The Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary on the Bible states the restriction in Leviticus 19:28 concerns not putting marks on the body: " . . . by tattooing, imprinting figures of flowers, leaves, stars, and other fanciful devices on various parts . . . The (tattoo) impression was made sometimes by means of a hot iron, sometimes by ink or paint . . . "It is probable that a strong propensity to adopt such marks in honor of some idol gave occasion to the prohibition in this verse; and they were wisely forbidden, for they were signs of apostasy; and, when once made, they were insuperable (impossible) obstacles to a return. "
Tattoos were used as part of the worship of FALSE, pagan gods that did not exist. God says he is a jealous God in Exodus 20:5. We are not to practice the way of the heathen when we worship Him (Deuteronomy 8:19). As far as body piercing goes, the practice is mentioned or alluded to several times in the Bible. For example, the piercing of the ear of a bought servant was performed to bear witness that the servant has chosen to serve, until death, his master: "If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years; and in the seventh he shall go out free and pay nothing. If he comes in by himself, he shall go out by himself; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him. "If his master has given him a wife, and she has borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself. "But if the servant plainly says, 'I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,' then his master shall bring him to the judges. He shall also bring him to the door, or to the doorpost, AND HIS MASTER SHALL PIERCE HIS EAR WITH AN AWL; and he shall serve him forever." (Exodus 21:2-6, see also Deuteronomy 15:17)
An allusion to body piercing is made in Isaiah 3:18-24 where it states that there will be nose jewels removed when disaster strikes Israel: "In that day the Lord will take away the finery: The jingling anklets, the scarves, and the crescents; The pendants, the bracelets, and the veils; The headdresses, the leg ornaments, and the headbands; The perfume boxes, the charms, and the rings; The NOSE JEWELS, . . ." (Isaiah 3:18-21)
This indicates to me that the nose jewels were affixed in some way, as they are today, by piercing the body. Another example of where a person's ear is (likely) pierced is in the book of Ezekiel. When God made a covenant with Israel he considered it like entering into a marriage covenant. As a gift to her (Israel) God said: "I clothed you in embroidered cloth and gave you sandals of badger skin; I clothed you with fine linen and covered you with silk. I adorned you with ornaments, put bracelets on your wrists, and a chain on your neck. And I put a jewel in your nose, EARRINGS IN YOUR EARS, and a beautiful crown on your head." (Ezekiel 16:10-12)
The wearing of earrings and the piercing needed to wear them (and body piercing in general) are not prohibited in scripture. | 