Blight, in the context of the Bible, refers to a destructive force that causes plants to wither and die, often seen as a form of divine judgment or a natural calamity. The term is used to describe various afflictions that affect crops, leading to famine and hardship. In the agrarian society of ancient Israel, blight was a significant concern, as it directly impacted food supply and survival.

Biblical References:

1. Deuteronomy 28:22 : "The LORD will strike you with wasting disease, with fever and inflammation, with scorching heat and drought, with blight and mildew, which will plague you until you perish." In this passage, blight is listed among the curses that would befall the Israelites if they disobeyed God's commandments. It is depicted as a divine punishment that would lead to the destruction of crops and subsequent suffering.

2. 1 Kings 8:37 : "When famine or plague comes to the land, or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers, or when an enemy besieges them in their cities, whatever disaster or disease may come." Here, blight is mentioned in Solomon's prayer at the dedication of the temple. It is included among various calamities that could strike the land, prompting the people to seek God's mercy and intervention.

3. Haggai 2:17 : "I struck you—all the work of your hands—with blight, mildew, and hail, but you did not turn to Me, declares the LORD." In this verse, the prophet Haggai conveys God's message to the people, reminding them of the blight and other afflictions sent as a consequence of their disobedience and urging them to return to Him.

Theological Significance:

Blight, as a form of divine judgment, serves as a reminder of the covenant relationship between God and His people. It underscores the importance of obedience to God's laws and the consequences of turning away from Him. The presence of blight in the biblical narrative highlights the dependence of humanity on God's provision and the need for repentance and faithfulness.

Agricultural Context:

In the ancient Near East, agriculture was the backbone of society, and any threat to crops was a threat to survival. Blight, along with other natural disasters like drought and locusts, could devastate a community. The biblical references to blight reflect the reality of these challenges and the belief that such events were under God's control.

Symbolic Interpretation:

Beyond its literal meaning, blight can also be seen as a symbol of spiritual decay and the consequences of sin. Just as blight destroys crops, sin can corrupt and destroy the spiritual life of individuals and communities. The call to repentance in the face of blight serves as a metaphor for the need to address spiritual failings and seek restoration through God's grace.

In summary, blight in the Bible is both a literal and symbolic representation of the consequences of disobedience and the need for reliance on God. It serves as a powerful reminder of the covenant relationship and the call to faithfulness.1. (v. t.) To affect with blight; to blast; to prevent the growth and fertility of.

2. (v. t.) Hence: To destroy the happiness of; to ruin; to mar essentially; to frustrate; as, to blight one's prospects.

3. (v. i.) To be affected by blight; to blast; as, this vine never blights.

4. (n.) Mildew; decay; anything nipping or blasting; -- applied as a general name to various injuries or diseases of plants, causing the whole or a part to wither, whether occasioned by insects, fungi, or atmospheric influences.

5. (n.) The act of blighting, or the state of being blighted; a withering or mildewing, or a stoppage of growth in the whole or a part of a plant, etc.

6. (n.) That which frustrates one's plans or withers one's hopes; that which impairs or destroys.

7. (n.) A downy species of aphis, or plant louse, destructive to fruit trees, infesting both the roots and branches; -- also applied to several other injurious insects.

8. (n.) A rashlike eruption on the human skin.

299. amomos -- amomum (a fragrant plant of India)
... 299 (an adjective, derived from 1 "not" and 3470 , "blemish") -- properly, unblemished,
without spot or blot (blight); (figuratively) morally, spiritually ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/299.htm - 7k7711b. shiddaphon -- blight (of crops)
... 7711a, 7711b. shiddaphon. 7712 . blight (of crops). Transliteration:
shiddaphon Short Definition: blight. Word Origin from shadaph ...
/hebrew/7711b.htm - 5k

7710. shadaph -- to scorch, blight
... 7709, 7710. shadaph. 7711 . to scorch, blight. Transliteration: shadaph Phonetic
Spelling: (shaw-daf') Short Definition: scorched. Word Origin a prim. ...
/hebrew/7710.htm - 5k

7711. shdephah -- blighted or blasted thing
... blasted Or shiddaphown {shid-daw-fone'}; from shadaph; blight -- blasted(-ing).
see HEBREW shadaph. 7710, 7711. shdephah. 7711a . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/7711.htm - 5k

