A sharp tool used for shaving off the beard or hair (Nm 8:7; Ez 5:1). Use of the razor was proscribed for those under the Nazirite vow (Nm 6:5; 1 Sm 1:11). The instrument played a central role in Samson’s life (Jgs 13:5; 16:17).
The razor is a simile for a slanderous tongue (Ps 52:2) and a metaphor for judgment (Is 7:20).