Haggai 1:10

10 "So because of what you have done, the heavens have held back the dew. And the earth has not produced its crops.

Haggai 1:10 Meaning and Commentary

Haggai 1:10

Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew
Or, "therefore over", or "upon you" ^F1; where should be a stop; that is, because, of your neglect of the house of God; therefore upon you, and upon you only, and not upon other nations, the heaven is restrained from letting down the dew: or, "therefore I am against you" ^F2; for the above reason, and which the following things show; and sad it is to have God to be an enemy, and against a people! or, "for your sake"; so the Syriac version, to which sense is the Targum,

``therefore for your sins;''

and so Jarchi, "the heaven is stayed from dew"; none descends from it; the Lord, who has the ordering of it, will not suffer it: to have the dew fall upon the earth in the night season is a great blessing; it makes the earth fruitful, revives the corn, plants, and herbs, and causes them to flourish and increase; and to have it restrained is a judgment: and the earth is stayed [from] her fruit;
from bringing forth its increase, which is the consequence of the dew being withheld.

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FOOTNOTES:

F1 (Mkyle Nk-le) "propterea super vos", Varenius, Reinbeck, Burkius.
F2 "Idcirco contra vos", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.

Haggai 1:10 In-Context

8 Go up into the mountains. Bring logs down. Use them to rebuild my house. Then I will enjoy it. And you will honor me," says the Lord.

9 "You expected a lot. But you can see what a small amount it turned out to be," announces the LORD who rules over all. "I blew away what you brought home. Why? Because my temple is still destroyed. In spite of that, each one of you is busy with your own house.

10 "So because of what you have done, the heavens have held back the dew. And the earth has not produced its crops.

11 I ordered the rain not to fall on the fields and mountains. Then the ground did not produce any grain. There were not enough grapes to make fresh wine. The trees did not bear enough olives to make oil. People and cattle suffered. All of your hard work failed."

12 Then Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, and the high priest Jeshua, the son of Jehozadak, obeyed the LORD their God. So did all of the LORD's people who were still left alive. He had given his message to them through me. He had sent me to speak to them. And the people had respect for him.