What does the Bible say about tattoos?
Leviticus 19:28 prohibits tattoos in the context of pagan mourning and idolatry. The New Testament gives no direct command on tattoos, but calls believers to honor God with their bodies (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). For Christians today, tattoos are a matter of motive, witness, and conscience.
Tattoos are one of the most common questions Christians ask about cultural practices. The Bible mentions body markings in only one direct verse — Leviticus 19:28 — and the context is critically important. Understanding what that verse was actually forbidding, how it applies under the new covenant, and what New Testament principles guide bodily decisions today helps Christians think clearly about ink rather than reach for slogans on either side.
Leviticus 19:28's prohibition addressed pagan mourning rituals; the New Testament gives no direct command on tattoos but calls believers to honor God with their bodies.
The Only Direct Verse: Leviticus 19:28
"You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves: I am the LORD" (Leviticus 19:28). This is the only verse in the Bible that uses a word translated "tattoo." The two halves of the verse belong together — cuts on the body "for the dead" and bodily markings are paired because they were both pagan mourning and worship rituals practiced by Canaanite religion. The same chapter forbids consulting mediums (19:31), shaving the head in mourning patterns (19:27), and other practices that mimicked surrounding pagan worship. The point was not, "ink is intrinsically evil," but, "do not worship like the nations around you."
How This Law Applies Today
Christians read Old Testament law through the lens of the New Testament. The moral commands of Leviticus 19 — love your neighbor, be honest in business, care for the poor — remain binding. The ceremonial and cultural commands that distinguished Israel from pagan nations — diet, mixed fabrics, beard trimming, ritual washings — were fulfilled in Christ and are not binding on believers today (Mark 7:19; Acts 10; Colossians 2:16-17). Leviticus 19:28 sits in the second category: it addressed a specific pagan context that no longer exists in the same form. That is why Christians today eat shellfish, wear blended fabrics, and trim their beards without violating God's word.
What the New Testament Does Say
The New Testament does not address tattoos directly, but it gives clear principles that bear on the decision:
- The body belongs to God. "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you... You were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Whatever Christians do with their bodies — eating, exercising, dressing, marking — should be done to honor God.
- Examine the motive. "Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31). A tattoo expressing rebellion, vanity, or attachment to evil imagery is a different matter than one commemorating a verse, a loved one, or a redemptive moment.
- Watch the witness. "Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity" (1 Timothy 4:12). Will this tattoo build up or harm your gospel witness in your context, family, and church?
- Follow conscience and don't violate it. Romans 14 teaches that disputable matters should be decided with a clear conscience before God. If you would feel guilty about it, do not do it (Romans 14:23).
Wisdom Considerations
Even where Scripture grants liberty, wisdom asks practical questions: Will you regret this in twenty years? Are you doing it for a passing emotion or a settled conviction? Are you honoring your parents and the people who love you (Exodus 20:12)? Is the design itself something you would be unashamed to display in worship? Are you submitting to civil authority and parental authority if you are still under your parents' roof (Ephesians 6:1-3; Romans 13:1)?
Conclusion
The Bible does not make tattoos a sin in themselves, but it does not give blanket permission either. It puts the question into a larger frame: Does this honor God with the body He has redeemed? Does it serve love? Does it strengthen or weaken my witness? Christians can answer those questions differently in good conscience. What no Christian can do is treat their body as their own — it has been bought with a price.
Bible verses about tattoos
"Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am Jehovah."
"Ye are the children of Jehovah your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead."
"But Jehovah said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have rejected him: for Jehovah seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but Jehovah looketh on the heart."
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service. And be not fashioned according to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God."
"The faith which thou hast, have thou to thyself before God. Happy is he that judgeth not himself in that which he approveth. But he that doubteth is condemned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith; and whatsoever is not of faith is sin."
"Or know ye not that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have from God? and ye are not your own; for ye were bought with a price: glorify God therefore in your body."
"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."
"Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a feast day or a new moon or a sabbath day: which are a shadow of the things to come; but the body is Christ’s."
Frequently asked
Is getting a tattoo a sin?
Scripture does not name tattoos as sin in themselves under the new covenant. The one direct verse (Leviticus 19:28) addressed pagan mourning rituals, not modern body art. Whether a particular tattoo is sin depends on the motive, the imagery, the witness, and the conscience of the believer (Romans 14:23). A tattoo glorifying evil, expressing rebellion, or violating conscience would be sin; a thoughtful, conscience-clear tattoo honoring God or a meaningful memory is not.
Does Leviticus 19:28 still apply to Christians?
The moral substance of Leviticus 19 — love your neighbor, do not steal, do not lie — applies fully to Christians (Jesus quotes Leviticus 19:18 as the second great commandment). The ceremonial and cultural laws that distinguished Israel from pagan neighbors — diet, mixed fabrics, body markings tied to pagan religion — are not binding under the new covenant (Mark 7:19; Colossians 2:16-17). Christians today rightly do not stone witches, refuse shellfish, or condemn shaving — and they should read the tattoo verse in the same category.
Should Christians get Bible verse tattoos?
A Christian who gets a Bible verse tattoo with reverent motive, in a culture and context where it won't bring disrepute to the verse itself, can do so in good conscience. Be careful, though, of treating the tattoo as a substitute for actually living the verse, or of using sacred words as decoration. The same Scripture that frees the conscience also warns against taking God's word lightly (Deuteronomy 6:6-9).
What if my parents are against me getting one?
If you are still under your parents' roof or financially dependent on them, the command to honor your parents weighs heavily on this decision (Exodus 20:12; Ephesians 6:1-3). A tattoo can wait; the relationship with your parents cannot easily be repaired once damaged. Even as an adult, wisdom listens to the perspective of those who love you, especially if a clear majority of mature believers in your life counsel against it.
Will a tattoo affect my standing with God?
No outward mark adds to or subtracts from a believer's standing in Christ. Salvation is by grace through faith, not by works of the law or the absence of body art (Ephesians 2:8-9). 1 Samuel 16:7 reminds us that God looks at the heart, not the outward appearance. A tattooed believer walking with Christ and a tattoo-free believer walking with Christ stand equally accepted in Him.
What about tattoos that depict pagan, occult, or sinful imagery?
Christians should not mark their body with imagery that glorifies what God hates — occult symbols, sexual imagery, profanity, or anything tied to false worship. Even where ink itself is allowed, the design is not neutral. "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely... think about these things" (Philippians 4:8) — and that filter applies to what you would carry on your skin for life.
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