Tattoo Mayhem 012

Magen David, Star of David, Shield of David.

Submitted by D.
Artist: ?

More and more Judaens around the world are getting tattoos on their bodies despite the clear Biblical prohibition against getting them. One of  the most popular designs among Jews are are Judaic symbols like the Magen David or designs that incorporate the star because the symbol represents being Jewish to them. These tattoos are not done out of spite but rather out of love and the desire to affiliate with their identity intimately. The funny thing or the sad thing about this phenomenon depending on who you ask, is that while the Magen David represents being Jewish and the State of Israel in this modern time in Israelite history, the fact of the matter is that the Magen David has very little to do with the Nation of Israel and the Tribes of Israel historically. There is very little reference of the Magen David in Rabbinic literature and nothing in the Tanach. There is no archeological evidence whatsoever that the Star of David had anything remotely to do with King David even.

How the Star became Judaicized to the level that it has and how it came to even be called the Shield of David, is a similar story to how the name of the exiles from the State of Judea, Judaens, over two millenia came to be called Jews, and Jew-ish. It wasn’t by choice as much as as it happened slowly over time because of external forces.  The problem is that Judaens themselves have institutionalized the symbol and myth of the Magen David and words like Jew and Jewish, therefore perpetuating the problem and the myth, instead of using our proper names .

The Magen David is not a very Judaic symbol at all in contrast to the many specific Judaic images that we do have such as the Menorah, the shape of the ten commandments,  angels and the symbols of the tribes of Israel, just to name a few better ideas for tattoos. Jews are not supposed to have tattoos however if you are going to get a Judaic tattoo, then get a truly Judaic image.