The Meaning of Haggai 1:6 Explained

Haggai 1:6

KJV: Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.

YLT: Ye have sown much, and brought in little, To eat, and not to satiety, To drink, and not to drunkenness, To clothe, and none hath heat, And he who is hiring himself out, Is hiring himself for a bag pierced through.

Darby: Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but are not satisfied; ye drink, but are not filled with drink; ye clothe yourselves, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages for a bag with holes.

ASV: Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Ye have sown  much,  and bring  in little;  ye eat,  but ye have not enough;  ye drink,  but ye are not filled with drink;  ye clothe  you, but there is none warm;  and he that earneth wages  earneth wages  [to put it] into a bag  with holes. 

What does Haggai 1:6 Mean?

Context Summary

Haggai 1:1-11 - Selfish And Shortsighted Thrift
Zerubbabel is the Sheshbazzar of Ezra 1:8. He was of the royal line, and appointed governor by Cyrus. Josedech was son of Seraiah, high priest when Jerusalem was taken, 2 Kings 25:18-21. The returned exiles had been experiencing a succession of bad seasons. They had sown much, and reaped little; their money ran out of the bag as quickly as they put it in; a drought lay on all the land, and the reason for it was to be found in the neglected Temple. How frequently our disasters and losses in business arise from our failure to remember God's cause. We say that we have not the time, cannot afford the money, and see no necessity for setting apart the Lord's Day or the daily period for meditation and prayer. Did we see things as they really are, we should find that this is false economy, and wastes more than we save. "There is that which withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty." The mower does not waste time when he stops to whet his scythe. [source]

Chapter Summary: Haggai 1

1  The time when Haggai prophesied
2  He reproves the people for neglecting the building of the house
7  He incites them to the building
12  He promises them, being forward, God's assistance

What do the individual words in Haggai 1:6 mean?

You have sown much and bring in little You eat but not do have enough You drink but you are not filled with drink You clothe yourselves but no one is warm to and he who earns wages Earns wages [to put] into a bag pierced through -
זְרַעְתֶּ֨ם הַרְבֵּ֜ה וְהָבֵ֣א מְעָ֗ט אָכ֤וֹל וְאֵין־ לְשָׂבְעָה֙ שָׁת֣וֹ וְאֵין־ לְשָׁכְרָ֔ה לָב֖וֹשׁ וְאֵין־ לְחֹ֣ם ל֑וֹ וְהַ֨מִּשְׂתַּכֵּ֔ר מִשְׂתַּכֵּ֖ר אֶל־ צְר֥וֹר נָקֽוּב פ

זְרַעְתֶּ֨ם  You  have  sown 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: זָרַע  
Sense: to sow, scatter seed.
הַרְבֵּ֜ה  much 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Infinitive absolute
Root: הַרְבָּה 
Sense: be or become great, be or become many, be or become much, be or become numerous.
וְהָבֵ֣א  and  bring  in 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive absolute
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
מְעָ֗ט  little 
Parse: Adverb
Root: מְעַט  
Sense: littleness, few, a little, fewness.
אָכ֤וֹל  You  eat 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive absolute
Root: אָכַל  
Sense: to eat, devour, burn up, feed.
וְאֵין־  but  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb
Root: אַיִן 
Sense: nothing, not, nought n.
לְשָׂבְעָה֙  do  have  enough 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, feminine singular
Root: שָׂבְעָה  
Sense: satisfaction, satiety, one’s fill.
שָׁת֣וֹ  You  drink 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive absolute
Root: שָׁתָה  
Sense: to drink.
וְאֵין־  but  you  are  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb
Root: אַיִן 
Sense: nothing, not, nought n.
לְשָׁכְרָ֔ה  filled  with  drink 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct, third person feminine singular
Root: שָׂכַר 
Sense: to be or become drunk or drunken, be intoxicated.
לָב֖וֹשׁ  You  clothe  yourselves 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive absolute
Root: לָבַשׁ  
Sense: to dress, wear, clothe, put on clothing, be clothed.
וְאֵין־  but  no  one  is 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb
Root: אַיִן 
Sense: nothing, not, nought n.
לְחֹ֣ם  warm 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: חֹם  
Sense: heat, hot.
וְהַ֨מִּשְׂתַּכֵּ֔ר  and  he  who  earns  wages 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Verb, Hitpael, Participle, masculine singular
Root: סָכַר  
Sense: to hire.
מִשְׂתַּכֵּ֖ר  Earns  wages  [to  put] 
Parse: Verb, Hitpael, Participle, masculine singular
Root: סָכַר  
Sense: to hire.
אֶל־  into 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
צְר֥וֹר  a  bag 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: צְרֹור 
Sense: bundle, parcel, pouch, bag (as packed).
נָקֽוּב  pierced  through 
Parse: Verb, Qal, QalPassParticiple, masculine singular
Root: נָקַב 
Sense: to pierce, perforate, bore, appoint.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation