H7186 H7186
Hard, severe, harsh — describing difficult circumstances, obstinate character, cruel treatment, or fierce intensity.
A versatile adjective covering a spectrum from the physically laborious to the morally unyielding. In Exodus 1:14 the Egyptians impose 'hard' servitude, while in Exodus 32:9 God diagnoses Israel as 'stiff-necked' — the same root painting both external oppression and internal stubbornness. Spanish consistently renders it 'duro/dura,' capturing the concrete hardness, while English splits between 'hard,' 'harsh,' and 'fierce' depending on context. Whether describing Nabal's cruel disposition (1 Sam 25:3), a grueling legal case (Exod 18:26), or God's fierce wind (Isa 27:8), the word always signals resistance — something or someone that will not easily yield.
Senses
1. harsh, severe (of treatment/manner) — Harsh or severe treatment of others — rough, cruel, or oppressive conduct. Joseph speaks 'harshly' to his brothers (Gen 42:7, 30), and Nabal is described as 'hard' in his dealings (1 Sam 25:3). French and German both reach for 'dur/hart,' the most concrete sense of unyielding hardness applied to human interaction. The multilingual glosses consistently pair this with words for cruelty and severity. 11×
AR["بِقَسَاوَةٍ", "شَدِيدَةً", "قاسٍ", "قَاسٍ", "قَاسِيًا", "قَاسِيَةٌ", "قَاسِيَةٍ", "قَسوَةً"]·ben["কঠিন", "কঠিনভাবে", "কঠোরভাবে"]·DE["[קשה]", "hard", "harsh", "harshly", "hart"]·EN["hard", "harsh", "harshly"]·FR["[קשה]", "dur", "harsh", "harshly", "inflexible"]·heb["קָשָׁה", "קשה", "קשות"]·HI["कठिन", "कठोर", "कठोरता-से", "कधअ", "प्रेम"]·ID["dengan-kasar", "dengan-keras", "keras", "sangat-sengit", "yang-kejam", "yang-keras"]·IT["[קשה]", "duramente", "duro", "harshly"]·jav["awrat", "ingkang-awrat", "ingkang-keras", "kanthi-keras", "kasar", "keras", "saru"]·KO["가혹하게", "거친", "거칠게", "고된", "잔인하네", "혹독한"]·PT["dura", "duramente", "duro", "duros"]·RU["жестока", "жестокая", "жестокий", "жестокого", "жёстко", "сурово", "тяжёлое"]·ES["con-duro", "cruel", "dura", "duramente", "duro", "duros"]·SW["kali", "kwa-ukali", "kwetu", "magumu", "mgumu", "mkali", "ngumu", "vikali"]·TR["sert", "sert-haberle", "şiddetli"]·urd["سخت", "سخت-خبر-کے-ساتھ", "سختی-سے", "سخت۔"]
2. stiff-necked, obstinate — Stiff-necked or obstinate character — stubborn refusal to yield, especially toward God. Almost always appears in the construct phrase 'hard of neck' (Exod 32:9; 33:3, 5; 34:9; Deut 9:6) or 'hard of face/heart' (Ezek 2:4; 3:7). Spanish 'duro de cerviz' and German 'halsstarrig' both preserve the vivid body metaphor. This sense dominates the Pentateuchal narratives of Israel's wilderness rebellion. 11×
AR["الصَّعْبَةِ", "الصَّلْبَةَ", "صَليبُ-", "صَلْبُ-", "صُلبَ-", "صُلبُ-", "قَاسٍ", "قُساةُ", "وَ-قُساةُ"]·ben["আর-কঠিন-", "কঠিন", "কঠিন-", "সেই-কঠিন"]·DE["[וקשי]", "[קשי]", "der-halsstarrig", "der-stur", "halsstarrig-von", "halsstarrig-von-", "hart"]·EN["and-hard-of-", "hard-of", "obstinate", "stiff-of", "stiff-of-", "the-stiff", "the-stubborn"]·FR["dur", "et-dur", "le-stiff", "le-stubborn", "raide-de-", "stiff-de"]·heb["ה-קשה", "ו-קשי", "קשה", "קשי"]·HI["और-कठोर-", "कठिन।", "कठोर", "कठोर-", "कड़ी-"]·ID["dan-keras", "keras", "keras-", "keras-kepala", "yang-keras", "yang-keras-kepala"]·IT["[וקשי]", "[קשי]", "duro", "duro-di-collo-di", "il-duro-di-collo", "il-stubborn", "stiff-di-"]·jav["atos", "ingkang-atos", "ingkang-wangkot", "lan-keras-ing", "wangkot", "wangkot-"]·KO["굳은", "그-뭘는", "그-완고한", "그리고-굳은-", "목이-", "목이-뽃뽃한", "완고한"]·PT["a-dura", "dura-", "duro-de-", "duros-de", "e-duros-de", "o-obstinado", "obstinado"]·RU["-жестоковыйный-", "жестоковыйный-", "жестокого", "жестокую", "жёсткие", "и-жёсткие-", "упрям"]·ES["dura", "duro", "duro-de", "duros-de", "el-duro", "la-dura", "y-duros-de"]·SW["mkaidi", "na-wagumu-", "ngumu", "wagumu-wa", "wenye-shingo-"]·TR["alın", "de-inatçı", "inatci", "sert", "sert-"]·urd["اکڑی", "سخت", "سخت-", "ضدی", "و-مضبوط-"]
