Can we know anything about Jesus' appearance from the Bible?

score:9

Accepted answer

There isn't much, and that itself is telling. Isaiah mentions a couple of things prophetically--first, that His appearance was not going to be particularly special:

For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Isaiah 53:2-3 ESV

and secondly, that He would become pretty marred, which is understood to have occurred at His scourging prior to the crucifixion:

As many were astonished at you—his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind Isaiah 52:14 ESV

Aside from these prophecies, there is nothing that really indicates what He looked like. We do know that children wanted to come to Him, so He likely looked normal enough. The fact that there isn't anything mentioned about His appearance is an indication that there probably wasn't anything out of the ordinary.

King Saul was head and shoulders above everyone else, and that was notable. Nothing like this is mentioned about Jesus.

Upvote:-3

Neither Mary Magdalene at the tomb J20 1-16, his friends by the sea J21 1-14, nor his companions on the road to Erasmus recognized Jesus after the resurrection L24 13-35 indicating he was somewhat disfigured and maybe hard to look at after the beating, torture and plucking of his beard prior to execution.

Upvote:5

I believe this prophecy of Isaiah refers to Christ having a beard:

Isaiah 50:56 I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.

Also, in support of Jesus looking like any other Jewish man: Judas had to kiss Him on the cheek to identify Him to the multitude in the Garden of Gethsemane. This would hardly have been necessary if Jesus was a tall Caucasian with blonde hair and blue eyes. ;)

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