What does קָשָׁה (qāšāh) mean in the Bible?
קָשָׁה (qāšāh): Describes hardness as density or rigidity—physical, moral, or relational—from obstinate resistance to severe cruelty.
Hebrew · H7185
קָשָׁה
Properly, to be dense , i.e. tough or severe (in various applications)
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קָשָׁה H7185
Pronunciation qāšāh
What does קָשָׁה (qāšāh) mean in the Bible?
קָשָׁה (qāšāh): Describes hardness as density or rigidity—physical, moral, or relational—from obstinate resistance to severe cruelty.
Full entry for קָשָׁה (H7185) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H7185?
The BSB source-word alignment has 28 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include but they stiffened (2), put a heavy (2), They stiffened (2), a difficult thing (1), and stiff-necked (1).
Where does קָשָׁה (qāšāh) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 35:16. Its strongest book concentrations include Deuteronomy (4), 2 Chronicles (3), Genesis (3), Jeremiah (3).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It but they stiffened 2× Jeremiah 7:26, Jeremiah 17:23
put a heavy 2× 1 Kings 12:4, 2 Chronicles 10:4
They stiffened 2× Nehemiah 9:17, Nehemiah 9:29
a difficult thing 1× 2 Kings 2:10
and stiff-necked 1× Nehemiah 9:16
and stiffen 1× Deuteronomy 10:16
and they stiffened 1× 2 Kings 17:14
as a hardship 1× Deuteronomy 15:18
But [Zedekiah] stiffened 1× 2 Chronicles 36:13
but he who hardens 1× Proverbs 28:14
dejected 1× Isaiah 8:21
harden 1× Psalms 95:8
has resisted 1× Job 9:4
her severe 1× Genesis 35:17
is heavy 1× 1 Samuel 5:7
it is cruel 1× Genesis 49:7
remains stiff-necked 1× Proverbs 29:1
spoke more fiercely 1× 2 Samuel 19:43
stiffen 1× 2 Chronicles 30:8
stubborn 1× Deuteronomy 2:30
stubbornly refused 1× Exodus 13:15
they have stiffened 1× Jeremiah 19:15
too difficult 1× Deuteronomy 1:17
was difficult 1× Genesis 35:16
will harden 1× Exodus 7:3
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 35:16 וַתְּקַ֥שׁ to was difficult Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular Genesis 35:17 בְהַקְשֹׁתָ֖הּ to her severe Preposition-b | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct | third person feminine singular Genesis 49:7 קָשָׁ֑תָה to it is cruel Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular Exodus 7:3 אַקְשֶׁ֖ה to will harden Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - first person common singular Exodus 13:15 הִקְשָׁ֣ה to stubbornly refused Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person masculine singular Deuteronomy 1:17 יִקְשֶׁ֣ה to too difficult Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular Deuteronomy 2:30 הִקְשָׁה֩ to stubborn Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person masculine singular Deuteronomy 10:16 תַקְשׁ֖וּ to and stiffen Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine plural Deuteronomy 15:18 יִקְשֶׁ֣ה to as a hardship Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular 1 Samuel 5:7 קָשְׁתָ֤ה to is heavy Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 35:16
Aligned rows 28
Books represented 14
Genesis 3 Exodus 2 Deuteronomy 4 1 Samuel 1 2 Samuel 1 1 Kings 1 2 Kings 2 2 Chronicles 3 Nehemiah 3 Job 1 Psalms 1 Proverbs 2 Isaiah 1 Jeremiah 3
Source forms
וַיַּקְשׁוּ֙ 4x way·yaq·šū Nehemiah 9:16, Nehemiah 9:17, Jeremiah 7:26, Jeremiah 17:23
הִקְשָׁ֣ה 3x hiq·šāh Exodus 13:15, 1 Kings 12:4, 2 Chronicles 10:4
יִקְשֶׁ֣ה 2x yiq·šeh Deuteronomy 1:17, Deuteronomy 15:18
אַקְשֶׁ֖ה 1x ’aq·šeh Exodus 7:3
בְהַקְשֹׁתָ֖הּ 1x ḇə·haq·šō·ṯāh Genesis 35:17
הִקְשָׁה֩ 1x hiq·šāh Deuteronomy 2:30
הִקְשָׁ֥ה 1x hiq·šāh Job 9:4
הִקְשׁ֖וּ 1x hiq·šū Nehemiah 9:29
Parsing patterns
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural 5x 2 Kings 17:14, Nehemiah 9:16, Nehemiah 9:17, Jeremiah 7:26
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person masculine singular 5x Exodus 13:15, Deuteronomy 2:30, 1 Kings 12:4, 2 Chronicles 10:4
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine plural 3x Deuteronomy 10:16, 2 Chronicles 30:8, Psalms 95:8
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person common plural 2x Nehemiah 9:29, Jeremiah 19:15
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular 2x Deuteronomy 1:17, Deuteronomy 15:18
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular 2x Genesis 49:7, 1 Samuel 5:7
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular 1x 2 Chronicles 36:13
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine singular 1x Proverbs 28:14
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Describes hardness as density or rigidity—physical, moral, or relational—from obstinate resistance to severe cruelty.
Strong's H7185
Lexical occurrences 28 verses Word forms 3 forms 18 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Exodus 7:1-7 Source Gloss
properly, to be dense , i.e. tough or severe (in various applications)
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Describes hardness as density or rigidity—physical, moral, or relational—from obstinate resistance to severe cruelty.
properly, to be dense, i.e. tough or severe (in various applications) BDB: be hard Usage: be cruel, be fiercer, make grievous, be ((ask a), be in, have, seem, would) hard(-en, (labour), -ly, thing), be sore, (be, make) stiff(-en, (-necked)).
Grammatical Forms
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 3 Aligned forms 18
Hiphil causative active — the subject causes someone else to perform the action 13×
Perfect 1Kgs 12:4 · 2Chr 10:4 · Deut 2:30 · Exod 13:15 · Job 9:4 · Jer 19:15 · Neh 9:29 · 2Kgs 2:10 8×
Jussive 2Chr 30:8 · Ps 95:8 2×
Imperfect Deut 10:16 · Exod 7:3 2×
Participle active Prov 29:1 1×
Qal basic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense 4×
Perfect 1Sam 5:7 · Gen 49:7 2×
Imperfect Deut 1:17 · Deut 15:18 2×
Niphal passive or reflexive — the subject receives or experiences the action 1×
Participle active Isa 8:21 1×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
God hardening Pharaoh's heart to resist divine commands
Severe or difficult childbirth labor causing physical distress
Stubborn refusal to heed correction or instruction
Stiffnecked resistance leading to sudden destruction
Showing 4 selected witnesses from 28 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
קָשָׁה is a primitive root - no further derivation.
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.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain