Lexical Summary yegia: Labor, toil, effort, work Original Word: יָגיּעַ Strong's Exhaustive Concordance labor, work From yaga'; toil; hence, a work, produce, property (as the result of labor) -- labour, work. see HEBREW yaga' NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom yaga Definition toil, product NASB Translation fruit (1), labor (5), labors (2), possessions (1), produce (1), product of his labor (1), product of their labor (1), products (1), property (1), toil (1), wages (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs יְגִיעַ] noun masculine toil, product; — construct יְגִיעַ Genesis 31:42 5t.; suffix יְגִיעֲךָ Deuteronomy 28:33; יְגִיעֶ֑ךָ Job 39:11; יְגִיעֵךְ Ezekiel 23:29; יְגִיעוֺ Psalm 109:11; Nehemiah 5:13;יְגִיעָהּ Job 39:16; Jeremiah 20:5 וִיגִיעֲכֶם Isaiah 55:2; וִיגִיעָם Psalm 78:46; plural suffix יְגִיעַי Hosea 12:9 (but יְגִיעָיו ᵐ5 Che); — 1 toil, כַּמַּיִם ׳יג Genesis 31:42 (E; "" עֳנִי), Job 39:11 ( = husbandry), laying of eggs Job 39:16. 2 result of toil, product, produce, acquired property; יְגִיעַי Hosea 12:9 ("" אוֺן, on text see above), Deuteronomy 28:33 ("" מְּרִי אדמתך), Psalm 78:46 ("" יְבוּל); יְגִיעַכַּמַּיִם Psalm 128:2, Haggai 1:11 ("" דָּגָן, תִּירוֺשׁ, יִצְהָר, אֲשֶׁר תּוֺצִיא הָאֲדָמָה, אָדָם, בְּחֵמָה); Nehemiah 5:13 ("" בית), Psalm 109:11 ("" כלאֿשׁרלֿוֺ), Isaiah 45:14 (יגיע מצרים, "" סַחַרכּֿוּשׁ), Isaiah 55:2 ("" כֶּסֶף), Jeremiah 3:24 ("" צאֹן בָּקָר, בָּנִים, בָּנוֺת), Jeremiah 20:5 ("" חֹסֶן, יָקָר, of city), Ezekiel 23:29; of Job as product of God's hands (כַּפֶיךָ ׳יְג) Job 10:3. Topical Lexicon Overview This Hebrew term gathers within it the ideas of strenuous effort, the fruit that effort brings, and the vulnerability of that fruit to blessing or loss. Across the Old Testament its occurrences weave a coherent testimony: the God who ordains labor also governs its outcome, rewarding faithfulness, judging oppression, and calling His people to find ultimate satisfaction not in toil itself but in covenant fellowship with Him. Labor as Protected by the Covenant God Genesis 31:42 introduces the theme. Jacob, oppressed by Laban, testifies, “God has seen my affliction and my hard work, and He rebuked you last night.” The patriarch’s “hard work” becomes evidence in God’s courtroom; the fruit of toil matters to the Lord, who defends the righteous laborer. Psalm 128:2 generalizes the same covenant assurance: “When you eat the fruit of your labor, blessings and prosperity will be yours.” Honest work is portrayed as a channel through which Yahweh delights to transmit blessing to households that fear Him (Psalm 128:1). Toil under Blessing or Curse In Deuteronomy 28:33 the word stands at the hinge of covenant sanctions: “A people you do not know will eat the produce of your land and all your labor.” The blessing‐curse schema makes clear that labor’s yield is not autonomous; it flourishes or withers according to Israel’s fidelity. Haggai 1:11 revisits the curse motif after the exile: drought falls “on all the labor of your hands” because the returned community delayed rebuilding the temple. Conversely, Isaiah 45:14 uses the same word when promising a reversal: the “wealth of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush” will flow to Zion, illustrating that God can redirect the results of toil toward His redemptive designs. Social Justice and the Exploitation of Labor Several texts