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.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →God reminds them that He struck their labors with blight, mildew, and hail, yet they did not turn to Him.
What Does Haggai 2:17 Mean?
The Lord recalls the agricultural disasters He had sent—blight that withered the grain, mildew that spoiled it, hail that battered the fields. These echo the covenant warnings of Deuteronomy. The grievous note is the response: ‘yet ye turned not to me.’ The hardships had been meant to draw the people back, but for a long time they did not heed the summons.
God's discipline always aims at restoration, not mere punishment; its goal is that His people would turn. The sorrow of the verse is the missed opportunity—trouble that should have prompted repentance went unheeded. Yet the very fact that God recounts it now, as the people finally obey, shows His patience. He had kept calling through the hardship, and at last they have come. The verse warns against ignoring the gentler summons of difficulty, and marvels at the mercy that waits.
In the Original Language
shedhefon (שְׁדֵפוֹן), “blasting” — blight or scorching, a withering of crops; named among the covenant chastisements meant to turn hearts back.