Hebrew word · H8307

שְׁרִירוּת

sherirut

stubbornness

From the root š-r-r, 'to be firm, hard, solid' (compare šōr, the navel or sinew, and Aramaic šrr, 'be firm'). It means firmness, fixedness, and in every biblical use a stubbornness that will not give way. It always comes in the phrase 'stubbornness of (the/their/his) heart'.

Appears 10 times in 10 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. · Updated November 01, 2026

What it means

stubbornness, hardness, firmness

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Jeremiah 11:8

Range of meaning: From the root š-r-r, 'to be firm, hard, solid' (compare šōr, the navel or sinew, and Aramaic šrr, 'be firm'). It means firmness, fixedness, and in every biblical use a stubbornness that will not give way. It always comes in the phrase 'stubbornness of (the/their/his) heart'.
Against the English: BSB, WEB, YLT and most modern versions have 'stubbornness'. The KJV's 'imagination' points readers toward fantasy or invention, which is a different idea: a mind that thinks up its own ideas, not a will that has set hard.
How it drifted: The KJV's 'imagination' seems to follow Jewish interpretation. The Targums (the Aramaic paraphrases) render the phrase with words for the heart's musings or thoughts. Some medieval interpreters also linked the word to a root meaning 'to look' or 'to gaze'. In 1611 'imagination' could also mean a scheme or plan, so it was less odd then than it is now. Modern lexicons (BDB, HALOT) favor 'stubbornness' because of the root meaning 'firm'.
Used elsewhere in the period: About ten uses: Deuteronomy 29:18[19] (the man who blesses himself and says 'I will have peace though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart'), Psalm 81:12[13], and eight in Jeremiah (3:17; 7:24; 9:13[14]; 11:8; 13:10; 16:12; 18:12; 23:17). The term also appears in the Dead Sea Scrolls (e.g. the Community Rule and Damascus Document), which speak of not walking 'in the stubbornness of a guilty heart'. That shows it became a fixed phrase for covenant unfaithfulness.

From the study of Jeremiah 18:12

Range of meaning: "Firmness, hardness," and in the Bible always in the phrase "sherirut of the heart": stubbornness, obstinacy, a will set hard. The related root sh-r-r means "firm, strong." In Aramaic and Syriac the related word sharir means "firm, true, reliable" in a good sense. In Hebrew the firmness has turned into being unmovable against God.
Against the English: Most modern versions say "stubbornness." KJV says "imagination" here and in most other places the phrase appears. That loses the idea of hardness and, to modern ears, suggests fantasy or creativity.
How it drifted: KJV's "imagination" meant scheming or devising in 1611 English. Today it means creativity, so the KJV wording now misleads.
Used elsewhere in the period: It appears about ten times: Deuteronomy 29:18 (Eng. 29:19), Psalm 81:12 (Eng. v.12/13), and eight times in Jeremiah (3:17; 7:24; 9:13; 11:8; 13:10; 16:12; 18:12; 23:17). The Deuteronomy passage describes a man who tells himself "I will be safe though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart." The Dead Sea Scrolls take it up heavily: the Community Rule (1QS 1:6; 2:14, 26; 3:3; 5:4) and the Damascus Document (CD 2:17–18; 3:5, 11; 8:8) describe outsiders as walking "in the stubbornness of their heart." The Greek translators often paraphrased it as "the things pleasing to their heart."

From the study of Jeremiah 3:17

Range of meaning: "Firmness or hardness of heart": a set, stubborn self-will that refuses correction. It occurs ten times: eight in Jeremiah (3:17; 7:24; 9:14; 11:8; 13:10; 16:12; 18:12; 23:17), plus Deuteronomy 29:19 and Psalm 81:12. Related words in Aramaic and Syriac mean "firm, solid, true."
Against the English: Modern versions say "stubbornness." KJV says "imagination," which modern readers hear as fantasy or creativity. ESV turns the noun into an adverb ("stubbornly follow"). NLT makes "heart" into "desires."
How it drifted: KJV's "imagination" probably reflects an older explanation, found in medieval Jewish commentators, that linked the word to a root meaning "to look," so "the way their heart sees things." In 1611 "imagination" could mean a scheme or plan. Modern English has lost that sense, so KJV readers can come away thinking the text condemns daydreaming rather than defiance.
Used elsewhere in the period: Deuteronomy 29:19 is the source text: the person who says "I will be safe though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart." Jeremiah takes up this covenant language from Deuteronomy. The Dead Sea Scrolls pick it up too: the Community Rule (1QS 1:6; 2:14, 26; 5:4) and the Damascus Document repeatedly condemn walking "in the stubbornness of a guilty heart."

