Where Do the Scriptures Suggest That Men Should Be Clean Shaven?
1) Direct Answer
Scripture does not command men to be clean shaven. The Bible teaches men to keep a clear, masculine distinction and to avoid long hair, but it does not require shaving the beard.
2) Scriptural Explanation
- 1 Corinthians 11:14—“Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?” The emphasis is on hair length for men, not on shaving beards.
- Deuteronomy 22:5—God forbids blurring the male–female distinction. Appearance should clearly reflect manhood.
- Leviticus 19:27; 21:5—Israel was told not to mar the edges of the beard or shave the head in pagan ways. That shows beards themselves were normal and not condemned; the issue was pagan customs.
- Ezekiel 44:20—Priests were not to shave their heads nor let their hair grow long, but to “poll” (trim) their hair. The principle is modest, masculine trim—neither shaven bald as a ritual nor long and unkempt.
- 2 Samuel 10:4—Shaving off half the beard was used to shame David’s men, showing a beard was a sign of manly honor in Israel’s culture.
- Isaiah 50:6—“I gave my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair,” indicating hair on the cheeks (a beard) in the prophetic picture of Christ’s suffering.
- 1 Corinthians 6:9—“Nor effeminate…” God rejects soft, feminized presentation in men.
3) Simple Clarifying Logic
- The Bible never says, “Thou shalt be clean shaven.” It does say a man’s long hair is a shame and warns against effeminate appearance and pagan grooming rites.
- Therefore, the safe, biblical line is: keep a masculine look, keep hair short, keep grooming modest and clean. A beard, if worn, should not be unkempt or used to mimic worldly, effeminate, or rebellious styles.
4) Reinforcing Statement
So the standard is not “must shave,” but “look like a man,” keep it decent and orderly before God. The Word sets boundaries—short hair and masculine distinction—while leaving beard or no beard as a matter of liberty, testimony, and modest discipline.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
The Angel of the Lord
51-0502 §27
A harlot on the street, so immoral that hardly maybe a decent person would look at. The Holy Spirit can take that same woman and make a saint out of her, take the desire of sin from her. When the religions of the world met here some forty years ago, little Dr. Magney represented the Holiness religion of America. When all Buddha had their say and so forth, their beauty, the different isms put forth their beauty and their flowers, and all their different flowery speeches, our little brother stood up. He told a story...
Thy loving kindness
58-0228 §37
By the way, speaking of that paint on the face: You Pentecostal women used to not do that. What happened? I'm just asking you. What happened? You did run well, what hindered you? Did your pulpit get weak? Then put him out and get a pastor that'll preach the truth. If your denomination let you down, get to another denomination. Certainly. Listen, sister, I don't meant to hurt you. I just come back from Africa, and in the heathen land that is a heathen trait. The Hottentots of Africa, that's where painting come from;...
I will restore unto you, saith the Lord
54-0809A §22
So will men today with a self-made religion find out it won't work. It takes the blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse us from all sin and to make us a new creature. Then I see him there then as they walked out, tried to come out, they found out when they had to come face it, they couldn't do it. God said, "Who told you you was naked?" And then they begin to pass it one to the other. "The woman Thou givest me." And, "The serpent beguiled me."
Meanest man I know
62-0127 §48
How can they accept spiritual things when they won't even have the common decency to clean themselves up?---not to hurt you, but be honest with you---unhonorable things that the Bible says that you shouldn't do. Yet we associate with it. Sure. See, you can't be welcome. No, sir. You're out of place with the Word, and He is the Word. Now, so much for that. We'll get that some other time. But notice, on as we go. You say, "What's the matter with you?" Well, you men that'll let them do it, that shows what you're made...
A blushing prophet
56-1125E §7
Now, we find that Israel was not to mix marriage. Their marriage was to be among one another. Not no Israelite to ever marry a Gentile, but was to keep their bloodstream clean. And even till this day I believe the Jewish bloodstream is the cleanest bloodstream on the face of the earth today, is the Jews. They're still looking for that Messiah. But we know that He is already come, and their eyes were blinded that we could have a chance of repentance through Christ. Now, during the time of the reign of Ezra, the chil...