It is widely assumed that the Torah prohibits all tattoos. And yet, a look at the verse in context yields alternative understandings.It scarcely helps when a biblical prohibition contain an hapax legomenon (a word that only appears once).
Related PaleoJudaica posts are here, here, and here. And follow the links from them for some posts on modern tattoos in ancient languages. These often turn out badly. It is wise not to get one unless you know the ancient language.
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