# What does the Bible say about tattoos?

> What the Bible says about tattoos — Leviticus 19:28 in context, conscience, and church, without an invented always-or-never rule, plus one next step today.

Source: https://www.lumin.faith/what-the-bible-says-about/tattoos
By Andrew Kittridge, Founder of Lumin · September 6, 2026
Verses are chosen for the question being asked. Topic pages quote the King James Version (public domain). The public reader and iPhone Bible tab use the Lumin Translation, rendered from Hebrew and Greek with AI and then checked for clarity and fidelity. Glosses in answers are original summaries, not a second Bible. Open the named passage; AI is not the interpreter. [How we cite Scripture](https://www.lumin.faith/about#how-we-cite)

People usually come to this question because of Leviticus 19:28 — a holiness-code line against cuttings and tattoo marks for the dead. Christians differ on whether that prohibition binds believers the same way under the new covenant, and on how “body as temple” texts apply to ink. This page will not invent an always-sin or never-sin rule, shame anyone who has tattoos, or promote getting one. Conscience and your church belong in the decision. An app does not.

## Tattoos in the Bible

- **Leviticus 19:28** — Do not make cuttings in your flesh for the dead, or tattoo marks on yourself; I am the Lord — the verse most people ask about.
- **Leviticus 19:26-28** — The immediate context clusters the mark prohibition with pagan mourning and divination practices.
- **Deuteronomy 14:1** — Do not cut yourselves or make baldness for the dead — a related mourning-cut theme.
- **1 Corinthians 6:19-20** — Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit; you are not your own; glorify God in your body.
- **Romans 12:1** — Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.
- **Romans 14:1-5, 22-23** — Disputable matters: be fully convinced before God; whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.
- **1 Corinthians 8:9-13** — Liberty is limited by love for the weaker brother; do not let your freedom become a stumbling block.
- **1 Corinthians 10:31** — Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God — a filter many pastors use, not a tattoo blank check.

## Highlighted verse

> Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.
>
> — Leviticus 19:28 (King James Version)

## Reflection

Leviticus 19:28 is a real text. It sits among commands about mourning, divination, and not imitating the nations. Deuteronomy 14:1 and the Baal prophets cutting themselves in 1 Kings 18:28 belong to that world of ritual gashing, not a modern studio. Some Christians read the holiness code as still forbidding marks on the body. Others argue, using Acts 15 and Colossians 2:16-17, that ceremonial holiness regulations are not wholesale binding on Gentile believers, while still taking the body seriously as a temple.

Christians differ. Galatians 5:1 names freedom in Christ — and freedom is not license. Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8–10 locate many disputable practices in conscience, faith before God, and love for the neighbor who would stumble. Isaiah 49:16 (“engraved you on the palms of my hands”) and Revelation 19:16 (a name written on a thigh) are not manuals for getting a tattoo; they are God’s remembering and visionary symbolism about Christ. Lumin will not bless or ban. Ask a pastor who knows you, and do not treat a search result as a ruling.

## One next step

Read Leviticus 19:26-28 in its paragraph, then Romans 14:1-5 and 22-23. Bring the actual decision — getting one, already having one, regretting one — to a pastor, not only to an article.

## FAQ

### What is a key Bible verse about tattoos?

Leviticus 19:28 is the verse people usually mean: do not make cuttings in your flesh for the dead, or tattoo marks on yourself. It sits in a paragraph about pagan mourning and divination (Leviticus 19:26-28). 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 is often applied by analogy: the body is a temple; glorify God in it.

### How should Christians decide about tattoos?

Read Leviticus 19 in context, then Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8–10 on conscience, faith before God, and love for the neighbor who would stumble. Bring the actual decision to a pastor. This page will not invent an always-sin or never-sin rule.

### Does the Bible say tattoos are always a sin?

Christians differ. Some read Leviticus 19:28 as still forbidding marks. Others argue ceremonial holiness regulations are not wholesale binding on Gentile believers (Acts 15; Colossians 2:16-17), while still taking the body seriously. Isaiah 49:16 and Revelation 19:16 are not tattoo manuals. Lumin will not bless, ban, or shame.

## Related questions

- [What does the Bible say about identity?](https://www.lumin.faith/what-the-bible-says-about/identity.md)
- [What does the Bible say about church?](https://www.lumin.faith/what-the-bible-says-about/church.md)
- [What does the Bible say about wisdom?](https://www.lumin.faith/what-the-bible-says-about/wisdom.md)

## Related guides

- [Ask with Scripture you can open](https://www.lumin.faith/ask.md)
- [Read the chapter with Bible Coach](https://www.lumin.faith/bible-coach.md)
- [The Lumin Covenant](https://www.lumin.faith/trust.md)


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Answered by Lumin, a Christian AI app for iPhone and iPad that gives short, Scripture-cited
answers with one next step. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/lumin-bible-ai-companion/id6754889412