The term "untractable" refers to individuals or groups that are difficult to manage, control, or influence. In a biblical context, this concept is often associated with stubbornness, rebellion, and a refusal to heed divine instruction or authority. The Bible provides numerous examples and teachings that highlight the dangers and consequences of an untractable spirit.

Old Testament Context

In the Old Testament, the Israelites frequently exhibited untractable behavior, particularly during their wilderness wanderings. Despite witnessing God's miraculous deliverance from Egypt, they repeatedly resisted His commands and doubted His provision. In Exodus 32, the Israelites' creation of the golden calf while Moses was on Mount Sinai exemplifies their untractable nature. God describes them as a "stiff-necked people" (Exodus 32:9), indicating their stubborn refusal to follow His ways.

The prophets also addressed the untractable nature of the people. Jeremiah lamented the people's refusal to listen to God's word, stating, "But they did not listen or incline their ear; instead, they stiffened their necks and did more evil than their fathers" (Jeremiah 7:26). This persistent disobedience led to severe consequences, including exile and destruction.

New Testament Context

In the New Testament, the concept of being untractable is often linked to the rejection of Jesus Christ and His teachings. The religious leaders of the time, particularly the Pharisees and Sadducees, are frequently depicted as untractable due to their resistance to Jesus' message and their adherence to human traditions over divine truth. Jesus rebukes them, saying, "You nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down" (Mark 7:13).

The Apostle Paul also addresses the issue of untractability in his epistles. In Romans 1:28-32, Paul describes those who have rejected God and become untractable in their sinfulness, listing various forms of wickedness that result from a depraved mind. He warns Timothy about people in the last days who will be "lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy" (2 Timothy 3:2), highlighting the untractable nature of humanity apart from God's grace.

Spiritual Implications

The Bible consistently warns against an untractable heart, emphasizing the importance of humility, repentance, and obedience to God. Proverbs 29:1 states, "A man who remains stiff-necked after much reproof will suddenly be shattered beyond recovery." This verse underscores the peril of persisting in untractability, as it leads to spiritual ruin.

Conversely, Scripture encourages believers to cultivate a teachable and responsive spirit. James 1:21 advises, "Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and every expression of evil, and humbly receive the word planted in you, which can save your souls." A willingness to submit to God's word and guidance is essential for spiritual growth and maturity.

Conclusion

While the Bible does not use the term "untractable" explicitly, the concept is woven throughout its narrative, illustrating the tension between human rebellion and divine authority. The call to forsake untractability and embrace a life of obedience and submission to God is a central theme, urging believers to align their hearts with His will.

The Wonderful Skill with which Origen Prepares Gregory and ...
... not utterly barren or unproductive, but rather, perchance, by nature very productive,
though then waste and neglected, and stiff and untractable with thorns ...
/.../argument vii the wonderful skill with.htm

Wesley Rides Twenty-Four Hundred Miles in Seven Months
... the society at seven and told them in plain terms that they were the most ignorant,
self-conceited, self-willed, fickle, untractable, disorderly, disjointed ...
/.../wesley/the journal of john wesley/wesley rides twenty-four hundred miles.htm

A Ridiculous Question
... None that would, at all hazards, rebuke him plainly and sharply, for his rough,
untractable spirit, and bitter zeal for opinions, so greatly obstructive of the ...
/.../wesley/the journal of john wesley/a ridiculous question.htm

That the Sole Cause of the Decay and Cooling of Charity is in the ...
... cases; yet have they no reason to grieve or complain, save about themselves, who
despised, yea rebelled against, the light; who were untractable to invitations ...
/.../francis/treatise on the love of god/chapter v that the sole.htm

Parental Duties Considered and Urged.
... This disposition originated in the apostasy and descends to the whole race, rendering
them untractable and unreachable"easily susceptible of bad impressions ...
/.../sermon xxii parental duties considered.htm

Now Herod and Philip Built Several Cities in Honor of Caesar. ...
... take the crown]; for the multitude would not otherwise have borne them; and though
he was accused of very great cruelty, and was of an untractable temper, and ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 2 now herod and.htm

That Vespasian, after He had Taken Gadara Made Preparation for the ...
... in the country, they either trod it down or fed upon it, and by their marches they
made the ground that was cultivated harder and more untractable than that ...
/.../chapter 9 that vespasian after.htm

Felicitous Phrases
... surprise, admiration, and wonder. suspicious, restive, and untractable. swiftness,
mobility, and penetrativeness. sympathy, service, and compassion. T. ...
/.../kleiser/fifteen thousand useful phrases/section iii felicitous phrases.htm

The Careless Sinner Awakened.
... Hear these broken cries, for the sake of thy Son, who has taught and saved many
a creature as untractable as I, and can out of stones raise up children unto ...
/.../chapter ii the careless sinner.htm

How Christ is the Way in General, "I am the Way. "
... for he is given for a leader and commander, Isaiah 55:4. How sweet should this be
to the soul that is weighted with a stubborn, untractable, and unpersuadable ...
/.../brown/christ the way the truth and the life/chapter iii how christ is.htm

Untractable (1 Occurrence)
...Untractable (1 Occurrence). Hosea 4:16 For Israel is refractory as an untractable
heifer; now will Jehovah feed them as a lamb in a wide pasture. (DBY). ...
/u/untractable.htm - 6k

Stiffnecked (9 Occurrences)
... literally, "hard of neck"): As it is figuratively used, both in the Old Testament
and in the New Testament, the word means "stubborn," "untractable," "not to ...
/s/stiffnecked.htm - 11k

Stiff-necked (18 Occurrences)
... literally, "hard of neck"): As it is figuratively used, both in the Old Testament
and in the New Testament, the word means "stubborn," "untractable," "not to ...
/s/stiff-necked.htm - 14k

Untraceable (2 Occurrences)

/u/untraceable.htm - 7k

Untrained (3 Occurrences)

/u/untrained.htm - 7k

Refractory (7 Occurrences)
... (YLT). Hosea 4:16 For Israel is refractory as an untractable heifer; now will
Jehovah feed them as a lamb in a wide pasture. (DBY YLT). ...
/r/refractory.htm - 9k

Untractable: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus