Topical Encyclopedia
The term "hard" in the Bible can refer to various concepts, including physical hardness, difficulty, stubbornness, and spiritual challenges. It is used both literally and metaphorically throughout the Scriptures to describe objects, situations, and the condition of the human heart.
1.
Physical Hardness: In a literal sense, "hard" is used to describe materials or objects that are firm or solid. For example, in
Exodus 4:25, Zipporah uses a "flint" to circumcise her son, indicating the use of a hard, sharp stone. Similarly, in
Ezekiel 3:9, God makes Ezekiel's forehead "like the hardest stone, harder than flint," symbolizing strength and resilience.
2.
Difficulty and Challenge: The term is often used to describe situations or tasks that are difficult or challenging. In
Genesis 35:16-17, Rachel experiences "hard labor" during childbirth, highlighting the physical and emotional difficulty of the situation. In the New Testament, Jesus speaks of the "hard road" that leads to life in
Matthew 7:14, emphasizing the challenges of following the path of righteousness.
3.
Stubbornness and Hardness of Heart: One of the most significant uses of "hard" in the Bible is in reference to the hardness of the human heart. This metaphorical use describes a state of stubbornness or resistance to God's will. In
Exodus 7:3, God says, "But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart," indicating Pharaoh's persistent refusal to heed God's commands. Similarly, in
Hebrews 3:8, believers are warned, "Do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion," urging them to remain open and responsive to God's voice.
4.
Spiritual Hardness and Rebellion: The hardness of heart is often associated with spiritual rebellion and unbelief. In
Mark 6:52, the disciples are described as having "hardened hearts" because they did not understand the miracle of the loaves. This hardness is seen as a barrier to spiritual insight and faith. In
Romans 2:5, Paul warns of the consequences of a hard heart: "But because of your hard and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of wrath."
5.
God's Sovereignty and Human Responsibility: The concept of hardness, particularly in the context of Pharaoh's heart, raises questions about divine sovereignty and human responsibility. While God is said to harden hearts, individuals are also held accountable for their responses to God's revelation. This tension is evident in
Romans 9:18, where Paul writes, "Therefore God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy, and He hardens whom He wants to harden."
6.
Overcoming Hardness: The Bible also offers hope for overcoming hardness of heart. In
Ezekiel 36:26, God promises, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." This transformation is made possible through the work of the Holy Spirit, who softens hearts and enables believers to respond to God's love and truth.
In summary, the concept of "hard" in the Bible encompasses a range of meanings, from physical descriptions to profound spiritual truths. It serves as a reminder of the challenges of life, the dangers of spiritual stubbornness, and the transformative power of God's grace.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
superl.) Not easily penetrated, cut, or separated into parts; not yielding to pressure; firm; solid; compact; -- applied to material bodies, and opposed to soft; as, hard wood; hard flesh; a hard apple.
2. (superl.) Difficult, mentally or judicially; not easily apprehended, decided, or resolved; as a hard problem.
3. (superl.) Difficult to accomplish; full of obstacles; laborious; fatiguing; arduous; as, a hard task; a disease hard to cure.
4. (superl.) Difficult to resist or control; powerful.
5. (superl.) Difficult to bear or endure; not easy to put up with or consent to; hence, severe; rigorous; oppressive; distressing; unjust; grasping; as, a hard lot; hard times; hard fare; a hard winter; hard conditions or terms.
6. (superl.) Difficult to please or influence; stern; unyielding; obdurate; unsympathetic; unfeeling; cruel; as, a hard master; a hard heart; hard words; a hard character.
7. (superl.) Not easy or agreeable to the taste; stiff; rigid; ungraceful; repelling; as, a hard style.
8. (superl.) Rough; acid; sour, as liquors; as, hard cider.
9. (superl.) Abrupt or explosive in utterance; not aspirated, sibilated, or pronounced with a gradual change of the organs from one position to another; -- said of certain consonants, as c in came, and g in go, as distinguished from the same letters in center, general, etc.
