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Divine Hardening of Hearts in Isaiah Prophecy

The concept of divine hardening of hearts is a recurring theme in biblical prophecy, particularly in Isaiah. The prophet is commanded to "make the heart of this people fat, make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn again, and be healed" (Isaiah 6:10) [3]. This passage raises questions about the nature of God's involvement in human hardening and its implications for human responsibility.

The biblical text presents a complex picture of hardening, with both human and divine agency at play. In Zechariah 7:12, it is written that the people "made their hearts as hard as flint, lest they might hear the law, and the words which Yahweh of Armies had sent by his Spirit by the former prophets" [2]. This suggests that human stubbornness and resistance to God's word can lead to hardening. However, other passages imply that God actively hardens hearts, as in Isaiah 63:17, where it is written, "O Jehovah, why leadest Thou us astray from Thy ways, hardenest our heart, so as not to fear Thee?" [6].

The early Christian fathers grappled with the theological implications of divine hardening. Augustine, in his Homilies on John, notes that the hardening of hearts is a result of God's judgment on those who have already resisted His word [9]. Calvin, in his Institutes, argues that God's hardening is not the cause of human sin, but rather a consequence of human depravity [8]. According to Calvin, God's hardening is a judicial act that confirms the existing hardness of a person's heart.

Jewish interpreters have also offered various explanations for divine hardening. Ramban (Nachmanides) suggests that God's hardening of Pharaoh's heart was a response to Pharaoh's initial resistance to God's will [10]. Abraham Ibn Ezra, on the other hand, argues that God's hardening is a consequence of human choices, and that God grants humans the wisdom and intelligence to make decisions, including those that lead to hardening [11].

one commentary tradition of Keil & Delitzsch on Isaiah 63:17 notes that when men have scornfully and obstinately rejected the grace of God, God withdraws it from them judicially, gives them up to their wanderings, and makes their heart incapable of faith [6]. This understanding is echoed in the Reformed tradition, where Calvin comments that the hardening influence does not arise out of the nature of the word, but is accidental, and must be ascribed exclusively to the depravity of man [5].

one commentary tradition of Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Zechariah 7:12 observes that as the people made their hearts hard as adamant, God brake their hard hearts with judgments, suggesting a reciprocal relationship between human hardening and divine judgment [7].

The biblical concept of divine hardening is thus complex and multifaceted, involving both human and divine agency. While human stubbornness and resistance to God's word can lead to hardening, God's judgment and withdrawal of grace can also contribute to the hardening of hearts. The various interpretations of this concept across different Christian and Jewish traditions highlight the ongoing theological debates and nuances surrounding this issue.

The theme of hardening is not limited to Isaiah, but is also present in other biblical texts, such as Hosea 10:2, where it is written that "their heart is divided" [4], and Hebrews 3:8, which warns against hardening one's heart [1]. The biblical text presents a nuanced understanding of hardening, one that takes into account both human responsibility and divine sovereignty.

Sources

  1. Hebrews “Hebrews 3:8 (Rotherham) — harden your hearts,—as in the embitterment, in the day of testing in the desert,”
  2. Zechariah “Yes, they made their hearts as hard as flint, lest they might hear the law, and the words which Yahweh of Armies had sent by his Spirit by the former prophets. Therefore great wrath came from Yahweh of Armies. -- Zechariah 7:12”
  3. Isaiah “Make the heart of this people fat. Make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn again, and be healed.” -- Isaiah 6:10”
  4. Hosea “Their heart is divided. Now they will be found guilty. He will demolish their altars. He will destroy their sacred stones. -- Hosea 10:2”
  5. CCEL (Reformed) “Calvin, Commentary on Isaiah, Vol. 1, section 12.22: ( Psalm 19:9 ;) how then does it stupify men and take away their reason? Those hearts which formerly were of brass or iron ought to be softened by it; how then is it possible that it can harden them, as I have already observed? Such blinding and hardening influence does not arise out of the nature of the word, but is accidental, and must be ascribed exclusively to the depravity of man. As dim-sighted people cannot blame the sun for dazzling their eyes with its brightness; and those whose hearing is weak cannot complain of a clear and loud vo”
  6. Isaiah (Lutheran) “Keil & Delitzsch on Isaiah 63:17: But the in the existing state of things there was a contrast which put their faith to a severe test. "O Jehovah, why leadest Thou us astray from Thy ways, hardenest our heart, so as not to fear Thee? Return for Thy servants' sake, the tribes of Thine inheritance." When men have scornfully and obstinately rejected the grace of God, God withdraws it from them judicially, gives them up to their wanderings, and makes their heart incapable of faith (hiqshı̄ăch, which only occurs again in Job 39:16, is here equivalent to hiqshâh in Psa 95:8; Deu 2:30). The history”
  7. Zechariah (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Zechariah 7:12: hearts . . . adamant-- (Eze 3:9; Eze 11:19). Lord . . . sent in Spirit by . . . prophets--that is, sent by the former prophets inspired with His Spirit. therefore . . . great wrath-- (Ch2 36:16). As they pushed from them the yoke of obedience, God laid on them the yoke of oppression. As they made their heart hard as adamant, God brake their hard hearts with judgments. Hard hearts must expect hard treatment. The harder the stone, the harder the blow of the hammer to break it.”
  8. CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 40: Lord 268 “had hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate,” he immediately adds the purpose which God had in view—viz. that he might deliver him into their hand ( Deut. 2:30 ). As God had resolved to destroy him, the hardening of his heart was the divine preparation for his ruin. 4. In accordance with the former methods it seems to be said, 174 174 Ezek. 7:26 ; Psalm 107:40 ; Job 12:20 , 24 ; Isiah 63:17; Exod. 4:21 ; 7:3; 10:1; 3:19. “The law shall perish from the priests and counsel from the ancients.” “He poureth contempt ”
  9. Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 7: Augustine — Homilies on John — CHAPTER XII. 37-43. (part 4): their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them." For it is said to as: If they could not believe, what sin is it in man not to do what he cannot do? and if they sinned in not believing, then they had the power to believe, and did not use it. If, then, they had the power, how says the Gospel, "Therefore they could not believe, because that Isaiah said again, He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart;" so that (which is of grave im”
  10. Sefaria (Jewish (Kabbalistic/Philosophical)) “Ramban (Nachmanides) on Exodus 9:12: AND THE ETERNAL HARDENED THE HEART OF PHARAOH. It is possible that during the first plagues, the magicians hardened Pharaoh’s heart in order to pride themselves in their wisdom. But now that they did not come before him and there was none to help him and none to uphold him 208 See Isaiah 63:5. in his folly except his iniquities that ensnared him, 209 See Proverbs 5:22. [it was G-d Who hardened his heart]. It is possible that Scripture is alluding to that which our Rabbis have explained, 210 Shemoth Rabbah 11:7. i.e., that during the first plagues, the harde”
  11. Sefaria (Jewish (Rationalist)) “Abraham Ibn Ezra on Exodus 7:3: AND I WILL HARDEN PHARAOH’S HEART. The question arises: “If God hardened Pharaoh’s heart what was his transgression and what was his sin?” 15 Prima facie , our verse states that God will harden Pharaoh’s heart and punish him for not mending his ways; i.e., I will harden Pharaoh’s heart and punish him for hardening his heart by multiplying “My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt.” The answer is: God granted wisdom to man and implanted in his heart the intelligence to receive power from on high to add to his good 16 If good things are destined to befall an i”
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