Most people who describe themselves as people of faith can rattle off the major commandments without much trouble. Don’t kill. Don’t steal. Honor your parents. Keep those ten rules and you’re doing alright, right? Not quite. The Bible, particularly the Old Testament, contains hundreds of laws, and a surprising number of them cover things that would barely register as morally significant to the average person going about their Tuesday. We’re talking about your lunch, your gym clothes, your weekend plans, and the conversation you had in the office kitchen this morning.
Some of these prohibitions come from Leviticus, the third book of the Old Testament, which reads in places like an ancient legal code covering everything from animal sacrifice to agricultural practices. Others come from the New Testament, where the Apostle Paul adds instructions about speech, appearance, and behavior that most modern Christians have quietly set aside. The tension between what the text actually says and how people actually live is genuinely fascinating, and not just for believers. It says something interesting about how cultures adapt ancient texts over time, choosing which laws still feel relevant and quietly retiring the rest.
So with that in mind, here are ten everyday things that are, technically at least, forbidden by the Bible, and which many of us do without a second thought.
1. Getting a tattoo
This is probably the most debated entry on this list, and the debate is worth taking seriously. The prohibition comes from Leviticus 19:28, which in the New Revised Standard Version reads: “You shall not make gashes in your flesh for the dead, or incise any marks on yourselves.” Clear enough, you might think, until scholars start digging into the original Hebrew.
A 2025 JSTOR Daily analysis explores the work of language scholar John Huehnergard and ancient-Israel expert Harold Liebowitz, who argue that tattooing was understood differently in ancient times. They note that the ban on incisions appears right after words clearly related to mourning, suggesting a connection to pagan funeral rites, and yet, looking at what is actually known about death rituals in ancient Mesopotamia, Syria, Israel, and Egypt, they find no references to marking the skin as a sign of mourning.
Ancient rabbinic debates produced a range of different theories about the meaning of the prohibition. Some authorities believed tattoos were only disallowed if they contained specific messages, such as the name of God or the name of a pagan deity. Talmudic law developed around 200 CE goes further, saying a tattoo is only disallowed if it is done “for the purpose of idolatry,” but not if it marks a person’s enslaved status. In other words, even the ancient interpreters couldn’t fully agree on what the rule actually meant.
Crossway’s theological analysis notes that the Mosaic covenant has been terminated with the death of Christ, and that while the law is not directly binding on modern believers, the question of whether the prohibition still reflects wisdom for godly living remains genuinely open. Some scholars see the concern as being specifically about the association between body markings and pagan religious identity, not about the physical act itself.
The New Testament contains no explicit prohibition on tattoos, which is significant. The early church was actively deciding which Jewish practices were binding on Gentile converts, and tattoos didn’t make the list. The debate has never really been settled, but the ink keeps flowing regardless.
2. Eating shellfish
Ordering the shrimp cocktail at a restaurant is, in Old Testament terms, a violation. The Bible forbids eating shellfish. Leviticus 11:9-12 states that sea creatures without fins and scales are considered unclean, which includes shrimp, crab, and oysters. Deuteronomy 14:9-10 repeats these same dietary restrictions.
The logic behind these laws, known as the Kashrut dietary code (the system of Jewish dietary rules that determines what is and isn’t “clean” to eat), has been interpreted in several ways. Some scholars see it as a practical health measure for a pre-refrigeration desert culture, where shellfish could spoil quickly and cause serious illness. Others see it as purely a marker of cultural identity, a way of setting the Israelites apart from neighboring peoples.
Despite the earlier restrictions, many Christians today feel free to eat pork and shellfish. They believe the dietary laws of the Old Testament don’t apply to them, focusing instead on their faith and personal relationship with God. The distinction usually comes down to how you interpret the New Testament, where Paul writes that food itself doesn’t defile a person, which most modern Christians take as a green light for the seafood platter.
3. Wearing mixed fabrics
Check the label on the shirt you’re wearing right now. If it says anything like “60% cotton, 40% polyester,” you may be in biblical trouble. Leviticus 19:19 reads, “You are to keep My statutes. You shall not breed together two kinds of your cattle; you shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed, nor wear a garment upon you of two kinds of material mixed together.”