The Barren Fig-Tree
... Not in the dusk of that evening as they returned, but when they passed by again
in the morning the blight was manifest, the tree was withered from its very ...
/.../chadwick/the gospel of st mark/chapter 11 12-14 20-25 the barren.htm

Letter cclxxii. To Sophronius the Magister Officiorum.
... ills. Peradventure, just as mildew is a blight which grows in corn, so flattery
stealing upon friendship is a blight of friendship. ...
/.../basil/basil letters and select works/letter cclxxii to sophronius the.htm

Things Perishing and Things Stable
... mighty structures, man feels his own pettiness, shivering in the wind, or seeking
a shadow from the sun, and thinking how even this breeze may blight or this ...
/.../chadwick/the gospel of st mark/chapter 13 1-7 things perishing and.htm

Noah's Flood
... some god, they knew not how; always afraid of some god turning against them, and
bringing diseases against their bodies; floods, drought, blight against their ...
/.../kingsley/the gospel of the pentateuch/sermon iv noahs flood.htm

Infancy.
... can bestow. They live like the tender bud or the opening blossom, exposed
to the blight of a thousand fortuitous events. Hence their ...
//christianbookshelf.org/philips/the christian home/chapter ix infancy.htm

The Cedars of Lebanon.
... hundred years. No rational person now believes that witches can blight
crops or cattle, or that evil spirits cause storms. No one ...
/.../kingsley/westminster sermons/sermon xvi the cedars of.htm

A Last Look-Out
... To feel the hand of death arrest one's steps,. Throw a chill blight on all one's
budding hopes,. And hurl one's soul untimely to the shades.". ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 17 1871/a last look-out.htm

God's World
... They believed that the Devil and evil spirits had power to raise thunderstorms,
and blight crops, and change that course of nature of which the Psalmist had ...
/.../kingsley/discipline and other sermons/sermon x gods world.htm

Andromeda
... Awed by her own rash words she was still: and her eyes to the seaward Looked for
an answer of wrath: far off, in the heart of the darkness, Blight white mists ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/andromeda and other poems/andromeda.htm

The Night Darkened Steadily Down Over London, -- a Chill Dreary ...
... But if unjust judgment, intolerance, cruelty and fanaticism, should again be allowed,
as once before in history, to blot its fairness and blight its reputation ...
/.../corelli/the master-christian/xxxix the night darkened steadily.htm

Blight (5 Occurrences)
... 1. (vt) To affect with blight; to blast; to prevent the growth and fertility of. ...
3. (vi) To be affected by blight; to blast; as, this vine never blights. ...
/b/blight.htm - 9k

Mildew (26 Occurrences)
... The root-meaning is "greenish yellow"; compare the Arabic yarqan, meaning both
"jaundice" and "blight." Mildrew or "rust" in grain is due to a special fungus ...
/m/mildew.htm - 16k

Grasshopper (12 Occurrences)
... 1 Kings 8:37 "If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence, if there is
blight, mildew, locust or caterpillar; if their enemy besieges them in the ...
/g/grasshopper.htm - 12k

Grasshoppers (11 Occurrences)
... 1 Kings 8:37 "If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence, if there is
blight, mildew, locust or caterpillar; if their enemy besieges them in the ...
/g/grasshoppers.htm - 10k

Blast (28 Occurrences)
... one breath. 5. (n.) A sudden, pernicious effect, as if by a noxious wind,
especially on animals and plants; a blight. 6. (n.) The ...
/b/blast.htm - 20k

Besiege (17 Occurrences)
... 1 Kings 8:37 "If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence, if there is
blight, mildew, locust or caterpillar; if their enemy besieges them in the ...
/b/besiege.htm - 12k

Caterpillar (6 Occurrences)
... 1 Kings 8:37 "If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence, if there is
blight, mildew, locust or caterpillar; if their enemy besieges them in the ...
/c/caterpillar.htm - 10k

Pestilence (57 Occurrences)
... 1 Kings 8:37 "If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence, if there is
blight, mildew, locust or caterpillar; if their enemy besieges them in the ...
/p/pestilence.htm - 31k

Locust (25 Occurrences)
... 1 Kings 8:37 "If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence, if there is
blight, mildew, locust or caterpillar; if their enemy besieges them in the ...
/l/locust.htm - 34k

Sickness (40 Occurrences)
... 1 Kings 8:37 "If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence, if there is
blight, mildew, locust or caterpillar; if their enemy besieges them in the ...
/s/sickness.htm - 29k

Blight: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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