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שְׁרִירוּת

𐤔𐤓𐤉𐤓𐤅𐤕

shᵉrîyrûwth

H8307 noun

SILEX Entry

Root שׁרר to be firm, to be hardened, to be unyielding

Definition

Stubbornness, obstinate persistence, or willful adherence to one's own inclination, especially as expressed in moral or spiritual contexts; an inner disposition characterized by refusal to be guided or corrected. The term encompasses not only obstinacy but also the internal mindset or resolve that resists external direction or instruction.

Semantic Range

stubbornness, obstinacy, willfulness, persistent self-will, hardened attitude, inner resolve resisting correction

Root / Etymology

From the root שָׁרַר (sharar), meaning 'to be firm, hardened, or unyielding.' The nominal form שְׁרִירוּת (sherirut) conveys that which is established in the sense of a set or hardened will, specifically relating to stubbornness or obstinacy.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The term שְׁרִירוּת appears primarily in late biblical contexts, especially in Deuteronomy, Jeremiah, and Psalms, where it describes the persistent self-will of the Israelites, often in a negative, moralistic sense indicating resistance to YHWH's instruction or guidance. This noun is most often paired with לֵב ('heart'), forming the construct שְׁרִירוּת לִבּוֹ ('stubbornness of his heart'), where it points to a deliberate, internal orientation rather than mere external defiance. English translations frequently render the term as 'stubbornness,' 'obstinacy,' or paraphrase it more loosely ('following the dictates of...'). While archaic renderings such as 'imagination' or 'lust' appear in older translations, scholarly consensus prefers 'stubbornness' due to contextual usage. The nuance is less of imaginative thought and more resolute, self-directed persistence. In later Jewish usage, the term retained its moral connotation of willful self-determination, often with negative implications. Distinct from other Hebrew terms like קְשִׁי (qeshi, 'hardness') or מְרִי (meri, 'rebellion'), שְׁרִירוּת emphasizes the internal decision to persist in a course despite corrective input.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from שָׁרַר in the sense of twisted, i.e. firm; obstinacy; imagination, lust.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שׁרר (sh-r-r) — to be firm, to be hardened, to be unyielding

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H8270 שֹׁר your umbilical cord
H8324 שָׁרַר to my opponents
H8326 שֹׁרֶר your navel
H8350 שָׁשַׁר intense red pigment

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H8307-01 בִּ/שְׁרִר֥וּת bisherirut HR/Ncfsc in stubbornness in hardened self-will of 6
H8307-02 שְׁרִר֖וּת sherirut HNcfsc stubbornness stubbornness of 4

Occurrences in Scripture

10 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H8307-01 Deuteronomy 29:18 בִּ/שְׁרִר֥וּת bisherirut HR/Ncfsc stubbornness in hardened self-will of
H8307-02 Jeremiah 3:17 שְׁרִר֖וּת sherirut HNcfsc stubbornness stubbornness of
H8307-01 Jeremiah 7:24 בִּ/שְׁרִר֖וּת bisherirut HR/Ncfsc in stubbornness in hardened self-will of
H8307-02 Jeremiah 9:13 שְׁרִר֣וּת sherirut HNcfsc stubbornness stubbornness of
H8307-01 Jeremiah 11:8 בִּ/שְׁרִיר֖וּת bisherirut HR/Ncfsc in-stubbornness in hardened self-will of
H8307-01 Jeremiah 13:10 בִּ/שְׁרִר֣וּת bisherirut HR/Ncfsc in stubbornness in hardened self-will of
H8307-02 Jeremiah 16:12 שְׁרִר֣וּת sherirut HNcfsc stubbornness stubbornness of
H8307-02 Jeremiah 18:12 שְׁרִר֥וּת sherirut HNcfsc stubbornness stubbornness of
H8307-01 Jeremiah 23:17 בִּ/שְׁרִר֤וּת bisherirut HR/Ncfsc in stubbornness in hardened self-will of
H8307-01 Psalms 81:13 בִּ/שְׁרִיר֣וּת bisherirut HR/Ncfsc in-stubbornness in hardened self-will of
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