Lexical Summary shdephah: Blight, Scorching, Blasting Original Word: שְׁדֵפָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance blasted Or shiddaphown {shid-daw-fone'}; from shadaph; blight -- blasted(-ing). see HEBREW shadaph Brown-Driver-Briggs שְׁדֵפָה noun feminine blighted or blasted thing; — לִפְנֵי קָמָה ׳וּשׁ 2 Kings 19:26 a blasted thing before (the standing grain, i.e. before maturity ( > שְׁדֵמָה field, as "" Isaiah 37:27, compare Di), but improbable; Th proposes וָדִים ׳ל ׳וּשׁ; Kit שְׁדֻף הַקָּדִים; We (and most since) ׳וּשְׁדֵפָֽה ָ לְפָנַי קֻמְךָ וגו (Che וּשְׁפָיִים, for וּשְׁדֵפָה). שִׁדָּפוֺן noun masculine blight, of crops (LagBN 202 VogelstLandwirthsch. 56); — ׳שׁ absolute + יֵרָקוֺן Amos 4:9, compare Haggai 2:17; Deuteronomy 28:22; 1 Kings 8:37 2Chronicles 6:28. Topical Lexicon Semantic Range and Imagery שְׁדֵפָה (shedephah) evokes the idea of scorching wind or blight that withers grain and garden alike. It is most often paired with “mildew” as a twin agricultural plague (Deuteronomy 28:22; Amos 4:9; Haggai 2:17), underscoring a combination of searing heat and fungal decay. The word paints a vivid picture of fields browned by the hot east wind, buds shriveled before maturity, and harvest hopes dashed. Occurrences in Scripture 1. Deuteronomy 28:22 frames shedephah as a covenant curse: “The LORD will strike you with wasting disease, with fever and inflammation, with scorching heat and drought, with blight and mildew…”. Covenant Theology and Divine Discipline Shedephah is never random. In every covenant context it is the LORD who “strikes” (hiphil), demonstrating sovereign control over climate and crops. The curse-list of Deuteronomy becomes the theological backdrop for the prophets: when the land languishes under blight, Israel must interpret it as an echo of Sinai. Shedephah is therefore a barometer of spiritual health; its presence signals broken fellowship, its removal reflects divine mercy (cf. Joel 2:25). Prophetic Voice and Call to Repentance Amos and Haggai both use shedephah to confront complacency. Amos confronts northern prosperity that ignored God’s warnings; Haggai addresses post-exilic apathy toward rebuilding the temple. In both eras, failed harvests were intended as redemptive discipline—an alarm rather than final judgment. The refrain “yet you did not return to Me” (Amos 4:9) exposes the tragedy of missed opportunity. Historical and Cultural Background Agriculture in ancient Israel relied on timely rains (Deuteronomy 11:14). Hot desert winds from the east (sirocco) could raise temperatures sharply, desiccate vegetation, and carry fungal spores. Without modern irrigation or fungicides, a single season of shedephah could plunge communities into famine, making it a potent covenant sanction. Metaphorical Expansion 2 Kings 19:26 extends the term from crops to armies. As Assyrian power withers before divine decree, political might is shown to be as fragile as rooftop grass. The metaphor invites readers to see every human endeavor—military, economic, or personal—as liable to sudden “scorching” apart from God’s favor (cf. James 1:11). Practical and Ministry Applications • Preachers may employ shedephah to illustrate spiritual drought caused by sin (Psalm 32:4). Christological and Eschatological Reflections The One who commanded winds and waves (Mark 4:39) also rules over shedephah. In the new creation the curse will be lifted, and “there shall no longer be any curse” (Revelation 22:3). Until then, temporal blight foreshadows final judgment for the unrepentant and purifying discipline for the redeemed (Hebrews 12:5-11). Related Old Testament Concepts • Mildew (חֵרָיוֹן) – often paired with shedephah as twin agricultural woes. Shedephah, though an agricultural term, reverberates through Scripture as a theological warning, a pastoral tool, and a promise that the God who consents to scorch can also restore “the years the locust has eaten” (Joel 2:25). Forms and Transliterations בַּשִּׁדָּפ֣וֹן בַּשִּׁדָּפ֤וֹן בשדפון וּבַשִּׁדָּפ֖וֹן וּשְׁדֵפָ֖ה ובשדפון ושדפה שִׁדָּפ֨וֹן שדפון baš·šid·dā·p̄ō·wn bashshiddaFon baššiddāp̄ōwn shiddaFon šid·dā·p̄ō·wn šiddāp̄ōwn ū·ḇaš·šid·dā·p̄ō·wn ū·šə·ḏê·p̄āh ūḇaššiddāp̄ōwn ūšəḏêp̄āh ushedeFah uvashshiddaFonLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Deuteronomy 28:22 HEB: וּבַֽחַרְחֻר֙ וּבַחֶ֔רֶב וּבַשִּׁדָּפ֖וֹן וּבַיֵּרָק֑וֹן וּרְדָפ֖וּךָ NAS: and with the sword and with blight and with mildew, KJV: and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; INT: fiery the sword blight mildew will pursue 1 Kings 8:37 2 Kings 19:26 2 Chronicles 6:28 Amos 4:9 Haggai 2:17 6 Occurrences |
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