10. (superl.) Wanting softness or smoothness of utterance; harsh; as, a hard tone.
11. (superl.) Rigid in the drawing or distribution of the figures; formal; lacking grace of composition.
12. (superl.) Having disagreeable and abrupt contrasts in the coloring or light and shade.
13. (adv.) With pressure; with urgency; hence, diligently; earnestly.
14. (adv.) With difficulty; as, the vehicle moves hard.
15. (adv.) Uneasily; vexatiously; slowly.
16. (adv.) So as to raise difficulties.
17. (adv.) With tension or strain of the powers; violently; with force; tempestuously; vehemently; vigorously; energetically; as, to press, to blow, to rain hard; hence, rapidly; as, to run hard.
18. (adv.) Close or near.
19. (v. t.) To harden; to make hard.
20. (n.) A ford or passage across a river or swamp.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
HARD SAYINGS; HARD SENTENCESsa'-ingz;, sen'-ten-siz: InDaniel 5:12 the King James Version (Aramaic 'aqiahan), the Revised Version (British and American) "dark sentences," of enigmatic utterances which preternatural wisdom was needed to interpret; inJohn 6:60 (skleros. ho logos), of sayings (Christ's words at Capernaum about eating His flesh and drinking His blood) difficult for the natural mind to understand (compare 6:52).
HARD; HARDINESS; HARDDINESS; HARDLY
hard, har'-di-nes, hard'-nes, hard'-li (qasheh, pala'; skleros): The senses in which hard is used may be distinguished as:
(1) "Firm," "stiff," opposite to soft:Job 41:24, yatsaq, "to be firm," "his heart. as hard as a piece of the nether millstone," the Revised Version (British and American) "firm";Ezekiel 3:7, qasheh, "sharp," "hard of heart"; chazaq, "firm," "As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead";Jeremiah 5:3, "They have made their faces harder than a rock";Proverbs 21:29, `azaz, "to make strong," "hard," "impudent," "a wicked man hardeneth his face";Proverbs 13:15 probably belongs here also where 'ethan is translated "hard": "The way of the transgressor is hard," the English Revised Version "The way of the treacherous is rugged"; the Hebrew word means, "lasting," "firm," poet. "rocks" (the earth's foundations,Micah 6:2), and the meaning seems to be, not that the way (path) of transgressors, or the treacherous (Delitzsch has "uncultivated"), is hard (rocky) to them, but that their way, or mode of acting, is hard, unsympathetic, unkind, "destitute of feeling in things which, as we say, would soften a stone" (Delitzsch on passage); alsoMatthew 25:24, skleros, "stiff," "thou art a hard man"; The Wisdom of Solomon 11:4, skleros, "hard stone," the Revised Version (British and American) "flinty rock," margin "the steep rock."
(2) "Sore," "trying," "painful," qasheh (Exodus 1:14, "hard service";Deuteronomy, 26:62 Samuel 3:39Psalm 60:3Isaiah 14:3); qashah "to have it hard" (Genesis 35:16, 17Deuteronomy 15:18); `athaq, "stiff" (Psalm 94:4 the King James Version, "They utter and speak hard things"); skleros (John 6:60, "This is a hard saying"-hard to accept, hard in its nature;Acts 9:5 the King James Version;Acts 26:14Jude 1:15, "hard speeches"; The Wisdom of Solomon 19:13).
(3) "Heavy," "pressing hard," kabhedh, "weighty" (Ezekiel 3:5, 6, "a people of a strange speech and of a hard language," the Revised Version margin (Hebrew) "deep of lip and heavy of tongue"); camakh, "to lay" (Psalm 88:7, "Thy wrath lieth hard upon me").
