Neither shall they shave their heads, nor suffer their locks to grow long; they shall only poll their heads.

Neither shall they shave their heads, nor suffer their locks to grow long; they shall only cut off the hair of their heads.

Neither shall they shave their heads, nor wear long heir: but they shall only poll their heads.

Neither shall they shave their heads, nor suffer their locks to grow long: they shall duly poll their heads.

And their head they do not shave, and the lock they do not send forth; they certainly poll their heads.

They are not to have all the hair cut off their heads, and they are not to let their hair get long, but they are to have the ends of their hair cut.

Now they shall not shave their heads, and they shall not grow long hair. Instead, they shall trim the hair of their heads.

Neither shall they shave their heads - The priests of Isis shaved their heads close to the skin; the priests of Budhoo do so still, their ordinances oblige them to shave their heads every tenth day. To let the hair grow long would have been improper; therefore the Lord commands them to poll - cut the hair short, but not to shave.

Neither shall they (f) shave their heads, nor allow their locks to grow long; they shall only cut [the hair of] their heads.
(f) As did the infidels and heathen.

Neither shall they shave their heads,.... As the priests and worshippers of Isis and Serapis did, as Jerom on the text observes; and as the Romish priests now do, from whom the Lord's faithful ministers must be distinguished:
nor suffer their locks to grow long; as the Nazarites, that a distinction might be preserved between those who were and were not such; or rather, after the manner of women, their locks hanging down, and flowing about their shoulders, as a token of levity, wantonness, effeminacy, pride, and vanity; see 1-Corinthians 11:14,
they shall only poll their heads; observe a medium between both; neither shave their heads close, nor let their hair grow long, but keep it in an even moderate length; for which reason godly men of the last age among us were called "round heads".

Neither . . . shave . . . heads--as mourners do (Leviticus 21:1-5). The worshippers of the Egyptian idols Serapis and Isis shaved their heads; another reason why Jehovah's priests are not to do so.
nor suffer . . . locks to grow long--as the luxurious, barbarians, and soldiers in warfare did [JEROME].

To grow long - Priding themselves in it, as Absalom. Shall only poll - When the hair is grown, they shall cut the ends of their hair, and keep it in moderate size.