Haggai 2:17
I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands; yet ye turned not to me, saith the LORD.
Original Language Analysis
הִכֵּ֨יתִי
I smote
H5221
הִכֵּ֨יתִי
I smote
Strong's:
H5221
Word #:
1 of 14
to strike (lightly or severely, literally or figuratively)
אֶתְכֶ֜ם
H853
אֶתְכֶ֜ם
Strong's:
H853
Word #:
2 of 14
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
וּבַיֵּֽרָקוֹן֙
and with mildew
H3420
וּבַיֵּֽרָקוֹן֙
and with mildew
Strong's:
H3420
Word #:
4 of 14
paleness, whether of persons (from fright), or of plants (from drought)
אֵ֖ת
H853
אֵ֖ת
Strong's:
H853
Word #:
6 of 14
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
כָּל
H3605
כָּל
Strong's:
H3605
Word #:
7 of 14
properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
מַעֲשֵׂ֣ה
in all the labours
H4639
מַעֲשֵׂ֣ה
in all the labours
Strong's:
H4639
Word #:
8 of 14
an action (good or bad); generally, a transaction; abstractly, activity; by implication, a product (specifically, a poem) or (generally) property
יְדֵיכֶ֑ם
of your hands
H3027
יְדֵיכֶ֑ם
of your hands
Strong's:
H3027
Word #:
9 of 14
a hand (the open one [indicating power, means, direction, etc.], in distinction from h3709, the closed one); used (as noun, adverb, etc.) in a great v
וְאֵין
H369
אֶתְכֶ֥ם
H853
אֶתְכֶ֥ם
Strong's:
H853
Word #:
11 of 14
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
Cross References
Deuteronomy 28:22The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.1 Kings 8:37If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, blasting, mildew, locust, or if there be caterpiller; if their enemy besiege them in the land of their cities; whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness there be;Haggai 1:11And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands.Jeremiah 5:3O LORD, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.Haggai 1:9Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.
Historical Context
The period 536-520 BC saw repeated agricultural difficulties that the people likely attributed to natural causes: weather patterns, normal post-exilic hardship, small population size. Haggai reinterprets these circumstances theologically: they were divine discipline for spiritual unfaithfulness. Once the people finally "turned" to God by obeying His word and resuming building, the discipline ceased and blessing began (v.19).
Questions for Reflection
- How do you respond to repeated difficulties or frustrations—with self-examination and repentance or with rationalization and excuses?
- What role does the preached word (Scripture, teaching, godly counsel) play in breaking through self-deception and prompting genuine repentance?
- How does God's patient persistence in discipline over sixteen years demonstrate both His covenant love and the seriousness of sustained disobedience?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands; yet ye turned not to me, saith the LORD (הִכֵּיתִי אֶתְכֶם בַּשִּׁדָּפוֹן וּבַיֵּרָקוֹן וּבַבָּרָד אֵת כָּל־מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵיכֶם וְאֵין־אֶתְכֶם אֵלַי נְאֻם־יְהוָה/hikeiti etkhem bashidafon uvayerakon uvabarad et kol-ma'aseh yedeikhem ve'ein-etkhem elai ne'um-YHWH)—God explicitly claims responsibility: I smote you (הִכֵּיתִי/hikeiti). He sent blasting (שִׁדָּפוֹן/shidafon, scorching east wind that withers crops), mildew (יֵרָקוֹן/yerakon, plant disease causing yellowing), and hail (בָּרָד/barad, destructive storms). These are covenant curse warnings from Deuteronomy 28:22 and Amos 4:9.
Yet ye turned not to me (וְאֵין־אֶתְכֶם אֵלַי/ve'ein-etkhem elai)—despite repeated discipline over sixteen years, they didn't repent. This echoes Amos 4:6-11, where God recounts five rounds of increasing judgment (famine, drought, blight, plague, military defeat), each ending with the refrain: "Yet you did not return to me." God's purpose in discipline is always redemptive—to prompt repentance and restoration—but it can be resisted through hard-heartedness.
This verse reveals both divine patience and human stubbornness. God didn't abandon them after the first year of futility but persisted in corrective discipline for sixteen years, hoping they'd turn. Yet they rationalized, made excuses, and continued self-focused living. Only when God raised up Haggai to explicitly confront them did they finally respond. This demonstrates the necessity of the prophetic word—God uses preaching, teaching, and confrontation to break through human self-deception.