Cosmetics

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For the serious Bible student, here is some real gold nuggets to ponder
regarding the subject of cosmetics or make-up:

The usual argument against make-up, especially lipstick, is based on the
verse which says that Jezebel painted her face. "And when Jehu was come to
Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her hair,
and look out at a window." (II Kings 9:30)

It should be pointed out , first of all, that the portion of her face which
she painted was the area around her eyes. The word here translated "face"
(Strong's Concordance #5869) is the common word for eyes. About 589 times it
is translated "eye" or "eyes" in the Bible. The marginal rendering of this
verse says: "...put her eyes in painting"; Goodspeed: "She painted her
eyelashes"; Moffatt: "...painting her eyes"; Lamsa: "She painted her eyelids
with kohl"; Rotherham: "She set her eyes in stibium"; Amplified: "She
painted her eyes"; and so forth. There is no doubt about it. The portion of
the face that Jezebel painted was the area around her eyes.

Strangely enough, there are Christian women who use mascara on their eyes,
but would not think of  using lipstick on their lips - because Jezebel
painted her face. They do not realize, apparently, that the specific part of
the face that Jezebel painted was her eyes.

Jerusalem's unfaithfulness to God was sometimes likened to a woman who was
unfaithful to her husband. The message of the prophets was that even though
she made herself fair, her lovers would turn against her and she would be
judged. In such a context the following verses were given:

"Ye have sent for men to come from far...and, lo, they came: for whom thou
didst wash thyself, painted thy eyes, and deckedst thyself with
ornaments"(Eze.23:40). And , "Though thou deckest thee with ornaments of
gold, though thou rentest thy face <eyes> with painting, in vain shalt thou
make thyself fair; thy lovers will despise thee, they will seek thy life"
(Jer.4:30)

These 2 verses, along with the one about Jezebel, have been quoted by those
who oppose the use of make-up. However, the painting of the eyes was a
common custom of the time. Other practices mentioned in these verses were
equally common and unquestioned. In the case of Jezebel, we read that she
"painted her face <eyes>, and tired her hair, and looked out a window." She
"tired" , that is, attired her hair. Some take this to mean that she combed
her hair. As far as we would know from this verse, if painting her eyes was
a sin, then so was combing her hair. Obviously, true doctrines or standards
cannot be built on incidental statements such as these.

Before the woman mentioned in Ezekiel painted here eyes, she took a bath.
Was this a sin? The woman mentioned in Jeremiah painted her eyes and clothed
herself with crimson. But even the wearing of crimson, in itself, cannot
have a bad meaning. The "virtuous woman" of Proverbs 31:21 clothed her
household in scarlet (crimson:Strong's #8144). Surely she was not clothing
her household in an improper manner. David, in speaking of Saul's good
points (II Sam.1:24), says that he clothed the daughters of Israel in
scarlet (crimson). The text in Jeremiah also mentions that this woman put on
her ornaments. We have already seen that the use of ornaments was a common
and unquestioned practice of women in the Bible.

Let us reason together. Luke tells about a woman with long hair whose sins
were many (Luke 7:37-47). Would this prove that all women who have long hair
are sinners? Would the fact that Proverbs 7:17 mentions a harlot using
perfume prove that all women who use perfume are harlots? Or because an
esteemed woman such as Esther was bathed and perfumed for one year (Esther
2:12,13) - would this mean that women today should go to this extreme?

On the same basis, then, the fact that three scattered references to women
painting their eyes (along with such things as taking a bath, fixing their
hair, or putting on clothing) cannot prove that the use of cosmetics is
wrong. it is the motive, the attitude, the intention of the heart that can
make such "fixing up" right or wrong.

Women darkened their eyebrows, lashes, and the edges of the eyelids in order
to make the white of the eyes look larger. Clarke's Commentary (Vol.4, p.35;
Vol.2, p.513) states: "this fashion seems to have prevailed very generally
among the Eastern people in the ancient times; and they retain the very same
to this day...This staining of the eyes with stibium...was a universal custom."

In Song of Solomon 1:14; 4:13, this identifies "henna" (Strong's Concordance
#3724) provided a much used reddish-orange dye. Concerning this, the
Encyclopedia Judaica (Vol.9, p.327) says, "Throughout the ages the peoples
of the East prized this beautiful, fast dye which was used for dying the
hair and nails." Henna was also used on the palms of the hands and soles of
the feet.

Considering how well-known and how widely used these various forms of
make-up were in the land of the Bible, if God was against such, why is it
nowhere stated in the Bible? Out of the 31,101 verses in the Bible, not one
gives a direct command against make-up.