highlight the theft or misuse of another’s toil. Nehemiah 5:13 records a public renunciation of predatory lending: “we will restore… their fields, vineyards… and the interest on money, grain, new wine and oil.” The gesture affirms that the fruit of labor is not to be confiscated through greed. Psalm 109:11 invokes imprecatory judgment: “May strangers plunder the fruit of his labor,” targeting the persistent oppressor. Ezekiel 23:29 and Jeremiah 20:5 echo that judgment when national sin results in invaders stripping Jerusalem of “all its gains.” Thus the prophets present God as both guardian and avenger with respect to human toil. Futility of Labor Apart from God Isaiah 55:2 probes the deeper spiritual dimension: “Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?” Here toil becomes a metaphor for every self‐directed pursuit. Hosea 12:8 exposes the self‐deception that often attends prosperity: “Ephraim boasts, ‘I have become wealthy… In all my labor they will find no iniquity in me.’” Detached from covenant loyalty, toil yields a counterfeit security that invites judgment (Jeremiah 3:24). Wisdom Reflections The book of Job employs the term in a trio of passages (10:3; 39:11, 16). Job 10:3 contrasts divine craftsmanship with the “gain” of the wicked, sharpening the question of why moral effort seems unrewarded. Job 39 doubles down on creaturely limitation: can humans assign their “heavy work” to the untamed wild ox? The implied answer—no—reinforces the lesson that ultimate mastery over labor belongs to God alone. Eschatological Glimpses Isaiah foresees Gentile wealth streaming to Zion (45:14), portraying a future in which what nations have produced is willingly surrendered in acknowledgement of the one true God. Such imagery foreshadows Revelation 21:26, where “the glory and honor of the nations” enter the New Jerusalem. Earthly toil, then, is not discarded in the age to come but purified and redirected to serve the glory of God. Ministry Implications 1. Vocational dignity: Scripture legitimizes every sphere of lawful work. Preaching and discipleship should affirm believers in daily vocations as arenas of worship. In sum, the term gathers the whole account of human effort under the sovereignty of God—from patriarchal sheep pens to exilic economies—and calls every generation to labor diligently, trust humbly, and hope eschatologically. Forms and Transliterations וִֽ֝יגִיעָ֗ם וִיגִיעֲכֶ֖ם וּמִ֣יגִיע֔וֹ ויגיעכם ויגיעם ומיגיעו יְגִ֣יעֲךָ֔ יְגִ֣יעַ יְגִ֥יעַ יְגִ֧יעַ יְגִ֨יעַ יְגִיעֵ֔ךְ יְגִיעֶֽךָ׃ יְגִיעַ֕י יְגִיעָ֖הּ יְגִיעָ֣הּ יְגִיעֽוֹ׃ יגיע יגיעה יגיעו׃ יגיעי יגיעך יגיעך׃ ū·mî·ḡî·‘ōw ūmîḡî‘ōw uMigiO vigiaChem vigiAm wî·ḡî·‘ă·ḵem wî·ḡî·‘ām wîḡî‘ăḵem wîḡî‘ām yə·ḡî·‘ă·ḵā yə·ḡî·‘āh yə·ḡî·‘ay yə·ḡî·‘e·ḵā yə·ḡî·‘êḵ yə·ḡî·‘ōw yə·ḡî·a‘ yəḡî‘āh yəḡî‘ăḵā yəḡî‘ay yəḡî‘êḵ yəḡî‘eḵā yəḡî‘ōw yeGia yəḡîa‘ yeGiacha yegiAh yegiAi yegiEch yegiEcha yegiOLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 31:42 HEB: עָנְיִ֞י וְאֶת־ יְגִ֧יעַ כַּפַּ֛י רָאָ֥ה NAS: my affliction and the toil of my hands, KJV: mine affliction and the labour of my hands, INT: have sent my affliction and the toil of my hands has seen Deuteronomy 28:33 Nehemiah 5:13 Job 10:3 Job 39:11 Job 39:16 Psalm 78:46 Psalm 109:11 Psalm 128:2 Isaiah 45:14 Isaiah 55:2 Jeremiah 3:24 Jeremiah 20:5 Ezekiel 23:29 Hosea 12:8 Haggai 1:11 16 Occurrences |
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