Haggai 1:9 (YLT)

Passage

Looking for much, and lo, little, And ye brought <FI>it<Fi> home, and I blew on it, Wherefore? --an affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts, Because of My house that is waste, And ye are running--each to his house,

Nearby Context

Haggai 1:7 Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: Set your heart to your ways.

Haggai 1:8 Go up the mountain, and ye have brought in wood, And build the house, and I am pleased with it. And I am honoured, said Jehovah.

Haggai 1:9 Looking for much, and lo, little, And ye brought <FI>it<Fi> home, and I blew on it, Wherefore? --an affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts, Because of My house that is waste, And ye are running--each to his house,

Haggai 1:10 Therefore, over you refrained have the heavens from dew, And the land hath refrained its increase.

Haggai 1:11 And I proclaim draught on the land, And on the mountains, and on the corn, And on the new wine, and on the oil, And on what the ground doth bring forth, And on man, and on beast, And on all labour of the hands.'

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "looking", "much", "little", "brought", "home", "blew", "wherefore", and "affirmation". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "looking" and "much", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "Go up the mountain and ye have..." into verse 10's "Therefore over you refrained have the heavens...", so "looking" and "much" belong inside that flow. In Haggai context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "looking" and "much" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.