קָשָׁה
qa.shah (H7185)
to harden
AI Word Study
# Analysis of Hebrew קָשָׁה (qāšāh) - "To Harden" The Hebrew verb קָשָׁה appears 28 times throughout the Bible and carries the primary sense of hardening or stiffening. This is a physical and metaphorical action that describes both material processes (making something rigid or resistant) and psychological states (making someone stubborn or unyielding). The word occupies an important semantic space in biblical language for describing resistance—whether of substances, hearts, or wills—suggesting that "hardening" was a concept the biblical authors used to explain obstinacy and moral rigidity. With 28 occurrences distributed across the biblical text, קָשָׁה represents a moderately common term rather than a rare or specialized one, indicating it was a standard way to discuss hardening in both literal and figurative contexts. The consistency of its appearance suggests the concept was foundational to how biblical writers understood human stubbornness and divine action. The term's availability as a standard vocabulary item points to hardening as a recognizable and recurring theme in biblical narrative and teaching, particularly in contexts involving resistance to divine will or instruction.
AI synthesis uses only provided lexicon data -- never training knowledge.
They traveled from Bethel. There was still some distance to come to Ephrath, and Rachel travailed. She had hard labor.
When she was in hard labor, the midwife said to her, “Don’t be afraid, for now you will have another son.”
Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel. I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.
I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.
When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, Yahweh killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man, and the firstborn of livestock. Therefore I sacrifice to Yahweh all that opens the womb, being males; but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’
You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not be afraid of the face of man, for the judgment is God’s. The case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.”
But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him; for Yahweh your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into your hand, as it is today.
Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiff-necked.
It shall not seem hard to you when you let him go free from you; for he has been double the value of a hired hand as he served you six years. Yahweh your God will bless you in all that you do.
When the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel shall not stay with us, for his hand is severe on us and on Dagon our god.”
The men of Israel answered the men of Judah, and said, “We have ten parts in the king, and we have also more claim to David than you. Why then did you despise us, that our advice should not be first had in bringing back our king?” The words of the men of Judah were fiercer than the words of the men of Israel.
“Your father made our yoke difficult. Now therefore make the hard service of your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, lighter, and we will serve you.”
He said, “You have asked a hard thing. If you see me when I am taken from you, it will be so for you; but if not, it will not be so.”
Notwithstanding, they would not listen, but hardened their neck, like the neck of their fathers, who didn’t believe in Yahweh their God.
“Your father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make the grievous service of your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, lighter, and we will serve you.”
Now don’t be stiff-necked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to Yahweh, and enter into his sanctuary, which he has sanctified forever, and serve Yahweh your God, that his fierce anger may turn away from you.
He also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God; but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart against turning to Yahweh, the God of Israel.
“But they and our fathers behaved proudly, hardened their neck, didn’t listen to your commandments,
and refused to obey. They weren’t mindful of your wonders that you did among them, but hardened their neck, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage. But you are a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and didn’t forsake them.
and testified against them, that you might bring them again to your law. Yet they were arrogant, and didn’t listen to your commandments, but sinned against your ordinances (which if a man does, he shall live in them), turned their backs, stiffened their neck, and would not hear.
God who is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who has hardened himself against him and prospered?
Don’t harden your heart, as at Meribah, as in the day of Massah in the wilderness,
Blessed is the man who always fears; but one who hardens his heart falls into trouble.
He who is often rebuked and stiffens his neck will be destroyed suddenly, with no remedy.
They will pass through it, very distressed and hungry. It will happen that when they are hungry, they will worry, and curse by their king and by their God. They will turn their faces upward,
Yet they didn’t listen to me or incline their ear, but made their neck stiff. They did worse than their fathers.
But they didn’t listen. They didn’t turn their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, and might not receive instruction.
“Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel says, ‘Behold, I will bring on this city and on all its towns all the evil that I have pronounced against it, because they have made their neck stiff, that they may not hear my words.’ ”