13 Bible Verses About Hardening of the Heart
God Himself—directly or through prophets and Christ—repeatedly faced hardened attitudes from the Israelites, Pharisees, and even His disciples.
Discover with Hozana 13 Bible passages and verses about hardening of the heart, associated with stubbornness or impenitence.
13 Bible Teachings About Hardening of the Heart
"The Lord warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers: ‘Turn from your evil ways. Observe my commands and decrees, in accordance with the entire Law that I commanded your ancestors to obey and that I delivered to you through my servants the prophets.’ But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked as their ancestors, who did not trust in the Lord their God." (2 Kings 17:13–14)
"Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings from the wicked who are out to destroy me, from my mortal enemies who surround me. They close up their callous hearts, and their mouths speak with arrogance." (Psalm 17:8–10)
"Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies, I keep your precepts with all my heart. Their hearts are callous and unfeeling, but I delight in your law." (Psalm 119:69–70)
"But you, by your great mercy, could have spared these men from falling into the hands of the righteous in pitched battle or destroyed them at once by savage beasts or a stern decree. But in judging them slowly, you gave them room for repentance—though you knew their nature was depraved, their malice inborn, and their minds would never change." (Wisdom 12:9–10)
"This is what the Lord says: Be careful not to carry a load on the Sabbath day or bring it through the gates of Jerusalem. Do not bring a load out of your houses or do any work on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your ancestors. Yet they did not listen or pay attention; they were stiff-necked and would not listen or respond to discipline." (Jeremiah 17:21–23)
"You are not being sent to a people of obscure speech and strange language, but to the people of Israel—not to many peoples of obscure speech and strange language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely if I had sent you to them, they would have listened to you. But the people of Israel are not willing to listen to you because they are not willing to listen to me, for all the Israelites are hardened and obstinate." (Ezekiel 3:5–7)
"The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention." (2 Chronicles 33:10)
"This is why I speak to them in parables: ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’ In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.’" (Matthew 13:13–14)
"The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. ‘Be careful,’ Jesus warned them. ‘Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.’ They discussed this with one another and said, ‘It is because we have no bread.’ Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: ‘Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember?’" (Mark 8:14–18)
"Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?’ ‘What did Moses command you?’ he replied. They said, ‘Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.’ ‘It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,’ Jesus replied." (Mark 10:2–5)
"When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it. Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either." (Mark 16:11–13)
"But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed." (Romans 2:5)
"So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts." (Ephesians 4:17–18)
With Hozana, Let Us Be Docile to the Holy Spirit
With Hozana, let us move forward in trust, docile to the Holy Spirit. For this, let us listen to God’s Word and welcome the Lord into our hearts so they may be flooded with His love.
Hozana offers communities like:
FAQ: Hardening of the Heart in the Bible
What is a hardened heart according to the Bible?
In Jeremiah, a heart hardened by sin no longer fears God or gives thanks for His blessings:
"But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts; they have turned aside and gone away. They do not say to themselves, ‘Let us fear the Lord our God, who gives autumn and spring rains in season, who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.’ Your wrongdoings have kept these away; your sins have deprived you of good." (Jeremiah 5:23–25)
How can a hardened heart be healed?
To prevent or heal hardness of heart, we must humbly:
Acknowledge our sins
Seek to do God’s will
Give thanks for His blessings
Pray for a heart like Christ’s:
"Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto Thine."
What is a "well-disposed heart" in the Bible?
A well-disposed heart is contrite, gentle, and humble (like Christ’s). It treasures God’s commands:
"Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them." (John 14:21)
