Hardness of heart

Hardness of heart is a stubborn refusal to hear, believe, or turn to God. This page lists verses on Pharaoh's hardened heart, warnings not to harden the heart, a stiff-necked people, God hardening and giving people over, hard hearts and unbelief, and the promise of a new heart.

Pharaoh's hardened heart

• Exodus 4:21
  And the Lord said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.The LORD instructed Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders that I have put within your power. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.
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• Exodus 7:13
  And he hardened Pharaoh’s heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had said.Still, Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said.
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• Exodus 8:15
  But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had said.When Pharaoh saw that there was relief, however, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said.
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• Exodus 8:32
  And Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also, neither would he let the people go.But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time as well, and he would not let the people go.
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• Exodus 9:12
  And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had spoken unto Moses.But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said to Moses.
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• Exodus 9:34-35
  ³⁴And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants.When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had ceased, he sinned again and hardened his heart—he and his officials. ³⁵And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, neither would he let the children of Israel go; as the Lord had spoken by Moses.So Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not let the Israelites go, just as the LORD had said through Moses.
  Show context · Read Exodus 9 →

Harden not your hearts

• Psalm 95:7-8
  ⁷For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice,For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, the sheep under His care. Today, if you hear His voice, ⁸Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, in the day at Massah in the wilderness,
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• Hebrews 3:7-8
  ⁷Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear His voice, ⁸Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:do not harden your hearts, as you did in the rebellion, in the day of testing in the wilderness,
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• Hebrews 3:12-13
  ¹²Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.See to it, brothers, that none of you has a wicked heart of unbelief that turns away from the living God. ¹³But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.But exhort one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.
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• Proverbs 28:14
  Happy is the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief.Blessed is the man who is always reverent, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble.
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• Proverbs 29:1
  He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.A man who remains stiff-necked after much reproof will suddenly be shattered beyond recovery.
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A stiff-necked people

• Exodus 32:9
  And the Lord said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:The LORD also said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and they are indeed a stiff-necked people.
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• Deuteronomy 9:6
  Understand therefore, that the Lord thy God giveth thee not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness; for thou art a stiffnecked people.Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the LORD your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people.
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• 2 Kings 17:14
  Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the Lord their God.But they would not listen, and they stiffened their necks like their fathers, who did not believe the LORD their God.
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• Jeremiah 7:24
  But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.Yet they did not listen or incline their ear, but they followed the stubborn inclinations of their own evil hearts. They went backward and not forward.
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• Zechariah 7:11-12
  ¹¹But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder; they stopped up their ears from hearing. ¹²Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the Lord of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of hosts.They made their hearts like flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the LORD of Hosts had sent by His Spirit through the earlier prophets. Therefore great anger came from the LORD of Hosts.
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• Acts 7:51
  Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit, just as your fathers did.
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God hardening and giving over

• Deuteronomy 2:30
  But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him: for the Lord thy God hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into thy hand, as appeareth this day.But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass through, for the LORD your God had made his spirit stubborn and his heart obstinate, that He might deliver him into your hand, as is the case this day.
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• Joshua 11:20
  For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy them utterly, and that they might have no favour, but that he might destroy them, as the Lord commanded Moses.For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts to engage Israel in battle, so that they would be set apart for destruction and would receive no mercy, being annihilated as the LORD had commanded Moses.
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• Isaiah 6:9-10
  ⁹And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.And He replied: “Go and tell this people, ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ ¹⁰Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.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.”
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• John 12:39-40
  ³⁹Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again,For this reason they were unable to believe. For again, Isaiah says: ⁴⁰He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.“He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so that they cannot see with their eyes, and understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.”
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• Romans 9:18
  Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.Therefore God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy, and He hardens whom He wants to harden.
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• Romans 1:28
  And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;Furthermore, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, He gave them up to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.
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Hard hearts and unbelief

• Matthew 13:15
  For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.For this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.’
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• Mark 6:52
  For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.for they had not understood about the loaves, but their hearts had been hardened.
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• Mark 16:14
  Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.Later, as they were eating, Jesus appeared to the Eleven and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.
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• Ephesians 4:18
  Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: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.
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• Romans 2:5
  But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;But because of your hard and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.
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A new heart

• Ezekiel 36:26
  A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
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• Ezekiel 18:31
  Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?Cast away from yourselves all the transgressions you have committed, and fashion for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, O house of Israel?
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• Deuteronomy 10:16
  Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and stiffen your necks no more.
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• Jeremiah 4:4
  Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and remove the foreskins of your hearts, O men of Judah and people of Jerusalem. Otherwise, My wrath will break out like fire and burn with no one to extinguish it, because of your evil deeds.”
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• Ezekiel 11:19
  And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: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,
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See also

• Heart
• Repentance
• Sovereignty of God
• Apostasy
• Self-deception

Notes

1. Verses are quoted in the translation chosen in the Translation menu at the top of the page. See Translations for sources and copyright notices.
2. Each reference links to the full chapter so the verse can be read in context.