Paul thinks it’s glorious for a woman to have long hair, but it’s disgraceful for a man to have long hair. He thinks this is common sense, and anyone should be able to see this just by considering the basic nature of things. But at least some people in the Old Testament, including God, don’t seem to agree with Paul.

God gives instructions on how people can take a special vow of dedication to the Lord, becoming “Nazirites”. One requirement to be a Nazirite is that you can’t cut your hair. God talks about letting your hair grow long during this time like it’s the same thing as being holy. He says the Nazirite’s hair is a symbol of his dedication to God. That sure doesn’t sound like it would be considered disgraceful.

Absalom only cut his hair rarely, when it got too heavy. And his abundance of hair certainly wasn’t considered a disgrace. Everybody loved Absalom. He was the most good-looking man in Israel.