Ezekiel 44:20

20 “ ‘They must not shave their heads or let their hair grow long, but they are to keep the hair of their heads trimmed.

Ezekiel 44:20 in Other Translations

20 Neither shall they shave their heads, nor suffer their locks to grow long; they shall only poll their heads.

20 They shall not shave their heads or let their locks grow long; they shall surely trim the hair of their heads.

20 “They must neither shave their heads nor let their hair grow too long. Instead, they must trim it regularly.

20 "They are to neither shave their heads nor let their hair become unkempt, but must keep their hair trimmed and neat.

20 "They may not shave their heads or let their hair grow long, but must carefully trim their hair.

Ezekiel 44:20 Meaning and Commentary

Ezekiel 44:20

Neither shall they shave their heads
As the priests and worshippers of Isis and Serapis did, as Jerom on the text observes; and as the Romish priests now do, from whom the Lord's faithful ministers must be distinguished: nor suffer their locks to grow long;
as the Nazarites, that a distinction might be preserved between those who were and were not such; or rather, after the manner of women, their locks hanging down, and flowing about their shoulders, as a token of levity, wantonness, effeminacy, pride, and vanity; see ( 1 Corinthians 11:14 1 Corinthians 11:15 ) : they shall only poll their heads;
observe a medium between both; neither shave their heads close, nor let their hair grow long, but keep it in an even moderate length; for which reason godly men of the last age among us were called "round heads".

Ezekiel 44:20 In-Context

18 They are to wear linen turbans on their heads and linen undergarments around their waists. They must not wear anything that makes them perspire.

19 When they go out into the outer court where the people are, they are to take off the clothes they have been ministering in and are to leave them in the sacred rooms, and put on other clothes, so that the people are not consecrated through contact with their garments.

20 “ ‘They must not shave their heads or let their hair grow long, but they are to keep the hair of their heads trimmed.

21 No priest is to drink wine when he enters the inner court.

22 They must not marry widows or divorced women; they may marry only virgins of Israelite descent or widows of priests.

Cross References

• 1. Ezekiel 5:1
• 2. S Leviticus 21:5; Numbers 6:5