I don’t know the answer to your question, but you may find something here (link below). It’s a thread on a similar subject that started just a few days ago.
Who are you to this young woman? And why are you trying to convince her not to get a tattoo?
My main reason is that it hurts.
This is something I’ve been told varying things about…it’s supposed to be highly dependent on where you have it done and your own personal pain tolerances.
I don’t know how true it is, but I’ve been told that this verse was specific to funeral customs, hence the ‘cutting the body for the dead’ bit right at the start of the verse, rather than being a general prohibition.
Indeed. It really has nothing to do with tattoos as we know them. It was a practice in the area for them cremate the dead and smear the ashes on the their skin. “Tattoo” is a bit of a misinterpretation. There is no prohibition in the Bible on tattoos or piercings. I think when it comes to tattoos, it’s mostly common sense. If you work in a profession that looks down on tats, then make sure you get them in an area that can be covered.
As an interesting fact, in Bosnia and Croatia during the Ottoman Empire, it was a tradition particularly among Bosnian Croats to tattoo themselves, usually on the wrist or chest, with Christian religious symbols to assert their Christian identity and differentiate themselves from the Muslim Ottomans.
Interesting
I know the above is not from the Bible, but just in case your friend ignores the Bible, try this approach, she will think twice about getting the tattoo.