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Bible Verses About Tattoos

“And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.”

— Genesis 4:15

The tattoo question starts with one Leviticus verse and ends in a bigger biblical theme: whose property the body is, and what marks on it mean. These verses give the whole conversation. The fifteen verses below are the Bible's direct address to that situation, shown in full KJV text from Genesis 4:15 to Revelation 21:5.

Quick answer: The best-known verse about tattoos here is Genesis 4:15: "And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him." Leviticus 19:28 follows close behind: "Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD." Both are public-domain translations, shown in full on the cards below with a modern-English toggle.

The 15 verses, in full text

01 · King James Version

And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.

Genesis 4:15

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02 · King James Version

Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.

Leviticus 19:28

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03 · King James Version

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

Psalms 139:14

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04 · King James Version

Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.

Song of Solomon 8:6

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05 · King James Version

One shall say, I am the LORD’s; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the LORD, and surname himself by the name of Israel.

Isaiah 44:5

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06 · King James Version

Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

Isaiah 49:16

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07 · King James Version

And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.

Ezekiel 9:4

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08 · King James Version

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

1 Corinthians 6:19

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09 · King James Version

For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

1 Corinthians 6:20

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10 · King James Version

Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.

2 Corinthians 3:3

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11 · King James Version

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

2 Corinthians 6:17

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12 · King James Version

Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

Revelation 7:3

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13 · King James Version

And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.

Revelation 14:1

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14 · King James Version

And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

Revelation 19:16

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15 · King James Version

And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

Revelation 21:5

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When to read these verses

These verses suit the practical chapters of life — money, work, words, plans — where Scripture is unexpectedly specific. They also read well in pairs: one verse states the principle, the next states its exception.

How to use this list

Each card shows the King James text with a World English Bible toggle; Proverbs translations differ more than most books, and the modern wording sometimes lands the point harder. Copy the verse that fits the decision on the table.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best Bible verse about tattoos?
Genesis 4:15 is the one most readers land on: "And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him." Leviticus 19:28 is the usual second: "Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD." The full list of fifteen is on this page — there is no single required verse, and different seasons call for different texts.
Are verses like these promises or principles?
Mostly principles — a distinction Proverbs itself teaches. Wisdom literature states how life generally works under God ("train up a child..."), not iron outcomes for every case; Job and Ecclesiastes exist partly to complicate lazy proverb-reading. The verses on this page are best held as the Bible's own counsel: true, tested, and meant to be weighed with the whole of Scripture.
Where in the Bible does it talk about tattoos?
The verses on this page come from 9 books of the Bible — most notably Genesis, Leviticus, Psalms and 6 more — spanning both Old and New Testaments. The distribution itself is worth noticing: Scripture addresses tattoos in more than one voice, which is why the page shows whole verses rather than a single proof text.
How do I use a list of verses about tattoos?
Read the list once slowly, then keep the one verse that fits your situation close — the copy button places it wherever you will actually see it. Every card can be switched to the World English Bible for modern wording, and the random verse tool at the top of the page can draw one verse from this theme at a time if the whole list is more than today needs.

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