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"Stiff-Necked": Biblical Origins and Modern Meaning

Biblical Origin

The phrase "stiff-necked" (Hebrew: qesheh oref, literally "hard of neck") appears over a dozen times in the Hebrew Bible, almost exclusively describing the Israelites' stubborn resistance to God's commands.

Key Passages

  • Exodus 32:9 – After the golden calf incident: "I have seen this people, and behold, they are a stiff-necked people."
  • Exodus 33:3, 5; 34:9 – God threatens to destroy them for their stiffness.
  • Deuteronomy 9:6, 13; 10:16; 31:27 – Moses reiterates: "You are a stiff-necked people."
  • 2 Chronicles 30:8; 36:13 – Later kings and people also described this way.
  • Acts 7:51 – Stephen's sermon: "You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit."

Figurative Meaning

A draft animal that refuses to turn its neck for the yoke cannot be guided. Metaphorically, "stiff-necked" denotes:

  • Stubbornness, obstinacy
  • Refusal to submit to authority or correction
  • Pride, self-will, spiritual resistance

Modern Usage

Today the term is used secularly to describe anyone—individuals, groups, institutions—who are inflexible, unyielding, or obstinately resistant to change, reason, or authority.

Note on Mark 9:18

The reference in the source to Mark 9:18 ("stiff-necked" describing a boy with epilepsy) appears to be a misattribution. That verse describes a "spirit that makes him mute" and convulsions; "stiff-necked" is not in the Greek text. The term's biblical usage is overwhelmingly metaphorical for stubbornness.

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