Definition and Etymology:
The term "adamant" is derived from the Greek word "adamas," meaning "unconquerable" or "invincible." Historically, it has been used to describe a hard, unyielding substance, often associated with diamonds or other hard minerals. In biblical contexts, "adamant" is used metaphorically to convey firmness, impenetrability, and unwavering strength.

Biblical References:
The concept of adamant appears in the Bible, primarily in the Old Testament, where it is used to describe an unyielding or hardened state, often in a spiritual or moral sense.

1. Ezekiel 3:9 : "I will make your forehead like a diamond, harder than flint. Do not be afraid of them or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious house."
In this passage, God speaks to the prophet Ezekiel, promising to make him resolute and unyielding in the face of opposition. The use of "diamond" (translated from the Hebrew "shamir") signifies an unbreakable determination, equipping Ezekiel to confront the rebellious nature of the Israelites.

2. Zechariah 7:12 : "They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not hear the law or 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."
Here, the hardness of heart is likened to flint, a metaphor for stubbornness and resistance to God's word. The imagery of adamantine hardness underscores the people's obstinacy and the resulting divine displeasure.

Theological Significance:
In Scripture, the metaphor of adamant serves to illustrate both positive and negative spiritual states. Positively, it represents the strength and resilience granted by God to His servants, enabling them to stand firm in their mission and convictions. Negatively, it depicts the stubbornness and spiritual insensitivity of those who resist God's commands and guidance.

Symbolism and Application:
The adamant symbolizes an unyielding nature, whether in the service of God or in opposition to Him. For believers, it serves as a reminder of the importance of spiritual fortitude and the need to remain steadfast in faith and obedience. Conversely, it warns against the dangers of hardening one's heart against divine truth and instruction.

Historical and Cultural Context:
In ancient times, the concept of an unbreakable material like adamant would have been understood as the ultimate in strength and durability. This cultural understanding enhances the biblical metaphor, emphasizing the profound nature of spiritual resilience or resistance.

Conclusion:
The biblical use of "adamant" provides a powerful metaphor for understanding the dynamics of spiritual strength and stubbornness. It calls believers to cultivate a heart that is firm in faith yet receptive to God's word, avoiding the peril of spiritual hardness that leads to separation from divine grace.(Hebrews shamir), Ezek. 3:9. The Greek word adamas means diamond. This stone is not referred to, but corundum or some kind of hard steel. It is an emblem of firmness in resisting adversaries of the truth (Zechariah 7:12), and of hard-heartedness against the truth (Jeremiah 17:1). 1. (n.) Unyielding in opinion; also a stone or diamond perceived to be of impenetrable hardness; a name given to the diamond and other substances of extreme hardness; but in modern mineralogy it has no technical signification. It is now a rhetorical or poetical name for the embodiment of impenetrable hardness.

2. (n.) Lodestone; magnet.

ADAMANT

ad'-a-mant (shamir (Ezekiel 3:9 Zechariah 7:12)): In the passages cited and in Jeremiah 17:1, where it is rendered "diamond" the word shamir evidently refers to a hard stone. The word adamant ("unconquerable") is used in the early Greek writers for a hard metal, perhaps steel, later for a metal-like gold and later for the diamond. The Hebrew shamir, the Greek adamas (from which word "diamond" as well as "adamant" is derived) and the English adamant occur regularly in figurative expressions. All three are equally indefinite. Adamant may therefore be considered a good translation for shamir, though the Septuagint does not use adamas in the passages cited. There is a possible etymological identification of shamir with the Greek smyris (smeris or smiris), emery, a granular form of corundum well known to the ancients and used by them for polishing and engraving precious stones. Corundum in all its forms, including the sapphire and ruby, is in the scale of hardness next to the diamond. In English Versions of the Bible Isaiah 5:6; Isaiah 7:23-25; 9:18; 10:17; 27:04:00; 32:13, shamir is translated "brier". See also STONES, PRECIOUS.

