4642. skléros
Strong's Lexicon
skléros: Hard, harsh, difficult, severe

Original Word: σκληρός
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: skléros
Pronunciation: sklā-ros'
Phonetic Spelling: (sklay-ros')
Definition: Hard, harsh, difficult, severe
Meaning: hard, violent, harsh, stern.

Word Origin: Derived from the Greek root "sklēroō," meaning "to harden."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: - Strong's Hebrew 7185 (qashah): Meaning "to be hard, severe, or difficult."

- Strong's Hebrew 2389 (chazaq): Meaning "strong, firm, or hard."

Usage: The Greek adjective "skléros" is used to describe something that is hard or harsh in nature. It can refer to physical hardness, such as a hard surface, or metaphorically to describe a difficult or severe situation, attitude, or speech. In the New Testament, it often conveys a sense of stubbornness or inflexibility, particularly in spiritual or moral contexts.

Cultural and Historical Background: In the Greco-Roman world, the concept of hardness was often associated with strength and resilience, but also with inflexibility and harshness. In the biblical context, "skléros" is used to describe the hardness of heart that resists God's will or truth. This reflects a common biblical theme where a hardened heart is seen as a barrier to spiritual understanding and repentance.

HELPS Word-studies

4642 sklērós – properly, hard (because dried out); (figuratively) stiff, stubborn (unyielding) describing people who "won't budge" (bend, submit), or what is unyieldingly harsh.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from skelló (to dry)
Definition
hard, rough
NASB Translation
difficult (1), hard (2), harsh things (1), strong (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 4642: σκληρός

σκληρός, σκληρά, σκληρόν (σκέλλω, σκληναι, (to dry up, be dry)), from (Hesiod, Theognis), Pindar, Aeschylus down; the Sept. for קָשֶׁה, hard, harsh, rough, stiff (τά σκληρά καί τά μαλακά, Xen) mem. 3, 10, 1); of men, metaphorically, harsh, stern, hard: Matthew 25:24 (1 Samuel 25:3; Isaiah 19:4; Isaiah 48:4; many examples from secular authors are given by Passow, under the word, 2 b.; (Liddell and Scott, under the word, II. 2; especially Trench, § xiv.)); of things: ἄνεμος, violent, rough, James 3:4; λόγος, offensive and intolerable, John 6:60, equivalent to ὅς σκανδαλίζει, 61; σκληρά λαλεῖν κατά τίνος, to speak hard and bitter things against one, Jude 1:15 (σκληρά λαλεῖν τίνι is also used of one who speaks roughly, Genesis 42:7, 30; ἀποκρίνεσθαι σκληρά, to reply with threats, 1 Kings 12:13); σκληρόν ἐστι followed by an infinitive, it is dangerous, turns out badly (A. V. it is hard), Acts 9:5 Rec.; .

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
fierce, hard.

From the base of skelos; dry, i.e. Hard or tough (figuratively, harsh, severe) -- fierce, hard.

see GREEK skelos

Forms and Transliterations
σκληρά σκληράς σκληροί σκληροίς σκληρον σκληρόν Σκληρος Σκληρός σκληρὸς σκληρότεροί σκληρώ σκληρων σκληρών σκληρῶν skleron sklerón sklerôn sklēron sklērón sklērōn sklērō̂n Skleros Sklerós skleròs Sklēros Sklērós sklēròs
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Matthew 25:24 Adj-NMS
GRK: σε ὅτι σκληρὸς εἶ ἄνθρωπος
NAS: I knew you to be a hard man,
KJV: that thou art an hard man, reaping
INT: you that hard you are a man

John 6:60 Adj-NMS
GRK: αὐτοῦ εἶπαν Σκληρός ἐστιν ὁ
NAS: This is a difficult statement;
KJV: This is an hard saying; who
INT: of him said Hard is the

Acts 9:5 Adj-NNS
GRK: σὺ διώκεις σκληρόν σοι πρὸς
KJV: persecutest: [it is] hard for thee
INT: you persecute [It is] hard for you against

Acts 26:14 Adj-NNS
GRK: με διώκεις σκληρόν σοι πρὸς
NAS: are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick
KJV: me? [it is] hard for thee
INT: me persecute you [it is] hard for you against

James 3:4 Adj-GMP
GRK: ὑπὸ ἀνέμων σκληρῶν ἐλαυνόμενα μετάγεται
NAS: and are driven by strong winds,
KJV: of fierce winds,
INT: by winds strong being driven are turned about

Jude 1:15 Adj-GNP
GRK: πάντων τῶν σκληρῶν ὧν ἐλάλησαν
NAS: and of all the harsh things which
KJV: all their hard [speeches] which
INT: all the hard [things] which spoke

Strong's Greek 4642
6 Occurrences


σκληρῶν — 2 Occ.
σκληρόν — 2 Occ.
σκληρὸς — 2 Occ.















4641
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