Where it appears

Deuteronomy · 1

Deuteronomy 29:19 בִּשְׁרִר֥וּת in [the] stubbornness of

because when such a person hears the words of this oath, he invokes a blessing on himself, saying, ‘I will have peace, even though I walk in the stubbornness of my own heart.’ This will bring disaster on the watered land as well as the dry.

Here: A hardened, set-firm determination. The word comes from a root meaning 'firm' and is used almost only of Israel's refusal to listen to God.

Psalms · 1

Psalm 81:12 בִּשְׁרִיר֣וּת in [the] stubbornness of

So I gave them up to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices.

Here: 'In the stubbornness of'. The root means firm or hard. The word describes a will set hard against correction, not a craving or desire. The little word 'in' at the front can mean God released them *into* this condition, or let them go while they stayed *in* it. Either way, their stubbornness becomes the place they now live.

Jeremiah · 8

Jeremiah 3:17 שְׁרִר֖וּת [the] stubbornness of

At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the LORD, and all the nations will be gathered in Jerusalem to honor the name of the LORD. They will no longer follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts.

Here: "Hardness" or "stubbornness of," from a root meaning firm or hard. It describes a will that has set solid and will not be corrected. Jeremiah uses it more than any other writer for Israel's refusal to listen.
Jeremiah 7:24 בִּשְׁרִר֖וּת in [the] stubbornness of

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.

Here: 'In the hardness/stubbornness of', from a root meaning firm or hard. It means a set, unbending will. This is a favourite word of Jeremiah's for Judah's resistance.
Jeremiah 9:14 שְׁרִר֣וּת [the] stubbornness of

Instead, they have followed the stubbornness of their hearts and gone after the Baals, as their fathers taught them.”

Here: It comes from a root meaning 'firm, hard'. The word describes a mind that has set itself and will not be moved. Here that hardened will is pictured as the master they follow.
Jeremiah 11:8 בִּשְׁרִיר֖וּת in [the] stubbornness of

Yet they would not obey or incline their ears, but each one followed the stubbornness of his evil heart. So I brought on them all the curses of this covenant I had commanded them to follow but they did not keep.”

Here: 'In the hardness/firmness of'. It describes a will that has set solid and will not bend. Almost all uses of the word are in Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 13:10 בִּשְׁרִר֣וּת in [the] stubbornness of

These evil people, who refuse to listen to My words, who follow the stubbornness of their own hearts, and who go after other gods to serve and worship them, they will be like this loincloth—of no use at all.

Here: "In the hardness/firmness of": a set, unbending self-will. It is a stock phrase that goes back to Deut 29:19 (29:18 in English Bibles) and is a favourite of Jeremiah's.
Jeremiah 16:12 שְׁרִר֣וּת [the] stubbornness of

And you have done more evil than your fathers. See how each of you follows the stubbornness of his evil heart instead of obeying Me.

Here: "The stubbornness of". A heart that has set hard and won't bend. It is a covenant word taken from Deuteronomy 29:19 and used repeatedly by Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 18:12 שְׁרִר֥וּת [the] stubbornness of

But they will reply, ‘It is hopeless. We will follow our own plans, and each of us will act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.’”

Here: From a root meaning "firm, hard, set." It describes a mind set hard on its own course that will not be moved. It is a phrase Jeremiah uses again and again.
Jeremiah 23:17 בִּשְׁרִר֤וּת in [the] stubbornness of

They keep saying to those who despise Me, ‘The LORD says that you will have peace,’ and to everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart, ‘No harm will come to you.’

Here: 'In the stubbornness of.' The word suggests something hard and fixed. It describes a will that has set itself against God's instruction. This is one of Jeremiah's signature words, and it echoes Deuteronomy 29:19.

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