Beautiful People in the Hebrew Bible
Here is a list of the 9+ men and 15+ women described as “beautiful” (יָפֶה), or “good [looking]” (טוֹב), or something similar in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). No one is described as beautiful or good-looking in the New Testament apart from the infant Moses who is described as asteios (Acts 7:20; Heb. 11:23 cf. Exod. 2:2). I’ve provided this list as a quick resource.
Human Daughters
Genesis 6:2
good [looking]
טֹבֹ֖ת
ṭōḇōṯ
More on these women here.
Sarah
Genesis 12:11
beautiful in looks
יְפַת־מַרְאֶ֖ה
yəp̄aṯ- mar’eh
Genesis 12:14
that she was very beautiful
כִּֽי־יָפָ֥ה הִ֖וא מְאֹֽד
kî- yāp̄āh hî mə’ōḏ
Rebekah
Genesis 24:16
very good looking
טֹבַ֤ת מַרְאֶה֙ מְאֹ֔ד
ṭō-ḇaṯ mar’eh mə’ōḏ
Rachel
Genesis 29:17
beautiful in form and beautiful in looks
יְפַת־תֹּ֖אַר וִיפַ֥ת מַרְאֶֽה
yəp̄aṯ- tō’ar wîp̄aṯ mar’eh
Joseph
Genesis 39:6
Beautiful in form and beautiful in looks
יְפֵה־תֹ֖אַר וִיפֵ֥ה מַרְאֶֽה
yəp̄êh- ṯō’ar wîp̄êh mar’eh
Moses
Exodus 2:2
good [looking]
ט֣וֹב
ṭōwḇ
Samson’s Sister-in-law
Judges 15:2
[more] good [looking]
טֹובָ֣ה
ṭōwḇāh
Saul
1 Samuel 9:2
and good [looking] … good [looking]
ט֣וֹב … וָט֔וֹב
wāṭōwḇ … ṭōwḇ
David
1 Samuel 16:12
beautiful eyes and good looking
יְפֵ֥ה עֵינַ֖יִם וְטֹ֣וב רֹ֑אִי
yəp̄êh ‘ênayim wəṭōwḇ rō’î
1 Samuel 16:18
and a man with a fine figure
וְאִ֣ישׁ תֹּ֑אַר
wə’îš tō’ar
1 Samuel 17:42
beautiful in looks
יְפֵ֥ה מַרְאֶֽה
yəp̄êh mar’eh
Abigail
1 Samuel 25:3
And beautiful in form
וִ֣יפַת תֹּ֔אַר
wîp̄aṯ tō’ar
More on Abigail here.
Bathsheba
2 Samuel 11:2
good looking
טֹובַ֥ת מַרְאֶ֖ה
ṭōwḇaṯ mar’eh
More on Bathsheba here
Tamar (Daughter of David and sister of Absalom)
2 Samuel 13:1
beautiful
יָפָ֖ה
yāp̄āh
Absalom (Son of David)
2 Samuel 14:25
Absalom is especially praised for his good looks:
“Now in all Israel there was no one who was praised as much as Absalom for his beauty (yāp̄eh-יָפֶ֛ה). From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him” (2 Sam. 14:25).
More on Absalom here.
Tamar (Absalom’s daughter)
2 Samuel 14:27
beautiful in looks
יְפַ֥ת מַרְאֶֽה
yəp̄aṯ- mar’eh
Abishag (David’s Nurse)
1 Kings 1:3-4
beautiful … very beautiful
יָפָ֣ה עַד־מְאֹ֑ד… יָפָ֔ה
yāp̄āh … yāp̄āh ‘aḏ- mə’ōḏ
Adonijah (Son of David)
1 Kings 1:6
very good looking
טֹֽוב־תֹּ֙אַר֙ מְאֹ֔ד
ṭōwḇ tō’ar mə’ōḏ
Vashti
Esther 1:11
The king wanted to “show off her beauty (yāp̄əyāh-יָפְיָ֔הּ) because she was good looking (ṭōwḇaṯ mar’eh-טֹובַ֥ת מַרְאֶ֖ה).”
