What is the meaning of hard-hearted? The meaning of hard-hearted is someone who is hard-hearted, have or show no kindness or sympathy for other people. Proverbs 28:14 says, "How blessed is the man who fears always, But he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity." Proverbs 6:16-19 states, "For there are six things the Lord hates - no, seven: haughtiness, lying, murdering, plotting evil, eagerness to do wrong, a false witness, sowing discord among brothers."
What kind of person comes to mind when you think of a person with a hard-heart? A hard-hearted person is heartless, callous, indifferent, uncompassionate, and unemotional. They have no consideration for man, woman, nor beast. Do you think that I was just talking about the devil? Absolutely not! I am going to tell you something, people can have a hard-heart without those closest to them ever realizing it. I have known a lot of preachers standing in the church's pulpit that are hard-hearted. I have seen some of the most attractive women and men displaying the friendliest smile, but their hearts are hard.
The idea of hardening a heart is first found in the Bible in reference to Pharaoh. God told Moses, "When you arrive back in Egypt you are to go to Pharaoh and do the miracles I have shown you, but I will make him stubborn so that he will not let the people go. Then you are to tell him, 'Jehovah says, "Israel is my eldest son, and I have commanded you to let him go away and worship me, but you have refused: and now see, I will slay your eldest son" ' "(Exodus 4:21-23). God told Moses that Pharaoh wouldn't listen, but this will give Him the opportunity to do some mighty miracles to demonstrate His power (Exodus 11:9).
Pharaoh resisted all efforts of Moses to release the children of Israel. Plague after plague, Pharaoh heart got harder and harder. Eventually, Pharaoh lost, he lost his son, and Egypt saw the devastation by the death angel, all because he was hard-hearted.
The saddest thing about a hard-hearted person, they don't know that they are heartless. Something has happened to them that made them brokenhearted. They trusted someone, that hurt, rejected, or betrayed them. Usually they will promise themselves that they will never allow themselves to be vulnerable again. Bitterness takes root and the hardness begins to set in. Their unhealed broken heart becomes hardened.
The heart encompasses our emotions, aspirations, and beliefs. Scripture tells us to, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life" (Proverbs 4:23). Jesus said, "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaks" (Luke 6:45).
People are hard-hearted because they chose to be. We make our choices and some times our choices makes us. If our hearts become hardened, we chose to harden them. And yet, there is still hope for hard-hearted people. Our God can change the hardest hearts, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 36:26). I have seen God changed one of the hardest hearts I have ever known. Only God could have done this. I watched that person do a complete 180 degree, from a hard-heart to a soft-heart. I have also seen some soft-hearts turn to hard-hearts.