beards

Hair left growing on the lower male face. Beards were worn in a wide variety of styles among ancient Near Eastern peoples. The Bible prohibits a specific type of beard trim (Lev 19:27) and specifically mentions that men like David and Ezra were bearded (1Sam 21:13; Ezra 9:3). The lack of a full beard was cause for embarrassment (2Sam 10:4-5; Isa 7:20; Jer 48:37), though occasionally beardlessness was a sign of mourning (Jer 41:5).