4644. sklérotrachélos
Lexical Summary
sklérotrachélos: Stiff-necked

Original Word: σκληροτράχηλος
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: sklérotrachélos
Pronunciation: sklair-oh-TRAH-khay-los
Phonetic Spelling: (sklay-rot-rakh'-ay-los)
KJV: stiffnecked
NASB: stiff-necked
Word Origin: [from G4642 (σκληρός - hard) and G5137 (τράχηλος - neck)]

1. hardnaped
2. (figuratively) obstinate

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
stiff-necked.

From skleros and trachelos; hardnaped, i.e. (figuratively) obstinate -- stiffnecked.

see GREEK skleros

see GREEK trachelos

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from skléros and trachélos
Definition
stiff-necked
NASB Translation
stiff-necked (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 4644: σκληροτράχηλος

σκληροτράχηλος, σκληροτράχηλόν (σκληρός and τράχηλος), properly, stiff-necked ; tropically, stubborn, headstrong, obstinate: Acts 7:51; the Sept. for עֹרֶף קְשֵׁה, Exodus 33:3, 5; Exodus 34:9; (etc.); Baruch 2:30; Sir. 16:11; (cf. σκληροτραχηλια, Test xii. Patr., test. Sym. § 6). Not found in secular authors; (cf. Winer's Grammar, 26, 99 (94)).

Topical Lexicon
Term Overview

Strong’s Greek 4644 denotes the condition of being “stiff-necked,” an image drawn from an ox or donkey that refuses the yoke by stiffening its neck. The word pictures a settled resistance toward God’s leading and correction. Although it appears only once in the Greek New Testament, the concept saturates the biblical narrative and functions as a sobering diagnosis of covenant rebellion.

Old Testament Background

The charge “stiff-necked” first falls upon Israel in the wilderness. “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people” (Exodus 32:9). Moses repeats the verdict in Deuteronomy 9:6, tracing it through the nation’s history. Prophets echo the accusation—Jeremiah 7:26; 17:23; 19:15; 2 Kings 17:14—each time linking neck-stiffness with refusal to hear God’s voice and obey His law. The imagery comes from agrarian life: a beast that will not bend to the yoke cannot be guided. Thus “stiff-necked” becomes shorthand for a will set against God.

New Testament Usage (Acts 7:51)

Stephen, standing before the Sanhedrin, indicts his hearers: “You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit—just as your fathers did” (Acts 7:51). By combining the historic epithet with present resistance to the risen Messiah, Stephen draws a straight line from Sinai to Calvary. His single use of σκληροτράχηλοι shows that the same obstinacy that spurned the prophets now rejects the Son. The immediate result is further hardening; enraged, the council stones Stephen, vividly illustrating the very sin he exposed.

Theological Significance

1. Rebellion against divine authority: “Stiff-necked” summarizes humanity’s innate posture toward God apart from grace (Romans 8:7).
2. Hardening of heart: Neck stiffness parallels heart hardness; both signal cumulative resistance that invites judicial hardening (Proverbs 29:1; Romans 11:7-10).
3. Covenant violation: In Scripture, God’s covenant stipulates obedience; stiff-neckedness breaches that bond, provoking judgment yet magnifying the need for a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26).
4. Contrast with submission: Jesus invites the weary to take His yoke (Matthew 11:29). Willing submission replaces the stiff neck with meekness, aligning the believer under Christ’s lordship.

Practical Ministry Implications

• Preaching: The term warns congregations against habitual resistance to Scripture. Rebellion is not merely outward but lodges in the heart and ears.
• Discipleship: Leaders must help believers identify subtle forms of neck-stiffness—prayerlessness, selective obedience—and model yieldedness.
• Pastoral care: Persistent obstinacy calls for loving confrontation (Galatians 6:1), remembering Stephen’s courage and compassion even toward persecutors.
• Evangelism: Awareness of innate stiff-neckedness underlines the necessity of the Spirit’s regenerative work; persuasion alone cannot bend the neck.

Related Concepts

Hard-heartedness (σκληροκαρδία, Mark 3:5), uncircumcised heart (Acts 7:51), resisting the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 63:10), rebellious house (Ezekiel 2:5), and pride (Proverbs 16:18) all intersect with the stiff-necked condition.

Illustrative Biblical References

Exodus 32:9; Exodus 33:3; Deuteronomy 9:6-13; 2 Chronicles 30:8; 2 Kings 17:14; Psalm 75:5; Isaiah 48:4; Jeremiah 7:26; Jeremiah 17:23; Jeremiah 19:15; Acts 7:51; Romans 11:7-10.

Summary

Strong’s 4644 crystallizes the age-old human inclination to resist God’s yoke. Scripture exposes this sin, warns of its consequences, and points to Christ, whose gentle yoke alone can transform a stiff neck into ready obedience.

Forms and Transliterations
Σκληροτραχηλοι Σκληροτράχηλοι σκληροτράχηλόν σκληροτράχηλος σκληροτράχηλός σκληροτραχήλου Sklerotracheloi Sklerotrácheloi Sklērotrachēloi Sklērotráchēloi
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Acts 7:51 Adj-VMP
GRK: Σκληροτράχηλοι καὶ ἀπερίτμητοι
NAS: You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised
KJV: Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised
INT: O stiff-necked and uncircumcised

Strong's Greek 4644
1 Occurrence


Σκληροτράχηλοι — 1 Occ.

4643
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