3. hard, difficult (of circumstances) — Hard or difficult circumstances — burdensome tasks, grievous conditions, or painful life situations. Describes the 'hard service' of Egyptian slavery (Exod 1:14; 6:9), a legal case too 'difficult' for ordinary judges (Exod 18:26), and the crushing shortness of spirit from bondage (Deut 26:6). In 1 Samuel 1:15, Hannah calls herself 'hard of day' — one whose life is bitter. The cross-linguistic evidence uniformly uses words for difficulty and heaviness. 9×
AR["الصَّعْبِ", "الـ-قَاسِيَةِ", "القاسي", "شَاقٍّ", "صَعْبَةُ-", "قسوَةً", "قَاسِيَةً", "قَاسِيَةٍ", "لِ-صَعبِ"]·ben["কঠিন", "কঠিন-"]·DE["[הקשה]", "[לקשה]", "der-difficult", "der-hard", "hard-", "hardship", "hart"]·EN["for-hard-of-", "hard", "hard-", "hardship", "the-difficult", "the-hard"]·FR["[הקשה]", "dur", "dur-", "hard", "le-difficult", "le-dur", "à-לקשה"]·heb["ה-קשה", "הַ-קָּשָׁה", "ל-קשה", "קשה", "קשת"]·HI["कठिन", "कठिन-", "कठिन-के-लिए", "कठिन-बातें", "कठोर"]·ID["keras", "keras-", "sulit", "untuk-yang keras-", "yang-berat"]·IT["[הקשה]", "[קשה]", "duro", "duro-", "hard", "il-difficult", "il-duro", "per-duro"]·jav["awrat", "awrat-", "ingkang-angel", "ingkang-awrat", "kanggé-tiyang-ingkang-angel", "kula-sedaya"]·KO["가혹한", "고난의", "고된", "곤고한-", "그-혹독한", "그-힘든", "어려운", "혹독한-것을", "힘든"]·PT["dura-de-", "dureza", "duro", "o-difícil", "o-duro", "o-pesado", "pelo-de-duro"]·RU["о-тяжком-", "трудное", "тяжкого", "тяжкое", "тяжёлая-", "тяжёлой", "тяжёлую"]·ES["dura-de", "dureza", "duro", "el-difícil", "el-duro", "por-el-de-duro-"]·SW["gumu", "kwa-mwenye-siku-ngumu", "mambo-magumu", "mgumu", "mgumu-", "ngumu"]·TR["ağır", "sert", "sert-", "zor", "zor-günü-için-", "zorluğu"]·urd["ال-سخت", "دکھی ہوئی", "سخت", "سَختی", "مشکل"]
4. fierce, intense (of force/anger) — Fierce or intense force — describing overwhelming power in battle, wind, or divine wrath. Judges 4:24 depicts Israel's hand growing 'harder and harder' against Jabin; Isaiah 27:1 speaks of God's 'hard, great sword'; Isaiah 27:8 references a 'fierce east wind.' Spanish sometimes shifts to 'fuerte' (strong), revealing how this sense edges from hardness into raw power. It captures forces that cannot be withstood. 5×
AR["أَشَدُّ", "الْعَاصِفَةِ", "الْقَاسِي", "الْقَاسِيَةِ", "وَ-ثِقلاً"]·ben["-কঠিন", "এবং-কঠিন", "কঠিন"]·DE["der-Harte", "harder", "und-hart"]·EN["and-hard", "harder", "the-hard", "with-His-fierce"]·FR["dur", "et-dur", "harder"]·heb["ה-קשה", "ו-קשה", "קשים"]·HI["और-कठोर", "कठिन", "कठोर"]·ID["-keras", "dan-keras", "terlalu-keras", "yang-keras"]·IT["duro", "e-hard", "harder"]·jav["awrat", "ingkang-atos", "lan-rosa"]·KO["강하다", "강한", "그리고-강하게", "혹독한"]·PT["a-dura", "duros", "e-pesando", "o-duro"]·RU["и-усиливаясь", "сильнее", "сильным", "тяжкого", "тяжёлым"]·ES["dura", "duros", "fuerte", "la-dura", "y-haciendose-dura"]·SW["mgumu", "mkali", "na-kuwa-mgumu", "wagumu"]·TR["sert", "ve-ağırlaşarak"]·urd["اور-سخت", "سخت"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† קָשֶׁה adj. hard, severe;—abs. ק׳ Ex 18:26 +; cstr. 32:9 +; fs. קָשָׁה Dt 26:6 +; cstr. קְשַׁת 1 S 1:15; mpl. קָשִׁים 2 S 3:39; cstr. קְשֵׁי Ez 2:4; 3:7; fpl. קָשׁוֹת Gn 42:7, 30;— 1. hard, difficult, of a legal question (דָּבָר) Ex 18:26 (E). 2. a. severe, of battle 2 S 2:17, wind Is 27:8, servitude (עֲבֹדָה) 1 K 12:4 = 2 Ch 10:4; Dt 26:6; Is 14:3; Ex 1:14; 6:9 (both P); as n.coll. הִרְאִית��…