Barber

(נִּלָּב, gallab'). "Son of man, take thee a sharp knife, take thee a barber's razor, and cause it to pass upon thine head and upon thy beard" (Eze 5:1). Shaving the head was customary among the Jews as an act of mourning. SEE GRIEF. Sometimes, for the same reason, the hair of the beard was also shaven, or plucked off, as was done by Ezra on his arrival at Jerusalem on finding that the Hebrews had intermixed with the nations around them, and plunged into all their idolatries. (Ezr 9:3). SEE HAIR. The operation of shaving the head was probably performed much in the same manner as is now usual in the East. The operator rubs the head gently and comfortably with his hand moistened with water. This he does for a considerable time; and he afterward applies the razor (q.v.), shaving from the top of the head downward.