During biblical times a beard was considered to be a handsome feature and a sign of stature. In the Book of Leviticus, God orders the Israelites not to “mare the edges of their beards” (Lev. 19:27) and instructs Aaron and the priests to be especially careful to protect and not shave or trim their beards (Lev. 21:5). This is perhaps one of the main reasons why so many Orthodox Jewish rabbis and Orthodox Christian priests continue to wear beards. However, forcibly shaving someone else’s beard was often preformed as a means of humiliation (2nd Samuel 10:4-5), while shaving your own face might symbolize grief, mourning, or be a harbinger of doom and destruction, as found in Ezekiel 5:1. So although it was certainly wrong of them to do so – yes, there was a biblical correlation to their actions.
