Greek word · G4642

σκληρός

sklēros

hard

Hard, rough, harsh; of things: stiff, unyielding; of people or speech: severe, harsh, hard to bear.

Appears 5 times in 5 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

σκληρός, -ά, -όν

(σκέλλω, to dry), [in LXX chiefly for קָשָׁה ;]

hard to the touch, rough, harsh, (opposite to μαλακός); metaphorically, in various uses;

(a) of men, hard, stern, severe: Matthew 25:24;

(b) of things, hard, rough, violent: σκληρόν σοι (ἐστι), Acts 26:14; λόγος, John 6:60; ἄνεμος, James 3:4; σκληρὰ λαλεῖν, Jude 1:15.†

SYN.: αὐστηρός, q.v (AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of James 3:4

Range of meaning

Hard, rough, harsh; of things: stiff, unyielding; of people or speech: severe, harsh, hard to bear.

Against the English

"Fierce" (KJV, WEB, YLT), "strong" (BSB, NIV, ESV, NASB). Both are acceptable. "Harsh" or "rough" is closer to the Greek picture.

Used elsewhere in the period

Matt 25:24 ("a hard man"); John 6:60 ("this is a hard saying"); Acts 26:14 ("hard for you to kick against the goads"); Jude 15 ("harsh things" spoken against God). LXX Gen 42:7: Joseph "spoke harsh things" to his brothers.

From the study of John 6:60

Range of meaning

Basic sense is physically 'hard, dry, rough' (hard ground, hard wood). Used of people it means 'harsh, severe, unyielding' (Matt 25:24, 'you are a hard man'). Used of words it means 'harsh, offensive, grating, hard to bear'. Used of circumstances it means 'hard, difficult to endure' (Acts 26:14, 'hard to kick against the goads'). BDAG lists this verse under the sense 'hard to accept, unpleasant, harsh'.

Against the English

KJV/ESV 'hard saying' is accurate but ambiguous to modern ears, because 'hard' now usually means 'difficult'. BSB and NASB 'difficult' push the word toward complexity. NLT goes furthest, turning it into 'very hard to understand', which moves the problem from the will to the intellect.

How it drifted

In everyday modern English 'a hard question' or 'a difficult text' means one that is intellectually demanding. 'Hard sayings of Jesus' has also become a popular label for puzzling passages. Both habits make readers hear a comprehension problem where the Greek describes an offence problem.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the Greek Old Testament (the Septuagint), Joseph 'spoke harsh things' (elalēsen sklēra) to his brothers (Gen 42:7, 30). Rehoboam 'answered the people harshly' (1 Kgs 12:13 / 3 Kgdms 12:13). Jude 15, quoting 1 Enoch 1:9, condemns 'all the harsh things (tōn sklērōn) ungodly sinners have spoken against him'. In every case the speech is perfectly clear. It is rough, severe or offensive. The related noun sklērokardia, 'hardness of heart' (Deut 10:16 LXX; Mark 10:5), shows the root's moral side.

From the study of Jude 1:15

Range of meaning

Hard, rough or stiff to the touch. Used of people: harsh, severe, unyielding. Used of speech: harsh, offensive, defiant.

Against the English

KJV has "hard [speeches]", WEB "hard things", YLT "stiff things", and BSB/ESV/NASB "harsh". Today "hard things" can sound like "difficult things". "Harsh" or "defiant" is closer.

How it drifted

The English word "hard" has shifted toward meaning "difficult". In older English "hard words" meant angry, insolent words.

Used elsewhere in the period

Related words in the Septuagint describe Israel as sklērotrachēlos, "stiff-necked" (Exod 33:3, 5). In John 6:60 a "hard saying" is offensive and hard to accept. Malachi 3:13 offers a close thought parallel: "Your words have been hard against me, says the LORD" (Hebrew ḥāzqû), followed by the people's complaint that serving God is useless. The Greek 1 Enoch 1:9 reads "hard words" (sklērōn logōn).

Similar words

Where it appears

Matthew · 1

  1. Matthew 25:24 σκληρὸς hard

    Finally, the servant who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Master, I knew that you are a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.

    Here: "Hard." Here it means harsh, demanding and unyielding: a man who presses for every return and shows no leniency. It is an accusation, not praise for being tough.

John · 1

  1. John 6:60 σκληρός Difficult

    On hearing it, many of His disciples said, “This is a difficult teaching. Who can accept it?”

    Here: Comes first for emphasis: 'Harsh is this word!' Used of speech, it means offensive, grating and hard to swallow. It does not mean obscure or hard to understand.

Acts · 1

  1. Acts 26:14 σκληρόν [It is] hard

    We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice say to me in Hebrew, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

James · 1

  1. James 3:4 σκληρῶν strong

    Consider ships as well. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot is inclined.

    Here: Literally "hard" winds: rough, harsh, unyielding. It describes winds that are hard to resist, not only strong ones.

Jude · 1

  1. Jude 1:15 σκληρῶν harsh [things]

    to execute judgment on everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of every ungodly act of wickedness and every harsh word spoken against Him by ungodly sinners.”

    Here: "Hard things", meaning harsh, insolent, defiant words aimed at God. It is the language of stubborn resistance, not of things that are difficult to understand.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.