σκληρόςsklērós
hard to the touch, rough, harsh, (opposed to μαλακός); metaphorically, in various uses
Greek (New Testament) · G4642
Meanings
(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.
Synonyms
αὐστηρός, q.v
Same root
- σκέλοςskélos · G4628through the idea of leanness); the leg (as lank)
- σκληροκαρδίαsklērokardía · G4641hard-heartedness, i.e. (specially), destitution of (spiritual) perception
- σκληρύνωsklērýnō · G4645to indurate, i.e. (figuratively) render stubborn
- σκληρότηςsklērótēs · G4643callousness, i.e. (figuratively) stubbornness
- σκληροτράχηλοςsklērotráchēlos · G4644hardnaped, i.e. (figuratively) obstinate
Where it appears
Appears 5 times in the Bible.
- Matthew 25:24 “Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate.
- John 6:60 Many of his disciples said, “This is very hard to understand. How can anyone accept it?”
- Acts 26:14 We all fell down, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is useless for you to fight against my will.’
- James 3:4 And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong.
- Jude 1:15 to execute judgment on the people of the world. He will convict every person of all the ungodly things they have done and for all the insults that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”
Source: G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), public domain.