Alfred Ely Day

8068. shamir -- a thorn, adamant, flint
... shamir. 8069 . a thorn, adamant, flint. Transliteration: shamir Phonetic Spelling:
(shaw-meer') Short Definition: briars. ... adamant stone, brier, diamond. ...
/hebrew/8068.htm - 6k

6856. tsipporen -- fingernail, stylus point
... the denominative sense (from tsippowr) of scratching); properly, a claw, ie (human)
nail; also the point of a style (or pen, tipped with adamant) -- nail, point ...
/hebrew/6856.htm - 6k

J. Donne
... Thy grace may wing me to prevent his art,. And Thou like adamant [49]
draw mine iron heart. Footnotes: [49] adamant, magnet. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/palgrave/the treasury of sacred song/xvii j donne.htm

The Poets
... On faith's victorious shield,. Armed with that adamant and gold. ... Satan, with vast
and haughty strides advanced,. Came towering, armed in adamant and gold. ...
/.../the hymns of methodism in their literary relations/chapter iii the poets.htm

On Descartes' "Discourse Touching the Method of Using One's Reason ...
... would, under no penalties, say, "I am sure" of that of which he was not sure; but
would go on digging and delving until he came to the solid adamant; or, at ...
/.../lay sermons addresses and reviews/xiv on descartes discourse touching.htm

Matt. xii. 33
... Thus the plotter destroys himself first; just as he that treads [1732] on fire burns
up himself, and he that smites adamant spites himself, and he that kicks ...
/.../chrysostom/homilies on the gospel of saint matthew/homily xlii matt xii 33.htm

Growth in Grace
... Athanasius was called Adamas ecclesiae [the Adamant of the Church, an adamant
that could not be removed from the love of the truth. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watson/a body of divinity/9 growth in grace.htm

1 Cor. vi. 15
... For who shall help being astonished when one being a man, and partaking of our common
nature, and living among other men, like adamant yields not at all to the ...
/.../homilies on the epistles of paul to the corinthians/homily xviii 1 cor vi.htm

God's Barriers against Man's Sin
... gone." "The sea," says God, "is not only obedient, but it is rendered obedient by
the restraint merely of sand." It is not the rock of adamant that restrains ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 4 1858/gods barriers against mans sin.htm

Appeal to the Christian Women of the South
... I know that even professors of His name who has been emphatically called the "Light
of the world" would, if they could, build a wall of adamant around the ...
/.../an appeal to the christian women of the south/appeal to the christian women.htm

Our Lord's Sacerdotal Prayer
... Our unswerving loyalty to God are eloquent pleas to Him and give access and confidence
in our advocacy. This prayer is gemmed, but its walls are adamant. ...
/.../bounds/the reality of prayer/xi our lords sacerdotal prayer.htm

Types of Talkers
... He is a frightful bore, but you cannot offend him. He is adamant. There
is the tautological talker, or the human self-repeater. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kleiser/talks on talking/types of talkers.htm

Adamant (2 Occurrences)
... It is now a rhetorical or poetical name for the embodiment of impenetrable hardness.
2. (n.) Lodestone; magnet. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. ADAMANT. ...
/a/adamant.htm - 9k

Flint (12 Occurrences)
... as a figure for hardness in Isaiah 50:7, "Therefore have I set my face like a flint."
A similar use of tsor is found in Ezekiel 3:9, "As an adamant harder than ...
/f/flint.htm - 14k

Forehead (23 Occurrences)
... as an adamant harder than flint," whereby an unflinching loyalty to God and a complete
disregard of opposition is meant (Jeremiah 3:8, 9). Compare the phrase ...
/f/forehead.htm - 19k

Emery (1 Occurrence)
... Ezekiel 3:9 As an adamant harder than flint have I made your forehead: don't be
afraid of them, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they are a ...
/e/emery.htm - 6k

Diamond (5 Occurrences)
... It is rendered "adamant" (qv) in Ezek. 3:9, Zechariah 7:12. It is the hardest
and most valuable of precious stones. Noah Webster's Dictionary. ...
/d/diamond.htm - 9k

Adami (1 Occurrence)

/a/adami.htm - 7k

Ad'amah (1 Occurrence)
Ad'amah. Adamah, Ad'amah. Adamant . Multi-Version Concordance ... Joshua 19:36 Adamah,
Ramah, Hazor, (See RSV). Adamah, Ad'amah. Adamant . Reference Bible.
/a/ad'amah.htm - 6k

Rebellious (63 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 3:9 As an adamant harder than flint have I made your forehead: don't be
afraid of them, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they are a ...
/r/rebellious.htm - 26k

Affrighted (60 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 3:9 As an adamant harder than a rock I have made thy forehead; thou dost
not fear them, nor art thou affrighted before them, for a rebellious house 'are ...
/a/affrighted.htm - 23k

Looks (76 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 3:9 As an adamant harder than flint have I made your forehead: don't be
afraid of them, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they are a ...
/l/looks.htm - 28k

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