In the biblical context, beauty is often acknowledged as a fleeting and temporary attribute, subject to the ravages of time and the inevitability of decay. The Scriptures provide numerous insights into the transient nature of physical beauty, emphasizing the importance of inner virtues over outward appearances.

Biblical References:

1. Proverbs 31:30 · "Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised." This verse highlights the temporary nature of physical beauty and contrasts it with the enduring value of godliness and reverence for the Lord. The emphasis is placed on the inner qualities that are of eternal significance.

2. 1 Peter 3:3-4 · "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment such as braided hair or gold jewelry or fine clothes, but from the inner disposition of your heart, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in God’s sight." Here, the apostle Peter advises believers to focus on the inner beauty that does not fade with time, underscoring the spiritual qualities that are esteemed by God.

3. Isaiah 40:6-8 · "A voice says, 'Cry out.' And I asked, 'What should I cry out?' 'All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall when the breath of the LORD blows on them; indeed, the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.'" This passage poetically illustrates the ephemeral nature of human beauty and glory, likening it to grass and flowers that wither and fade, while contrasting it with the eternal word of God.

4. Psalm 103:15-16 · "As for man, his days are like grass—he blooms like a flower of the field; when the wind passes over, it vanishes, and its place remembers it no more." The psalmist reflects on the brevity of human life and beauty, emphasizing the transient nature of earthly existence.

5. Ecclesiastes 12:1-7 · This passage metaphorically describes the aging process and the decline of physical strength and beauty. It serves as a reminder of the inevitable decay that accompanies the passage of time, urging individuals to remember their Creator in their youth.

Theological Insights:

The Bible consistently teaches that while physical beauty is a gift from God, it is not to be idolized or prioritized over spiritual virtues. The Scriptures encourage believers to cultivate inner beauty, characterized by a heart aligned with God's will, humility, and a gentle spirit. This inner beauty is described as unfading and precious in the sight of God, offering a stark contrast to the temporary nature of outward appearances.

The biblical perspective on beauty serves as a reminder of the fallen state of the world, where decay and death are realities that affect all creation. It calls believers to focus on the eternal and the imperishable, directing their attention to the cultivation of a character that reflects the image of Christ. Through this lens, beauty is understood not as an end in itself but as a reflection of God's creative power and a pointer to the ultimate restoration and glorification that awaits in the new creation.Psalm 39:11
When you with rebukes do correct man for iniquity, you make his beauty to consume away like a moth: surely every man is vanity. Selah.
Nave's Topical Index

Psalm 49:14
Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling.
Nave's Topical Index

Concerning Paradise.
... passed in a place far more sublime and of more surpassing beauty, where God ... food
is by nature for the replenishing of that which gradually wastes away and it ...
/.../john/exposition of the orthodox faith/chapter xi concerning paradise.htm

Would Indeed that Some Profit Might Come to Myself from this ...
... is past; a child is born to them, the very image of its parents' beauty. ... when they
try to soften her grief; she will not take food, she wastes away, and in her ...
/.../gregory of nyssa dogmatic treatises etc/chapter iii would indeed that.htm

How we Ought Lovingly to Receive God.
... any morning star; it adorns thee more ravishingly in eternal beauty than ever ... am
a boon which, turned to account, increases, but which, saved up, wastes away. ...
/.../suso/a little book of eternal wisdom/chapter xxiii how we ought.htm

Commendation of those who came to Hear after Taking a Meal. ...
... 5. Dost thou not perceive how this body wastes away, withers, and perishes after
the secession of the soul, and ... [1445] Contemplate with me the beauty of the sky ...
/.../chrysostom/on the priesthood/homily x commendation of those.htm

Ephesians v. 22-24
... perhaps, or at most for the year: but then no longer; the admiration by familiarity
wastes away. Meanwhile the evils which arose from the beauty still abide ...
/.../homily xx ephesians v 22-24.htm

Stones Rolled Away
... Other men are kept away from Christianity by what I ... his way through difficult and
dangerous wastes, where the ... and for their teaching, for their beauty and for ...
/.../stones rolled away and other addresses to young men/i stones rolled away.htm

Seeking Jesus
... that leads to Him will carry us away into doleful wastes. ... a great vessel you will
bring it away full ... and blues, and its long filaments float in lines of beauty. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture i/seeking jesus.htm

From the Latin Translation of Cassiodorus.
... through faith comes on the soul, like a gracefulness of mind and beauty of soul ... me
to such a life as this, in which both a pitiable youth wastes away before old ...
/.../who is the rich man that shall be saved/i from the latin translation of.htm

The Teaching of the Boisterous and Untaught, Desiring to Love: and ...
... Christ may not be burningly loved; and wastes all virtue ... Truly the beauty of women
beguiles many men, through ... knowingly and cowardly, thou be drawn away by the ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/rolle/the fire of love/chapter xxix the teaching of.htm

The Seventh Commandment
... all the flames of hell will never purge away his uncleanness. ... turns the body into
a hospital, it wastes the radical ... rots the skull, and eats the beauty of the ...
/.../watson/the ten commandments/2 7 the seventh commandment.htm

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