7:11Meaning
Refusal expressed in physical images The verse presents refusal as intentional and active: “they refused to listen.” Then it uses bodily pictures to underline stubbornness—turning the shoulder away, stopping the ears—so that hearing does not happen. The point is not inability but resistance.
Unit 2 (v. 12a): Inner hardening to avoid God’s instruction
The refusal moves from outward actions to inward posture: they made their hearts like “adamant stone,” an image of extreme hardness. The stated aim is prevention—so they would not hear “the law” and would not receive the prophetic message.
Unit 3 (v. 12b): Source of the rejected message and the stated outcome
The words they resisted are described as coming from Yahweh of Hosts, delivered “by his Spirit” through “the former prophets.” Because this resistance occurred, the verse concludes that “great wrath” came from Yahweh of Hosts, presenting judgment as the consequence of prior refusal.