Word study
Harsh
7 Hebrew and 4 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with “harsh”. English often uses one word where Hebrew or Greek has several, each with its own shade of meaning. Under each word are verses where it is translated this way; choose the word itself for its full study: every verse, how else it is translated, the forms it takes and what the dictionaries say.
At a glance
How often each original word is translated “harsh” or one of its forms.
Compare the Hebrew words side by side Compare the Greek words side by side
Hebrew and Aramaic words (Old Testament)
- קָשֶׁה qâshehhard, severetranslated this way 2 times of its 35 uses · Strong’s H7186Adjective · Translated: stiff-necked 6, harshly 5, hard 3, stubborn 2Full study and all 35 verses →
1 Samuel 25:3 His name was Nabal, and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband, a Calebite, was harsh and evil in his dealings.
Isaiah 19:4 I will deliver the Egyptians into the hands of a harsh master, and a fierce king will rule over them,” declares the Lord GOD of Hosts.
- פֶּרֶךְ perekharshness, severitytranslated this way 1 time of its 6 uses · Strong’s H6531Noun · Translated: harshly 3, ruthlessly 1, harsh 1, cruelty 1Full study and all 6 verses →
Exodus 1:14 and made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar, and with all kinds of work in the fields. Every service they imposed was harsh.
- עֶצֶב etsebpain, hurt, toiltranslated this way 1 time of its 7 uses · Strong’s H6089Noun · Translated: pain 1, toiling 1, labors 1, sorrow 1Full study and all 7 verses →
Proverbs 15:1 A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
- רַע rabad, eviltranslated this way 1 time of its 651 uses · Strong’s H7451Adjective · Translated: evil 263, disaster 72, harm 38, wicked 31Full study and all 615 verses →
Proverbs 15:10 Discipline is harsh for him who leaves the path; he who hates correction will die.
- רֹב rôbmultitude, abundance, greatnesstranslated this way 1 time of its 142 uses · Strong’s H7230Noun · Translated: many 28, abundance 22, great 18, abundant 10Full study and all 138 verses →
Lamentations 1:3 Judah has gone into exile under affliction and harsh slavery; she dwells among the nations but finds no place to rest. All her pursuers have overtaken her in the midst of her distress.
- חֲצַף chătsaphshew insolence, harshnesstranslated this way 1 time of its 2 uses · Strong’s H2685Verb · Translated: harsh 1, urgent 1Full study and all 2 verses →
Daniel 2:15 “Why is the decree from the king so harsh?” he asked. Then Arioch explained the situation to Daniel.
- חָזַק châzaqbe or grow firm, strong, strengthentranslated this way 1 time of its 290 uses · Strong’s H2388Verb · Translated: strong 37, made repairs 22, strengthened 16, repaired 15Full study and all 264 verses →
Malachi 3:13 “Your words against Me have been harsh,” says the LORD. “Yet you ask, ‘What have we spoken against You?’
Greek words (New Testament)
- αὐστηρός austērósgrim, severe, strict, exactingtranslated this way 2 times of its 2 uses · Strong’s G840Adjective · Translated: harsh 2Full study and all 2 verses →
Luke 19:21 For I was afraid of you, because you are a harsh man. You withdraw what you did not deposit and reap what you did not sow.’
Luke 19:22 His master replied, ‘You wicked servant, I will judge you by your own words. So you knew that I am a harsh man, withdrawing what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow?
- ἀφειδία apheidíaseveritytranslated this way 1 time of its 1 use · Strong’s G857Noun · Translated: harsh treatment 1Full study and its 1 verse →
Colossians 2:23 Such restrictions indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-prescribed worship, their false humility, and their harsh treatment of the body; but they are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.
- πικραίνω pikraínōI embittertranslated this way 1 time of its 4 uses · Strong’s G4087Verb · Translated: harsh 1, bitter 1, make 1, turned bitter 1Full study and all 4 verses →
Colossians 3:19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.
- σκληρός sklēróshard, violent, harsh, sterntranslated this way 1 time of its 5 uses · Strong’s G4642Adjective · Translated: hard 2, difficult 1, strong 1, harsh 1Full study and all 5 verses →
Jude 1:15 to execute judgment on everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of every ungodly act of wickedness and every harsh word spoken against Him by ungodly sinners.”
How to study a word well
- Start from the verse, not the dictionary. Find which Hebrew or Greek word stands in the verse you are studying. One English word often translates several different original words.
- Read every place the word is used. A word means what its writers used it to mean. The list of verses and the count by book show its range, and who uses it most.
- Look at how it is translated. A word rendered five different ways has a wider meaning than any one English word can carry.
- Notice the form. A command is not a statement, and a passive verb is something done to the subject. The form in your verse is part of the meaning.
- See what it keeps company with. The words that appear beside it again and again show how the Bible itself connects ideas.
- Then read the dictionaries. They give the considered view of scholars, with their evidence.
- Come back to the verse. Context decides. A word does not carry every one of its meanings into every verse, and where a word came from does not settle what it means in a sentence written centuries later.
Scripture text and translation counts: Berean Standard Bible. Full entry: Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906, public domain), in the digital edition Brown-Driver-Briggs Enhanced by unfoldingWord (Joel Ruark, J. de Joode), based on data by Eliran Wong and Stephen Ku; its additions are used under CC BY 4.0. Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project, CC BY 4.0. Hebrew-to-English verse numbering: original work of the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible available at https://github.com/openscriptures/morphhb, CC BY 4.0. We reformatted the data, linked the references to this site’s Bible text and left out words in other scripts that the source holds only as images. These are historical reference works; an entry gives its authors’ view, and a word’s meaning in any verse depends on how it is used there.