(4) "Difficult," "hard to do," "know," etc., pala', "difficult to be done" (Genesis 18:14, "Is anything too hard for Yahweh?";Jeremiah 32:17, 27Deuteronomy 17:82 Samuel 13:2); qasheh (Exodus 18:26, "hard causes"); qashah (Deuteronomy 1:172 Kings 2:10); chidhah, "something twisted," "involved," "an enigma"; compareJudges 14:14 (1 Kings 10:12 Chronicles 9:1, "to prove Solomon with hard questions"); 'ahidhan, Aramaic (Daniel 5:12); duskolos, literally, "difficult about food," "hard to please," hence, "difficult to accomplish" (Mark 10:24, "How hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God"); dusnoetos, "hard to be understood" (Hebrews 5:112 Peter 3:16; compare Ecclesiasticus 3:21, "things too hard for thee," chalepos).
(5) "Close," or "near to" (hard by), naghash, "to come nigh" (Judges 9:52, the American Standard Revised Version "near"); dabhaq and dabheq, "to follow hard after" (Judges 20:45Psalm 63:8, etc.); 'etsel, "near" (1 Kings 21:1); le'ummath, "over against" (Leviticus 3:9); `adh, "to" "even to" (1 Chronicles 19:4, the King James Version "hard by," the Revised Version (British and American) "even to").
Hardiness occurs in Judith 16:10 thrasos, the Revised Version (British and American) "boldness."
Hardness is the translation of mutsaq, "something poured out," "dust wetted," "running into clods" (Job 38:38), the Revised Version (British and American) "runneth into a mass"; "hardness of heart" occurs in the Gospels; inMark 3:5, it is porosis, "hardness," "callousness";Matthew 19:8Mark 10:5;Mark 16:14, sklerokardia, "dryness," "stiffness of heart"; compare Ecclesiasticus 16:10; inRomans 2:5, it is sklerotes; in2 Timothy 2:3 the King James Version we have, "Endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ," the Revised Version (British and American) "Suffer hardship with me" (corrected text), margin "Take thy part in suffering hardship" (kakopatheo, "to suffer evil").
Hardly occurs in the Old Testament (Exodus 13:15), "Pharaoh would hardly let us go," qashah, literally, "hardened to let us go," the Revised Version margin "hardened himself against letting us go"; "hardly bestead" (Isaiah 8:21) is the translation of qadshah, the American Standard Revised Version "sore distressed." In the New Testament "hardly" is the translation of duskolos, "hard to please," "difficult," meaning not scarcely or barely, but with difficulty (Matthew 19:23, "A rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven," the Revised Version (British and American) "it is hard for";Mark 10:23Luke 18:24, "how hardly" ("with what difficulty")); of mogis, "with labor," "pain," "trouble" (Luke 9:39, "hardly departeth from him" ("painfully")); of molis "with toil and fatigue" (Acts 27:8, the Revised Version (British and American) "with difficulty"; The Wisdom of Solomon 9:16, "Hardly do we guess aright at things that are upon earth"; Ecclesiasticus 26:29, "A merchant shall hardly keep himself from wrong doing"; 29:6, "He shall hardly receive the half," in each instance the word is molis, but in the last two instances we seem to see the transition to "scarcely"; compare alsoExodus 13:15).
The Revised Version has "too hard" for "hidden" (Deuteronomy 30:11, margin "wonderful"); "hardness" for "boldness" (of face) (Ecclesiastes 8:1); for "sorrow" (Lamentations 3:65); "deal hardly with me" for "make yourselves strong to me" (Job 19:3); omits "It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks" (Acts 9:5, corrected text); "hardship" for "trouble" (2 Timothy 2:9).
W. L. Walker
Greek
4642. skleros --hard, rough...hard, rough. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: skleros Phonetic Spelling:
(sklay-ros') Short Definition:
hard, violent, harsh, stern Definition:
hard...1425. dusnoetos --hard to understand
...hard to understand. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: dusnoetos Phonetic
Spelling: (doos-no'-ay-tos) Short Definition:hard to understand Definition...
