Bible Strands
Deuteronomy 21:12
then you shall bring her into your house. She must shave her head, trim her nails,
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Moses instructs Israel on the plains of Moab regarding the marriage of a captive woman taken from a defeated city.
The words — The Hebrew וַהֲבֵאתָ֖הּ (va-hăḇēʾtāh) translates literally as "you will bring her," while גִלְּחָה (gilḥāh) means "she will shave."
The thread — Head shaving appears in Leviticus 14:9 as part of a purification ceremony, in Numbers 6:9 to remove ritual defilement, and in 1 Corinthians 11:6 as a sign of shame or uncovered status.
Why it lands — The text commands the woman to shave her head, trim her nails, and mourn for a full month before the marriage can proceed, establishing a legal pause between conquest and consummation.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Then thou shalt bring her home to thine house; and she shall shave her head, and pare her nails;
Cross-references
- Leviticus 14:9 On the seventh day he must shave off all his hair—his head, his beard, his eyebrows, and the rest of his hair. He must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water, and he will be clean.
- Numbers 6:9 If someone suddenly dies in his presence and defiles his consecrated head of hair, he must shave his head on the day of his cleansing—the seventh day.
- 1 Corinthians 11:6 If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off. And if it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head.
- Ephesians 4:22 to put off your former way of life, your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;