More on Vashti here.
Girls for Xerxes’ Harem
Esther 2:2
good looking
טֹובֹ֥ות מַרְאֶֽה
ṭōwḇōwṯ mar’eh
More on these girls here.
Esther
Esther 2:7
beautiful in form and good looking
יְפַת־תֹּ֙אַר֙ וְטֹובַ֣ת מַרְאֶ֔ה
yəp̄aṯ tō’ar wəṭōwḇaṯ mar’eh
More on Esther here.
Job’s Daughters
Job 42:15
beautiful
יָפ֛וֹת
yāp̄ōwṯ
The Lovers
In Song of Songs, the man is called beautiful (masculine: yāp̄eh-יָפֶ֤ה) in Song 1:16. The woman is called beautiful (feminine: yāp̄āh) in Song 1:8, 15; 2:10, 13; 4:1, 7; 5:9; 6:1, 4, 10; 7:1.
Daniel and other Jewish men chosen for Persian training
Daniel 1:4.
and good looking
וְטֹובֵ֨י מַרְאֶ֜ה
wəṭōwḇê mar’eh
King of Tyre
Ezekiel 28:12
perfect in beauty
וּכְלִ֥יל יֹֽפִי
ūḵəlîl yōp̄î
See also Psalm 45:2 and 45:11, and Isaiah 33:17 which is about the Messiah.
Beautiful People in the Septuagint
In the Septuagint, which was written in Greek roughly between 250 BCE–100 CE, more people are described as beautiful. Notably, the following three women whose stories do not appear in the Hebrew Bible.
Judith
Judith rescued her town when it was under siege by an Assyrian army and she was admired for her beauty, bravery, and wisdom. Judith 8:7 says that she “was good looking and very beautiful” (ἦν καλὴ τῷ εἴδει καὶ ὡραία τῇ ὄψει σφόδρα) (cf. Judith 10:19; 11:21, 23). (I have more on Judith here.)
Sarah
Sarah married Tobias after her seven previous husbands were each killed by a demon on their respective wedding nights. She is described as “sensible and brave and very beautiful” (φρόνιμον καὶ ἀνδρεῖον καὶ καλὸν λίαν) (Tobit 6:12). (I have more on the adjective andreion here.)
Susanna
Susanna was a virtuous and devout woman who had been taught the Torah by her parents. She was falsely accused by two malicious elders when she refused to have sex with them. Susanna is described as “beautiful in looks” (ἀστείαν τῷ εἴδει) (Susannah 1:2 cf. 1:31-32).
More than Skin Deep?
In the Hebrew Bible and Septuagint, beauty is a desirable quality in men and in women. But was there something more behind the idea of beauty than just superficial appearances?
For some, like Moses and Saul, their good looks apparently signified that they were special. For others, like Joseph and Esther, being beautiful is an important element of their stories. For still others, their outward beauty may also have been an indication of character.
In some societies in the ancient world, a person’s looks was thought to indicate character traits. We sometimes do this today too (e.g., “beady eyes”). However, the details of people’s looks are seldom described in the Hebrew Bible, one way or the other, so the Israelites may not have done this. (Leah’s eyes are one exception.)
Note also that several people on the “beautiful people” list are royalty and attached to David’s family.
What seems obvious is that, like today, natural good looks were considered an advantage from a human perspective. Nevertheless, quite a few of the beautiful people on the list were taken advantage of and exploited, even abused.
Thankfully, God does not operate like us. “Humans do not see what the LORD sees, for humans see what is visible, but the LORD sees the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7b CSB).
Explore more
Beauty, Marriage, Motherhood, and Ministry
Hair Lengths and Hairstyles in the Bible
Revisiting Eshet Chayil (“Woman of Valour”)