1421. dusermeneutos --hard of interpretation
...hard of interpretation. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: dusermeneutos
Phonetic Spelling: (doos-er-mane'-yoo-tos) Short Definition: difficult to...
1422b. duskolos --hard to satisfy with food, hence generallyhard...
... 1422a, 1422b. duskolos. 1423 .hard to satisfy with food, hence generallyhard
to please, difficult. Transliteration: duskolos Short Definition:hard....
5467. chalepos --hard (to do or bear)
...hard (to do or bear). Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: chalepos Phonetic
Spelling: (khal-ep-os') Short Definition:hard, harsh, fierce Definition: (a...
1419. dusbastaktos --hard to be borne, oppressive
...hard to be borne, oppressive. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: dusbastaktos
Phonetic Spelling: (doos-bas'-tak-tos) Short Definition: difficult to...
4731. stereos --hard, firm
...hard, firm. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: stereos Phonetic Spelling:
(ster-eh-os') Short Definition: solid, firm, steadfast Definition: solid, firm...
598. apothlibo -- to presshard
... to presshard. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: apothlibo Phonetic Spelling:
(ap-oth-lee'-bo) Short Definition: I jostle Definition: (lit: I rub), jostle...
4230. pragmateia -- careful application,hard work
... careful application,hard work. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration:
pragmateia Phonetic Spelling: (prag-mat-i'-ah) Short Definition: a business, an...
1304. diatribo -- to rubhard, rub away, to spend time
... to rubhard, rub away, to spend time. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: diatribo
Phonetic Spelling: (dee-at-ree'-bo) Short Definition: I tarry, continue...
Strong's Hebrew
7185. qashah -- to behard, severe or fierce... qashah. 7186 . to be
hard, severe or fierce. Transliteration: qashah Phonetic
Spelling: (kaw-shaw') Short Definition: stiffened. Word Origin a prim.
...7186. qasheh --hard, severe
... 7185, 7186. qasheh. 7187 .hard, severe. Transliteration: qasheh Phonetic
Spelling: (kaw-sheh') Short Definition:hard. Word Origin...
1565. galmud --hard, barren
... 1564, 1565. galmud. 1566 .hard, barren. Transliteration: galmud Phonetic
Spelling: (gal-mood') Short Definition: barren. Word Origin...
6864. tsor -- ahard pebble, flint
... 6863, 6864. tsor. 6865 . ahard pebble, flint. Transliteration: tsor Phonetic
Spelling: (tsore) Short Definition: flint. Word Origin...
3436. Yoshbeqashah -- "ahard seat," a son of Heman
... Yoshbeqashah. 3437 . "ahard seat," a son of Heman. Transliteration: Yoshbeqashah
Phonetic Spelling: (yosh-bek-aw-shaw') Short Definition: Joshbekashah....
7188. qashach -- to makehard, treat roughly
... 7187, 7188. qashach. 7189 . to makehard, treat roughly. Transliteration: qashach
Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-shakh') Short Definition: harden. Word Origin a prim...
6862d. tsar -- ahard pebble, flint
... ahard pebble, flint. Transliteration: tsar Short Definition: flint. Word Origin
from an unused word Definition ahard pebble, flint NASB Word Usage flint (1)....
3332. yatsaq -- to pour, cast, flow
... root Definition to pour, cast, flow NASB Word Usage cast (14), casting (1), dished
(1), firm (1),hard (2), hardens (1), molten (2), pour (14), poured (13...
1692. dabaq -- to cling, cleave, keep close
... abide fast, cleave fast together, follow closehard after, be joined together.
A primitive root; properly, to impinge, ie Cling or...
386. ethan -- perennial, ever-flowing, permanence
... Word Origin from an unused word Definition perennial, ever-flowing, permanence NASB
Word Usage enduring (3), ever-flowing (2), firm (1),hard (1), normal state...
Library
TheHard Life
... XLVI THEHARD LIFE. Matthew xiii.1-9. Let us look still further at this parable
of the sower.... We usually think of thehard life as if it were a life of sin....
