What does σκληρύνω (sklērýnō) mean in the Bible?
σκληρύνω (sklērýnō): Hardening the heart against God's word through willful resistance, not mere intellectual disagreement
Greek · G4645
σκληρύνω
To harden
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σκληρύνωG4645
Pronunciationsklērýnō
What does σκληρύνω (sklērýnō) mean in the Bible?
σκληρύνω (sklērýnō): Hardening the heart against God's word through willful resistance, not mere intellectual disagreement
Full entry for σκληρύνω (G4645) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G4645?
The BSB source-word alignment has 6 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include harden (3), He hardens (1), may be hardened (1), stubbornly (1).
Where does σκληρύνω (sklērýnō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Acts 19:9. Its strongest book concentrations include Hebrews (4), Acts (1), Romans (1).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders Itharden3×Hebrews 3:8, Hebrews 3:15, Hebrews 4:7
He hardens1×Romans 9:18
may be hardened1×Hebrews 3:13
stubbornly1×Acts 19:9
Show sample aligned rows
Acts 19:9ἐσκληρύνοντοtostubbornlyVerb - Imperfect Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person PluralRomans 9:18σκληρύνειtoHe hardensVerb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person SingularHebrews 3:8σκληρύνητεtohardenVerb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 2nd Person PluralHebrews 3:13σκληρυνθῇtomay be hardenedVerb - Aorist Subjunctive Passive - 3rd Person SingularHebrews 3:15σκληρύνητεtohardenVerb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 2nd Person PluralHebrews 4:7σκληρύνητεtohardenVerb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 2nd Person Plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowActs 19:9
Aligned rows6
Books represented3
Acts1Romans1Hebrews4
Source forms
σκληρύνητε3xsklērynēteHebrews 3:8, Hebrews 3:15, Hebrews 4:7
ἐσκληρύνοντο1xesklērynontoActs 19:9
σκληρύνει1xsklēryneiRomans 9:18
σκληρυνθῇ1xsklērynthēHebrews 3:13
Parsing patterns
Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 2nd Person Plural3xHebrews 3:8, Hebrews 3:15, Hebrews 4:7
Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Passive - 3rd Person Singular1xHebrews 3:13
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Plural1xActs 19:9
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular1xRomans 9:18
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Hardening the heart against God's word through willful resistance, not mere intellectual disagreement
Strong'sG4645
Lexical occurrences6 versesGreek text appearances6 timesWord forms2 forms6 referencesVerse guides0 guides
Study linkActs 19:8-10Source Gloss
to harden
Extended definitionSource: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Hardening the heart against God's word through willful resistance, not mere intellectual disagreement
(σκληρός), [in LXX chiefly for קָשָׁה hi., also for חָזַק ;] to harden. Metaphorical, to harden, make stubborn: with accusative of person(s), Rom.9:18; T. καρδίας (Psa.95:8), Heb.3:8, 15 4:7. Pass., to become hardened: Act.19:9, Heb.3:13.
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
6 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Acts 19:9Verb Third Person Plural Imperfect Passive Indicative
ἐσκληρύνοντοesklhrunonto
I harden
Read verseRomans 9:18Verb Third Person Singular Present Active Indicative
σκληρύνει.sklhrunei
I harden
Read verseHebrews 3:8Verb Second Person Plural Present Active Subjunctive
σκληρύνητεsklhrunhte
I harden
Read verseHebrews 3:13Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Passive Subjunctive
σκληρυνθῇsklhrunqh
I harden
Read verseHebrews 3:15Verb Second Person Plural Present Active Subjunctive
σκληρύνητεsklhrunhte
I harden
Read verseHebrews 4:7Verb Second Person Plural Present Active Subjunctive
σκληρύνητεsklhrunhte
I harden
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups2Aligned forms6TensesAorist, Imperfect, PresentVoicesActive, Passive
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Subjunctivepossibility, probability, or purpose4×
Aorist ActiveHeb 3:8 · Heb 3:15 · Heb 4:73×
Aorist PassiveHeb 3:131×
Indicativestates a fact or reality2×
Imperfect PassiveActs 19:91×
Present ActiveRom 9:181×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 5 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
aorist4present1
Voice
active4passive1
Mood
subjunctive4indicative1
NT Occurrences
Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.
Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
New Testament Witnesses
To become stubborn or resistant.
to harden
To harden, make stubborn.
Showing 3 selected witnesses from 6 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
σκληρύνω is built from this root:
Why This Word Matters
Describes God’s judicial action in confirming persistent rebellion.Acts 19:8-10
Describes moral resistance to God's voice.Hebrews 3:7-19
Describes the spiritual condition of rejecting hearers.Romans 9:14-29
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.