What did the people talked about in the Bible look like?

TL;DR:

The Bible does not talk much about what the people in the Bible looked like. The focus on appearance is human nature, but God looks at the heart.

The Bible does not go into much detail regarding the physical appearances of the people it talks about. Many of the central figures were from the Middle East, so we assume they had features characteristic of Middle Eastern descent, such as olive-toned skin, dark hair, and dark eyes.

from the old testament

Some general descriptions of a few people are given. For example, some women are described as "very beautiful," such as Sarah, Rebekah, Bathsheba, Abishaq, Tamar, Vashti, and Esther. In Genesis 29:17, Rachel is described as "beautiful in form and appearance," and her sister Leah is described as having weak eyes. We are told that Esau was red and hairy at birth (Genesis 25:25). Samson had long hair and strength (Judges 16:17). Absalom also had long hair (2 Samuel 14:26). King Saul was tall (1 Samuel 10:23). David "was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome" (1 Samuel 16:12).
About the Messiah, Isaiah foretells that "…he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him" (Isaiah 53:2). There is good reason for this. If we knew what Jesus looked like, we would idolize His features, His physical appearance, His look. Instead of wanting to become like Him in character, we would strive to look like Him physically. We would also tend to want to worship or idolize images of Him, instead of Him.

from the new testament

Zacchaeus is described as short, which explains why he had to climb a tree to see Jesus in a crowd (Luke 19:1–10).

implications for today

When Samuel was sent to anoint David as king, he first thought that Eliab, one of David's brothers, would be the anointed. But God told Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7). Proverbs 31:30 tells us "beauty is fleeting" (NIV). First Peter 3:3–4 says, "Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious." Isaiah 57:15 says God dwells "…in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite." Second Corinthians 5:7 tells us we "walk by faith, not by sight." Over and over, the Bible emphasizes that God is most interested in our hearts and the state of our spirit. When the physical details were necessary to convey a narrative or other biblical point, God shared them. Otherwise, we know much more about who people were and what they did than about what they looked like.

understand

The Bible does not give the physical descriptions of most people.
Most people in the Bible are from the Middle East, so we have an idea of some of their features.
God looks at the heart.

reflect

In what ways do you find yourself influenced by society's standards of beauty, and how can you align more with God's perspective on beauty, as described in the Bible?
How do you apply God's emphasis on looking at the heart rather than outward appearance in your own life?
The Bible mentions that Jesus had no exceptional physical beauty. Why do you think this aspect is highlighted? How does it impact your view of Him?

engage

Even without knowing what Jesus looked like, we create images of Him to focus upon because we tend to focus on external features rather than internal character. What does this reveal about human nature?
How does the emphasis on inner qualities over outward appearance in the Bible challenge societal norms about beauty and worth?
Reflecting on passages like 1 Samuel 16:7 and Proverbs 31:30, how can we cultivate a perspective that values inner beauty more than external appearance in ourselves and others?