"hardness of heart, obstinacy, perverseness, Mt. 19:8; Mk. 10:5; 16:14*"
Definition and meaning
hardness of heart, obstinacy, perverseness, Mt. 19:8; Mk. 10:5; 16:14*
In the original Greek the word is written: σκληροκαρδία
Historical context
Rome had controlled Judea since 63 BC. Herod the Great rebuilt the Temple into one of the most magnificent structures in the ancient world — and simultaneously murdered members of his own family. The common people paid multiple layers of taxation and were politically powerless. Into that world a carpenter from Galilee began teaching that the kingdom of God had arrived.
The people who first heard this word were not reading a book — they were living through empires, oppression, exile, and covenant. Every word carried the weight of that reality. Understanding it changes how you read Scripture.
Scripture references
These are the most notable occurrences of sklerokardia (G4641) across the King James Bible.
He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.
And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.
Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.
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Common questions
Strong's G4641 (sklerokardia) is a Greek word that means: hardness of heart, obstinacy, perverseness, Mt. 19:8; Mk. 10:5; 16:14* It appears 3 times in the King James Bible.
The word sklerokardia (G4641) appears 3 times in the original Greek text.
Strong's G4641 is sklerokardia, a Greek word defined as: hardness of heart, obstinacy, perverseness, Mt. 19:8; Mk. 10:5; 16:14*. James Strong catalogued this in his 1890 concordance to help English readers study the original languages of the Bible.
sklerokardia is a Greek word found in the New Testament.