In biblical terminology, the concept of "hardening" often refers to the spiritual condition where an individual's heart becomes resistant or unresponsive to God's will and truth. This condition is frequently discussed in the context of divine judgment and human responsibility.

Old Testament Context

The theme of hardening is prominently featured in the narrative of Pharaoh during the Exodus. In Exodus 4:21, God tells Moses, "When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go." This hardening serves as a demonstration of God's sovereignty and power over human rulers and is a key element in the unfolding of the plagues upon Egypt.

The Hebrew word often translated as "harden" is "chazaq," which can mean to strengthen, make firm, or obstinate. In the case of Pharaoh, the hardening of his heart is depicted as both a divine act and a self-imposed condition, as Pharaoh repeatedly chooses to resist God's commands (Exodus 8:15, 32).

New Testament Context

In the New Testament, the concept of hardening is addressed in the context of Israel's unbelief. In Romans 11:7-8, Paul writes, "What then? What Israel was seeking, it failed to obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened, as it is written: 'God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see and ears that could not hear, to this very day.'" Here, hardening is seen as a judicial act of God in response to persistent unbelief, yet it also serves a redemptive purpose in the broader narrative of salvation history.

The Greek term "pōroō," used in the New Testament, conveys the idea of becoming callous or insensitive. This hardening is not merely a passive state but often results from a willful rejection of God's revelation and truth.

Theological Implications

The hardening of the heart raises important theological questions about free will, divine sovereignty, and human responsibility. Scripture presents hardening as both a divine act and a human choice, illustrating the complex interplay between God's purposes and human agency. In Romans 9:18, Paul states, "Therefore God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy, and He hardens whom He wants to harden." This underscores the mystery of God's sovereign will while affirming human accountability.

Practical Considerations

Believers are warned against the danger of hardening their hearts. Hebrews 3:12-13 exhorts, "See to it, brothers, that none of you has a wicked heart of unbelief that turns away from the living God. But exhort one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness." This passage highlights the importance of community, encouragement, and vigilance in maintaining a responsive heart toward God.

In summary, the biblical concept of hardening serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of resisting God's truth and the necessity of remaining open and obedient to His voice.4645. skleruno -- to harden
... See 4642 (). Word Origin from skleros Definition to harden NASB Word Usage becoming
hardened (1), harden (3), hardened (1), hardens (1). harden. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4645.htm - 7k7280c. raga -- to harden
... raga. 7281 . to harden. Transliteration: raga Short Definition: hardens. Word
Origin a prim. root Definition to harden NASB Word Usage hardens (1). ...
/hebrew/7280c.htm - 5k

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 ...
/hebrew/3332.htm - 6k

7185. qashah -- to be hard, severe or fierce
... fierce NASB Word Usage became stubborn* (2), cruel (1), defied* (1), hard (1), hard
thing (1), hard-pressed (1), harden (2), hardened (1), hardens (2), harsher ...
/hebrew/7185.htm - 6k

Free Grace
... Do not you then believe, God hardens the hearts of them that perish: Do not you
believe, he (literally) hardened Pharaoh's heart; and that for this end he ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 128 free grace.htm

Translation from the Greek.
... can be lost; and Pharaoh, they say, as being of a ruined nature, is therefore hardened
by God, who has mercy upon the spiritual, but hardens the earthly. ...
/.../origen/origen de principiis/translation from the greek.htm

A Last Merciful Warning
... himself. God hardens no man's heart who has not first hardened it himself. ...
sinners'? The same fire softens wax and hardens clay. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/a last merciful warning.htm

Translated from Latin of Rufinus.
... And hence they maintain that Pharaoh, too, being of a ruined nature, was on that
account hardened by God, who hardens those that are of an earthly nature, but ...
/.../origen/origen de principiis/translated from latin of rufinus.htm

The Hardening in the Sacred Scripture.
... And, instead of looking down on him from the heights of our own imagined piety,
we should rather remember the word of the apostle: "And whom He will He hardens ...
/.../kuyper/the work of the holy spirit/xxxiii the hardening in the.htm

The Heinous Sin of Profane Cursing and Swearing
... Thirdly, Because it hardens infidels against the Christian religion, and must give
great offense, and occasion much sorrow and concern to every true disciple ...
/.../whitefield/selected sermons of george whitefield/the heinous sin of profane.htm

The Hindrances to Mourning
... A man may be overtaken with sin (Galatians 6:1). He that has stumbled upon sin unawares
will weep, but the love of sin hardens the heart and keeps the devil in ...
/.../the beatitudes an exposition of matthew 51-12/9 the hindrances to mourning.htm

The Signs of the Times
... heal them." The plain meaning is, not that God did this by his own immediate power;
it would be flat blasphemy to say, that God, in this sense, hardens any man ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 66 the signs of.htm

Ears and no Ears
... perfunctorily heard. It either softens or hardens. As the old mystics used to
say, the same heat that melts wax hardens clay into brick. The ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture b/ears and no ears.htm

The Ark of the House of Obed-Edom
... down, makes him squalid, querulous, faithless, irreligious, drives him to drink,
crushes him; and the other man it steadies and quiets and hardens, and teaches ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/the ark of the house.htm

Hardens (7 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Hardens (7 Occurrences). Romans 9:18 So then, he
has mercy on whom he desires, and he hardens whom he desires. ...
/h/hardens.htm - 8k

Hardening (6 Occurrences)
... & vb. n.) of Harden. 2. (n.) Making hard or harder. 3. (n.) That which hardens,
as a material used for converting the surface of iron into steel. Int. ...
/h/hardening.htm - 8k

Gum (3 Occurrences)
... 3. (n.) A vegetable secretion of many trees or plants that hardens when it exudes,
but is soluble in water; as, gum arabic; gum tragacanth; the gum of the ...
/g/gum.htm - 8k

Wherever (107 Occurrences)
... WEY). Romans 9:18 This is a proof that wherever He chooses He shows mercy,
and wherever he chooses He hardens the heart. (WEY). 1 ...
/w/wherever.htm - 38k

Wants (49 Occurrences)
... is present. (See NAS). Romans 9:18 So then, he has mercy on whom he desires,
and he hardens whom he desires. (See NIV). 1 Corinthians ...
/w/wants.htm - 20k

Establishes (15 Occurrences)
... might; (See NAS). Proverbs 21:29 A wicked man hardens his face; but as for
the upright, he establishes his ways. (WEB). Isaiah 42:4 ...
/e/establishes.htm - 10k

Proof (38 Occurrences)
... sinners. (WEY). Romans 9:18 This is a proof that wherever He chooses He shows
mercy, and wherever he chooses He hardens the heart. (WEY). ...
/p/proof.htm - 18k

Chooses (36 Occurrences)
... (See NIV). Romans 9:18 This is a proof that wherever He chooses He shows
mercy, and wherever he chooses He hardens the heart. (WEY). ...
/c/chooses.htm - 17k

Cain (18 Occurrences)
... refusal to favor him. Under the just rebuke of Yahweh he hardens his heart
and is further confirmed in impenitence. His jealousy of ...
/c/cain.htm - 23k

Spin (4 Occurrences)
... 5. (vt) To form (a web, a cocoon, silk, or the like) from threads produced by the
extrusion of a viscid, transparent liquid, which hardens on coming into ...
/s/spin.htm - 9k

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