"Stiffneckedness" is another non-biblical term found in Latter-day Saint scriptures that Jonathan Edwards used, as found in the 1808 edition of his collected works, on sale in Palmyra in the early 1820s in the bookstore Joseph visited weekly to get the newspaper for his father.
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The fruits of Moses' unbelief,
which provoked God to shut him out of Canaan, and not to suffer him to partake
of those great things God was about to do for Israel on earth, were chiefly
these two things: First, his mingling bitterness with his zeal. He had a
great zeal for God, and he could not bear to see the intolerable stiff-neckedness
of the people, that they did not acknowledge the work of God, and were not
convinced by all his wonders that they had seen; but human passion was mingled
with his zeal.
1. Jonathan Edwards. The Great Awakening (WJE Online... [page 429 | Paragraph | SubSect | Section]
(Wordcruncher 18c: 1740s; 1742, N04004 / 5. PART IV.Shewing what,47¶ 1808 Kindle at 21423)
Their stiffneckedness was their moral Wickedness,
Obstinacy, and perverseness of Heart: By Righteousness, therefore, on the
contrary, is meant their moral Vertue, and rectitude of Heart, and Life
(Wordcruncher 18c: 1730s; 1738, N03467 / 1.2.1,71¶) 1808 Kindle at 54087]
The Temptation at this Day is exceeding great, to both those Errors that Moses was guilty of; there is great Temptation to Bitterness and corrupt Passion with Zeal; for there is so much unreasonable Opposition made against this glorious Work of GOD, and so much Stiff-neckedness manifested in Multitudes of this Generation, notwithstanding all the great & wonderful Works in which GOD has passed before them, that it greatly tends to provoke the Spirits of such as have the Interest of this Work at Heart, so as to move ’em to speak unadvisedly with their Lips.
(18c:
1740s; 1742, N04004 / 5. PART IV.Shewing what,47¶) [1808 Kindle at 21435]
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stiffneckedness in the scriptures
Old Testament (0) [stiffnecked 8]
New Testament (0) [stiffnecked 1]
Book of Mormon (4) [stiffnecked 20]
Doctrine and Covenants (1) [stiffnecked 1]
Pearl of Great Price (0)
Edwards (3 in 1808)
Evans (7) [3 of which are Jonathan Edwards]
[note: Yale doesn’t find stiffneckedness or
stiff-neckedness, but it’s in the database]
11 Now this he spake because of the
stiffneckedness of Laman and Lemuel;
(1
Nephi 2:11)
7 And now I, Nephi, cannot say more;
the Spirit stoppeth mine utterance, and I am left to mourn because of the
unbelief, and the wickedness, and the ignorance, and the stiffneckedness of
men;
(2
Nephi 32:7)
17 For behold, king Benjamin was a holy
man, and he did reign over his people in righteousness; and there were many
holy men in the land, and they did speak the word of God with power and with
authority; and they did use much sharpness because of the stiffneckedness of
the people—
(Words
of Mormon 1:17)
18 And now, because of stiffneckedness
and unbelief they understood not my word; therefore I was commanded to say no
more of the Father concerning this thing unto them.
(3
Nephi 15:18)
6 For behold, I revoke the commandment
which was given unto my servants Selah J. Griffin and Newel Knight, in
consequence of the stiffneckedness of my people which are in Thompson, and
their rebellions.
(Doctrine
and Covenants 56:6)