February the Third Transforming theHard Heart
... FEBRUARY The Third TRANSFORMING THEHARD HEART.... It is what Matthew the publican was
like when the Lord changed hishard heart into a land of springs....
TheHard-Heartedness of the Jews, for whom the Christians Pray.
... Chapter CXXXIII."Thehard-heartedness of the Jews, for whom the Christians
pray. "Now, although these and all other such unexpected...
Phasaelus is TooHard for Felix; Herod Also Overcomes Antigonus in...
... Phasaelus Is TooHard For Felix; Herod Also Overcomes Antigonus In Rattle; And The
Jews Accuse Both Herod And Phasaelus But Antonius Acquits Them, And Makes...
NowHard as this May Seem to Unregenerate Nature...
... Address 51: Nowhard as this may seem to unregenerate nature? Nowhard
as this may seem to unregenerate nature, and yet harder...
Custom is Indeed in EverythingHard to Resist. ...
... II."Ascetic and Moral. Chapter IX. Custom is indeed in everythinghard
to resist.? Custom is indeed in everythinghard to resist....
How Saintly Men Cannot beHard and Obstinate.
... The Conferences of John Cassian. Chapter XXVI. How saintly men cannot
behard and obstinate. Nor must we emit the value of that...
Some Things HereHard and Too Slightly Treated, and Apparently not...
... Chapter IV."Some Things HereHard and Too Slightly Treated, and Apparently Not
Sufficiently Brought Out According to the Rule of Theology....
The Way of the Transgressor isHard.
... The Way of the Transgressor isHard. There was a man whom I knew who was an inveterate
drinker.... If he has, I ask him: Is not the way of the transgressorhard?...
FollowingHard after God
... I FollowingHard after God. My soul followethhard after thee: thy right
hand upholdeth me."Psa.63:8. Christian theology teaches...
Thesaurus
Over-hard (2 Occurrences)Over-
hard. Overhangs, Over-
hard. Overhead . Multi-Version Concordance
Over-
hard (2 Occurrences). 2 Corinthians 2:5 But
...Difficult (31 Occurrences)
... 1. (a.)Hard to do or to make; beset with difficulty; attended with labor, trouble,
or pains; not easy; arduous.... Genesis 18:14 Is anything toohard for Yahweh?...
Crust (3 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) Thehard external coat or covering of anything; thehard exterior surface
or outer shell; an incrustation; as, a crust of snow....
Grind (12 Occurrences)
... 4. (vt) To studyhard for examination.... 9. (vi) To performhard and distasteful
service; to drudge; to studyhard, as for an examination. 10....
Plated (29 Occurrences)
... (BBE). Exodus 26:37 And make five pillars for the curtain, ofhard wood plated with
gold; their hooks are to be of gold and their bases of brass (BBE)....
Conditions (11 Occurrences)
... (BBE). Exodus 1:14 And made their lives bitter withhard work, making building-material
and bricks, and doing all sorts of work in the fields under the hardest...
Rods (76 Occurrences)
... Exodus 27:6 And make rods for the altar, ofhard wood, plated with brass.... Exodus
37:15 The rods for lifting the table he made ofhard wood plated with gold....
Stiff-necked (18 Occurrences)
... stif'-nekt (qesheh `oreph, literally, "hard of neck"): As it is figuratively used,
both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament, the word means "stubborn...
Difficulty (12 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) The state of being difficult, orhard to do; hardness; arduousness; -- opposed
to easiness or facility; as, the difficulty of a task or enterprise; a...
Cake (25 Occurrences)
... were among the things Jeroboam directed his wife to take with her when she went
to consult Ahijah the prophet at Shiloh (1 Kings 14:3). Suchhard cakes were...
Resources
Why is life so hard? | GotQuestions.orgWhy is it so hard to understand the Bible? | GotQuestions.orgWhat does it mean to kick against the pricks? | GotQuestions.orgHard: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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