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.

HAGGAI 1:6KJV
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Haggai 1:6 (KJV)

What does Haggai 1:6 mean?

Haggai 1:6 describes how the people have worked hard—planting, eating, drinking, and earning wages—but they never seem to have enough; their efforts do not satisfy their needs, and what they earn seems to disappear. The verse uses vivid images to show that despite all their activity, they are left unfulfilled and lacking.

The prophet Haggai is speaking to the returned exiles in Jerusalem, calling out the frustrating results of their labor. The people have been focused on their own needs while neglecting the rebuilding of God’s temple, and Haggai points out that their lack is not just bad luck but a sign that something is wrong in their priorities.

The Hebrew behind Haggai 1:6

  • The word for “sown” (זָרַע, zara‘, H2232) means to scatter seed, highlighting the people’s hard work and expectation of a good harvest.
  • “Bring in” (בּוֹא, bo’, H935) is a general word for “to come” or “to bring,” but here it emphasizes the disappointing results compared to their effort.
  • “Wages” (שָׂכָר, sakhar, H7936) appears twice, stressing that even the money they earn does not last, as if it is put into a “bag with holes” (צְרוֹר, tseror, H6872 + נָקַב, naqav, H5344), a striking image for futility and loss.
  • “Enough” (שָׂבֵעַ, savea‘, H7654) and “filled with drink” (רְוָיָה, revayah, H7937) both carry the sense of being satisfied or full, underlining that no matter how much they consume, they remain unsatisfied.

Why Haggai 1:6 matters

  • Haggai 1:6 clears up the idea that hard work alone guarantees success; the verse shows that something deeper is at play when efforts do not meet needs.
  • The verse emphasizes that the people’s struggles are not random but connected to their neglect of the temple, tying their physical lack to a spiritual issue.
  • This verse sets up the main message of Haggai: the need to put God’s priorities first, which is developed in the verses that follow.

Where else these words appear

“enough” Hebrew H7654 · used in 6 verses

  • Isaiah 23:18 And her merchandise and her hire shall be holiness to the LORD: it shall not be treasured nor laid up; for her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before the LORD, to eat sufficiently, and for durable clothing.
  • Isaiah 55:2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.
  • Ezekiel 16:28 Thou hast played the whore also with the Assyrians, because thou wast unsatiable; yea, thou hast played the harlot with them, and yet couldest not be satisfied.

“bag” Hebrew H6872 · used in 10 verses

  • Genesis 42:35 And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man's bundle of money was in his sack: and when both they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid.
  • 2 Samuel 17:13 Moreover, if he be gotten into a city, then shall all Israel bring ropes to that city, and we will draw it into the river, until there be not one small stone found there.
  • Proverbs 26:8 As he that bindeth a stone in a sling, so is he that giveth honour to a fool.

“warm” Hebrew H2527 · used in 13 verses

  • Genesis 8:22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
  • 1 Samuel 21:6 So the priest gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there but the shewbread, that was taken from before the LORD, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.
  • Job 24:19 Drought and heat consume the snow waters: so doth the grave those which have sinned.

“wages” Hebrew H7936 · used in 18 verses

  • Genesis 30:16 And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must come in unto me; for surely I have hired thee with my son's mandrakes. And he lay with her that night.
  • 2 Samuel 10:6 And when the children of Ammon saw that they stank before David, the children of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Bethrehob, and the Syrians of Zoba, twenty thousand footmen, and of king Maacah a thousand men, and of Ishtob twelve thousand men.
  • Ezra 4:5 And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.