The specific mixing forbidden was wool and linen, not synthetic fabrics like polyester. When this command is restated in Deuteronomy 22:9-11, it is spelled out more clearly, also prohibiting plowing with an ox and a donkey together, and wearing cloth of wool and linen mixed together. The broader principle was about keeping categories distinct and not blurring the natural order of things, a concept that ran through much of Mosaic law.
The same chapter, Leviticus 19, also includes the prohibition on wearing clothes of mixed fabrics alongside the ban on tattoos and cutting the corners of a beard. Almost no Christian teacher argues today that polyester blends are sinful or that beard trimming is forbidden. The selective application of Leviticus 19:28 while ignoring the adjacent verses in the same chapter has been described by biblical scholars as inconsistent interpretation rather than careful exegesis.
4. Working on the Sabbath
This one is not obscure at all, but the degree to which the original instruction has been set aside is worth pausing on. According to Exodus 20:8-11, people are instructed to do no work on the Sabbath. The command is clear that the seventh day is holy and meant for rest, and many interpretations suggest that all forms of labor should be avoided, including not only physical work but also business activities.
The ancient rabbis were famously detailed in defining what counted as “work,” producing a list of 39 categories of prohibited labor that included writing, weaving, plowing, and lighting a fire. Observant Jewish communities, including many Shabbat-observant families today, still take this seriously, which is why some won’t drive, cook, or use electricity between Friday sundown and Saturday nightfall.
The biblical instruction in Exodus 20:10 is that “you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns.” For most modern Christians, Sunday has replaced Saturday as the designated day of rest, but even then, the original instruction to completely stop all labor is rarely followed to the letter. Most people catch up on emails at some point.
5. Trimming your beard (or cutting the sides of your hair)
Here is one that will genuinely surprise people. Leviticus 19:27 says, “You shall not round off the side-growth of your heads nor harm the edges of your beard.” This instruction appears in the same chapter as the prohibition on tattoos and mixed fabrics, and like those rules, it was originally connected to pagan mourning practices. Certain neighboring cultures in the ancient Near East shaved their heads or trimmed their beards in specific ways as part of funeral rituals, and God was instructing the Israelites not to copy them.
Leviticus 19:27 is set in the context of cutting hair or a beard in a way required by pagan superstition to placate or honor the dead, which is made more explicit in Deuteronomy 14:1, where the commands about hair and body marks are combined into a single instruction about not cutting yourselves or making any baldness on your foreheads for the dead.
The haircut thing might seem like a stretch in today’s barbershop context, but the underlying concern was straightforward: don’t adopt the religious customs of the people around you. The specific form of the instruction, whether you can give yourself a fade or trim your sideburns, has been largely set aside by modern Christians, who read it as a ceremonial law tied to ancient cultural context rather than a timeless moral command.
6. Gossiping
This one lands closer to home. The Bible is surprisingly specific and consistently firm on the subject of gossip. As GotQuestions.org explains, the Hebrew word translated as “gossip” means betrayal of confidence or revealing secrets. Scripture refers to this as slander or speaking evil of someone, and this type of speech is explicitly forbidden.
The book of Proverbs covers the dangers of gossip across multiple verses: “A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his tongue. A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret” (Proverbs 11:12-13). The Bible also tells us that “a perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends” (Proverbs 16:28).
Paul’s letter to the Romans places gossip in a list that includes greed, murder, envy, and strife, which gives you a sense of how seriously the New Testament takes it. Gossip is listed in Romans 1:29 among those with depraved minds, with God taking idle talk seriously alongside other grave sins. The prayer-request-that’s-really-gossip, the DM where you share something you probably shouldn’t, the “I really shouldn’t be telling you this but…” conversation: all of it covered.
7. Consulting a fortune teller or reading your horoscope
Whether it’s a quick scroll through your horoscope app in the morning or a tarot card pull on TikTok, this one catches a lot of casual participants off guard. Leviticus 19:31 is direct: “Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God.”
Astrology is also addressed in the Bible, specifically in Isaiah 47:13-14, which criticizes Babylon for relying on astrologers and star-gazers for guidance. The broader concern was that seeking knowledge of the future from any source other than God was a form of spiritual betrayal, treating the divine as just one option in a marketplace of supernatural guidance. Divination, which is the practice of seeking hidden knowledge or future events through supernatural means, was seen as incompatible with trusting God alone.
