Primarily, in Scripture, a persistent inner refusal to hear and obey the word of God. Also, in a more general sense, an uncaring or unsympathetic attitude towards other people.
Kinds of hardness of heart
As disobedience towards God
Psalm 95:8–9 Referring to the disobedience of the Israelites in their wilderness wanderings. See also Hebrews 3:7–9Ephesians 4:18 See also Proverbs 28:14; Zechariah 7:12; Romans 2:5; Hebrews 3:12–15, Hebrews 4:5–7
do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, in the day at Massah in the wilderness, where your fathers tested and tried Me, though they had seen My work.
They are darkened in their understanding and alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts.
As the work of God
Exodus 10:20 God's judgment on Pharaoh was to confirm him in his stubbornness so that he might feel the full weight of his wrath; Isaiah 6:10 See also John 12:40
But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go.
Make the hearts of this people calloused; deafen their ears and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”
As an uncaring attitude towards other people
Deuteronomy 15:7 See also Psalm 17:10, Psalm 73:7, Psalm 119:70; Matthew 19:8 parallel Mark 10:5; James 2:15–16; 1 John 3:17
If there is a poor man among your brothers within any of the gates in the land that the LORD your God is giving you, then you are not to harden your heart or shut your hand from your poor brother.
Examples of hardness of heart
Pharaoh
Exodus 7:13, Exodus 7:22, Exodus 8:19, Exodus 8:32, Exodus 9:7, Exodus 9:34–35
Israel
1 Samuel 6:6; Jeremiah 5:23, Jeremiah 9:14, Jeremiah 11:8, Jeremiah 13:10, Jeremiah 16:12, Jeremiah 18:12, Jeremiah 23:26
Zedekiah
Jesus Christ's disciples
Jesus Christ's generation
Matthew 13:15, Matthew 19:8 parallel Mark 10:5; Mark 3:5
Paul's hearers
God's remedies for hardness of heart
Repentance
Psalm 51:17 See also 1 Kings 8:46–49; 2 Chronicles 34:27; Jeremiah 3:17; Ezekiel 18:31
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.
A work of grace
Ezekiel 11:19 God's promise to Israel. See also 1 Kings 8:58; Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 36:26
And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them; I will remove their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh,
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.