H.A.RBONAH (har-bO'nah). The same as above.
HARD (hard). The various meanings of 'hard,' whether as adj. or adv., may be given as follows: 1. Literally, not soft, only Job xli :24 ; Ezek. iii :9; Wisdom of Sol. xi :4; Sirach xl :Is, xlviii: x7.
2. Unfeeling, cruel (Ps. xciv :4), 'How long shall they utter and speak hard things?' (R. V. 'They prate, they speak arrogantly').
3. Trying, exacting (Exod. i :14) 'hard bond age' (R. V. 'hard service') ; (2 Sam. iii :39), 'The sons of Zeruiah be too hard for me ;' (Ps. lxxxviii :7) 'Thy wrath lieth hard upon me ;' (Prov. xiii :15) 'The way of transgressors is hard' (R. V. 'The way of the treacherous is rugged') ; (Matt. xxv :24) 'Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man ;' (John vi :6o) 'This is an hard saying; who can hear it ?;' (Acts ix :5) 'It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks').
4. Obdurate (Jer. v:3) 'They have made their faces harder than a rock ;' (Ezek. iii :9) 'As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy fore head.' Comp. Shaks. Ant. and Cleofi. 111, xi: ITT — 'But when we in our viciousness grow hard, (0 misery on't) the wise gods seal our eyes.' 5. Strenuous only (Jonah i:13) 'The men rowed hard.' 6. Difficult as (Gen. xviii :14) 'Is anything too hard for the Lord?' (R. V. margin, 'wonderful') ;
(I Kings x :I) 'She came to prove him with hard questions ;' (Mark x :24) 'How hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!' (Hastings' Bib. Dict.) Figurative. (i) Hardness of sfiirit expresses great inward sorrow and trouble (I Sam. i :t5). (2) Hardness of heart signifies stupidity and ob stinacy in sinning (Ezek. iii :7). (3) The way of transgressors is hard ; they are obstinate in their sin, and their course is disagreeable and dan gerous (Prov. xiii :15). (4) Manifold troubles are called hardness, because difficult to be borne (2 Tim. ii :3). (5) God's hardening men de notes his justly withholding his gracious in fluences from them, but not in an arbitrary man ner. He permits them in harmony with their own free wills to go on in the way of sinning (Exod. iv :21 vii :3 ; xiv :4, 17; xix :12, and x :io, 27)• (6) hen harden their heart, face, or neck when they grow more and more obstinate and impudent in wickedness, and refuse to be reclaimed (I Sam. vi :6; Jer. v:3 ; Prov. xxix :1). To harden oncself in sorrow is with bravery to endure vio lent pains from an eager desire of death (Job vi:io).