Skleros describes what is hard or difficult to withstand, whether a saying, words, a person, winds, or resistance to goads.

Across the supplied verses, the term marks what is hard, severe, or difficult to withstand: a saying that listeners find difficult, hard words spoken against someone, a hard person, strong winds, and the difficulty of resisting goads.

1. Hard or difficult to withstand · dominant

   In John 6:60, the nominative singular masculine form characterizes a saying that disciples ask who can hear; in Jude 1:15, the genitive plural neuter form qualifies things spoken against him. The same quality appears in Acts 26:14, where the APB renders the clause “It is hard for you to kick against the goads,” in Matthew 25:24's description of a master as “a hard human,” and in James 3:4's “strong winds.”

   John 6:60Jude 1:15Acts 26:14Matthew 25:24James 3:4

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB presents the term with “hard” in Acts 26:14, John 6:60, Jude 1:15, and Matthew 25:24, while James 3:4 has “strong winds.” The variation does not by itself establish separate meanings.