The term "encrusted" is not directly found in the Bible; however, the concept of something being encrusted, or covered with a hard surface layer, can be metaphorically related to various biblical themes and teachings. In Scripture, the idea of a hardened exterior can symbolize spiritual insensitivity, stubbornness, or the accumulation of sin that separates individuals from God.

Hardened Hearts

One of the most prominent biblical themes related to encrustation is the concept of a hardened heart. In the Old Testament, Pharaoh's heart is described as being hardened, preventing him from releasing the Israelites from bondage (Exodus 7:13: "Yet Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said"). This hardening can be seen as a metaphorical encrustation, where repeated refusals to heed God's commands result in an increasingly impenetrable barrier to divine truth and compassion.

Similarly, in the New Testament, Jesus addresses the issue of hardened hearts among the people. In Mark 8:17, Jesus questions His disciples, "Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened?" . Here, the encrustation of the heart signifies a lack of spiritual perception and understanding, despite witnessing Jesus' miracles and teachings.

Sin and Spiritual Encrustation

The accumulation of sin can also be likened to an encrustation that separates individuals from God. Isaiah 59:2 states, "But your iniquities have built barriers between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear." This imagery suggests that sin acts as a layer that encrusts the soul, obstructing the relationship between humanity and the divine.

Cleansing and Renewal

The Bible offers hope for those whose hearts have become encrusted with sin or spiritual insensitivity. Through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, believers can experience cleansing and renewal. Ezekiel 36:26 promises, "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." This transformation involves the removal of the hardened, encrusted heart and the bestowal of a responsive and tender heart, open to God's will.

Spiritual Armor

While encrustation often carries negative connotations, the Bible also speaks of a protective layer in the form of spiritual armor. Ephesians 6:11 instructs believers to "Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes." This armor, unlike the encrustation of sin, serves as a defense against spiritual attacks, enabling believers to stand firm in their faith.

In summary, while the term "encrusted" is not explicitly used in Scripture, its metaphorical implications are evident in the biblical themes of hardened hearts, the accumulation of sin, and the transformative power of God's grace. Through repentance and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, believers can shed the encrustation of sin and embrace a renewed, spiritually sensitive life in Christ.

National Sorrows and National Lessons
... all our luxury, all our frivolity, we are not cynics yet, nor likely, thanks be
to Almighty God, to become cynics; that however encrusted and cankered with the ...
/.../kingsley/all saints day and other sermons/sermon xxxiv national sorrows and.htm

'He is Beside Himself'
... innovators, against every man that has broken a new path; against all teachers that
have cut themselves apart from tradition and encrusted formulas; against ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture d/he is beside himself.htm

The Hallowing of Work and of Rest
... Him.' We, too, in circumstances so different, may take up the immortal though ancient
words, on which no dimming rust of antiquity has encrusted itself, and may ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/the hallowing of work and.htm

The Same when at Rome, Being Led by Others into the Amphitheatre ...
... one hundred and forty feet. The outside of the edifice was encrusted with
marble, and decorated with statues. The slopes of the ...
/.../augustine/the confessions and letters of st/chapter viii the same when at.htm

Marriage of the Blessed virgin to Joseph
... It was encrusted with pearls and white embroidery, and was shaped like the
under-collar worn by Archos the Essene, the pattern of which I cut out not long ...
/.../emmerich/the life of the blessed virgin mary/vii marriage of the blessed.htm

The Complaint: Or, Night Thoughts.
... Where falls this censure? It o'erwhelms myself; How was my heart encrusted
by the world! O how self-fetter'd was my grovelling soul! ...
/.../young/youngs night thoughts/the complaint or night thoughts.htm

Alexandria and Rome - the Jewish Communities in the Capitals of ...
... [268] In the choir of this Jewish cathedral stood seventy chairs of state, encrusted
with precious stones, for the seventy elders who constituted the eldership ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter v alexandria and rome.htm

Light at Evening Time
... The window of man's soul is so thickly encrusted with dirt, so thoroughly begrimed,
that no light at all can penetrate it, till one layer is taken off, and a ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 62 1916/light at evening time.htm

Westminster Abbey.
... again, describing the general effect of Henry the Seventh's unrivalled
chapel,"'The very walls are wrought into universal ornament; encrusted with tracery ...
/.../kingsley/lectures delivered in america in 1874/lecture i westminster abbey.htm

The Transformation of Rome from a Pagan into a Christian City.
... The hope was frustrated; but, deep in the bowels of the mound, some crypts were
found, encrusted with white stucco, and remarkable for their neatness and ...
/.../lanciani/pagan and christian rome/chapter i the transformation of.htm

Encrusted (2 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Encrusted (2 Occurrences). Song of Songs 5:14
His hands are as rings of gold ornamented with beryl-stones ...
/e/encrusted.htm - 7k

Encroaching (1 Occurrence)

/e/encroaching.htm - 7k

Encumbrance (2 Occurrences)

/e/encumbrance.htm - 7k

Brimstone (14 Occurrences)
... Travelers going from Jericho to the Dead Sea may pick up lumps of sulphur,
which are usually encrusted with crystals of gypsum. ...
/b/brimstone.htm - 14k

Cross (157 Occurrences)
... Small fragments of the wood of the true cross were sold, encrusted with gold and
jewels, and since many among the wealthy believers were desirous of possessing ...
/c/cross.htm - 50k

Palm (49 Occurrences)
... Today the numerous salt-encrusted stumps of wild palm trees washed up all along
the shores of the Dead Sea witness to the existence of these trees within ...
/p/palm.htm - 35k

Tree (245 Occurrences)
... Today the numerous salt-encrusted stumps of wild palm trees washed up all along
the shores of the Dead Sea witness to the existence of these trees within ...
/t/tree.htm - 75k

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