Bible Dictionary · C
Cutting
The flesh in various ways was an idolatrous practice, a part of idol-worship (Deut 14:1; 1 Kgs 18:28). The Israelites were commanded not to imitate this practice (Lev 19:28; Lev 21:5; Deut 14:1). The tearing of the flesh from grief and anguish of spirit in mourning for the dead was regarded as a mark of affection (Jer 16:6; Jer 41:5; Jer 48:37).
Allusions are made in Revelation (Rev 13:16; Rev 17:5; Rev 19:20) to the practice of printing marks on the body, to indicate allegiance to a deity. We find also references to it, through in a different direction, by Paul (Gal 6:1–18; 7) and by Ezekiel (Ezek 9:4). (See Hair.)
From Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897), by Matthew George Easton.
