heads will be shaved bald. ⁹ 

Ezekiel 44:20

44:20 “‘They must not shave their heads ¹⁰  nor let their hair grow long; ¹¹  they must only trim their heads.

¹ tn Heb “they”; the referent (priests, see the beginning of v. 1) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² tn Heb “and in their body they shall not [cut] slash[es]” (cf. Lev 19:28). The context connects these sorts of mutilations with mourning rites (cf. Lev 19:27-28 above).

³ tn Heb “house.”

⁴ tn Heb “even Dibon [to] the high places to weep.” The verb “went up” does double duty in the parallel structure.

⁵ tn Heb “over [or “for”] Nebo and over [or “for”] Medeba.”

⁶ sn Shaving the head and beard were outward signs of mourning and grief.

⁷ sn These were apparently pagan customs associated with mourning (Isa 15:2; Jer 47:5) which were forbidden in Israel (Lev 19:8; 21:5) but apparently practiced anyway (Jer 41:5).

⁸ tn Heb “upon every loin [there is] sackcloth.” The word “all” is restored here before “loin” with a number of Hebrew mss and a number of versions. The words “in mourning” and “to show their sorrow” are not in the text. They have been supplied in the translation to give the average reader some idea of the significance of these acts.

⁹ tn Heb “baldness will be on their heads.”

¹⁰ sn The shaving of the head was associated with mourning (Ezek 7:18).

¹¹ sn Letting the hair grow was associated with the taking of a vow (Num 6:5; Acts 21:23-26).