σκληρύνω

Summary

σκληρύνω ("to harden") describes a process that can be self-inflicted (Heb 3:8) or divinely administered (Rom 9:18), but in both cases operates on existing rebellion, not on a neutral heart. The Pharaoh pattern shows self-hardening preceded divine hardening. God's hardening is judicial — a response to prior pride, consistent with His principle of opposing the proud (James 4:6), not an arbitrary predestinarian decree.

Morphology

Verb. In Romans 9:18, the present active indicative σκληρύνει appears: "He hardens (σκληρύνει) whom He desires."

Semantic Range

The word means to make hard, to make obstinate, to render stubborn. In the LXX, it translates Hebrew terms for hardening the heart (חזק, קשה, כבד), all of which describe the strengthening of existing resistance rather than the creation of a new disposition.

Usage in Key Texts

• Romans 9:18 — "He hardens whom He desires" — Paul's summary of the Pharaoh narrative. The "desire" (θέλει) is not arbitrary; James 4:6 reveals that God opposes the proud.
• Hebrews 3:8, 3:13, 3:15; 4:7 — Warnings against self-hardening: "Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion." The writer of Hebrews treats hardening as something humans do to themselves — a choice, not an irresistible divine act.
• Acts 19:9 — "When some were becoming hardened (ἐσκληρύνοντο) and disobedient" — people harden themselves in response to the gospel. The passive/middle voice suggests the process happens within them.

The Pharaoh Pattern

The Exodus narrative uses multiple Hebrew terms for hardening, but the pattern is consistent: Pharaoh's heart was first described as hard (stative), then Pharaoh actively hardened his own heart (Ex 8:15, 8:32), and only then did God actively harden him (Ex 9:12). Cheryl Schatz's insight: God hardens by setting up circumstances that cement existing character traits — "boiling water hardens eggs but softens potatoes."

Theological Significance

σκληρύνω in the NT describes a process that can be self-inflicted (Heb 3:8) or divinely administered (Rom 9:18), but in both cases it operates on existing rebellion, not on a neutral or innocent heart. Divine hardening is judicial — a response to prior pride and rejection of truth, consistent with God's revealed principle of opposing the proud (James 4:6).

Source: Lexical analysis connected to Cheryl Schatz, "How does God harden a man's heart?" (The Giving blog, article 379)