This doesn’t stop astrology from being one of the most popular casual interests in the modern world. A 2025 survey by the Pew Research Center found that 30% of U.S. adults say they consult astrology, tarot cards, or a fortune teller at least once a year. About 27% of Americans say they believe in astrology outright, a number that has remained remarkably stable since at least the 1990s, which would have alarmed the authors of Leviticus considerably.
8. Getting divorced
The Bible is clear on divorce: you can’t do it. When you marry someone, according to Mark 10:8, you “are no longer two, but one flesh.” And Mark 10:9 reads, “What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”
Mark 10:11-12 goes further: “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.” This was a significant departure from the norms of the ancient world, where divorce was relatively easy to obtain, at least for men. Jesus’s teaching on the subject was considered strict even by the standards of his own contemporaries, some of whom pushed back on it directly.
Most Christian denominations today have developed nuanced positions on divorce, recognizing that situations involving abuse, abandonment, or infidelity complicate the straightforward application of these verses. And some stories from the the New Testament reveal how is was treated with equal seriousness. But the base-level instruction as written leaves very little room for interpretation.
9. Wearing gold jewelry or braiding your hair
This one is a particular problem if you’re reading it in the morning while getting ready. The Apostle Paul, writing in 1 Timothy 2:9, instructs that women should “adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments.” The instruction is repeated in 1 Peter 3:3, which advises that beauty should not come “from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes.”
The original context was almost certainly about the conspicuous display of wealth at worship gatherings, where richer women were turning up draped in jewelry and elaborate hairstyles that would have embarrassed poorer members of the community. The concern was social equality and humility in worship, not beauty standards per se.
The Bible emphasizes the importance of using language and appearance responsibly. Ephesians 5:4 cautions against “obscene talk, foolish talk, or crude joking,” urging people to use language and presentation in ways that uplift rather than degrade, noting that outward choices can reflect on character. Whether you apply that principle to a gold necklace on a Sunday morning is, admittedly, a matter of some theological interpretation.
10. Eating pork
The final entry is a staple of breakfast tables across the Western world. One of the Old Testament’s dietary laws includes the prohibition on eating pork. Leviticus 11:7-8 states that pigs are considered unclean animals, with the verse warning against touching their carcasses as well.
Pigs are considered unclean in the text because they have split hooves but do not chew the cud. Because of this, the Israelites were commanded not to eat their meat or touch their carcasses. This rule reflects deeper cultural and spiritual beliefs about dietary purity.
In the New Testament, Paul addresses dietary matters differently. He emphasizes that food does not affect a person’s relationship with God, and in 1 Corinthians 10:25, he mentions that believers can eat what is sold in the meat market without worrying about its source. This is the verse most Christians quietly rely on when ordering a bacon sandwich, and by most theological accounts, they’re on solid New Testament ground. The Old Testament prohibition was part of the Mosaic law governing the people of Israel, and most Christian traditions hold that Christ’s arrival changed how that law applied to new believers. Still, the verse in Leviticus remains, and it’s unambiguous.
What This Actually Says About Us
The deeper question behind all of these entries isn’t really “should you feel guilty about your shrimp tacos?” It’s about what it means to take an ancient text seriously, and how communities decide which parts of it to apply literally, which parts to read as culturally specific to another time, and which parts to update into broader principles. That’s a theological debate that has been running for two thousand years and shows no sign of resolution.
What’s genuinely interesting is the consistency of how this works in practice. Many Christians maintain that the New Testament ultimately served as an abrogation of the stricter ceremonial requirements of Mosaic Law. But the selection process for which rules carry forward and which get quietly retired isn’t always theologically rigorous. It tends to follow the contours of what’s socially convenient and culturally familiar. The rules about not coveting your neighbor’s property stay in. The rules about your cotton-linen blend shirt get quietly ignored. That’s not necessarily hypocrisy – it might just be how living traditions work, adapting over centuries to the world their followers actually inhabit.
But it’s worth knowing which rules you’re adapting, and which ones you’re simply not thinking about. Because the more you read Leviticus, the harder it becomes to draw a clean line between the parts of the text that were “timeless moral commands” and the parts that were “just cultural context.” That line tends to move, conveniently, to wherever the reader is already standing.
AI Disclaimer: This article was created with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed by a human editor.