יֵרָקוֹן (ye.ra.qon)
ye.ra.qon
mildew
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 6 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun yerāqōn refers to a visible sign of decay or sickness, primarily translated as "mildew" or "rust." It describes the grayish-white mold that attacks crops like grain and vegetables, turning them useless. The word also captures the physical appearance of this damage: a pale, sickly color that suggests life draining away from what was once healthy.
This term appears six times in the Old Testament, mostly in prophetic and historical books such as Jeremiah, 2 Chronicles, and 1 Kings. In these contexts, it is often listed alongside other agricultural disasters like locusts or blight. These passages frame yerāqōn not just as a farming problem, but as a tangible consequence of broken covenant relationships, where the land itself suffers when the people turn away from God.
The lexical data links this word to the root for "green" or "yellow," highlighting the visual shift from vitality to decay. Translators typically render it as mildew or rust, emphasizing its role as a divine warning. The imagery is concrete: a crop that looks healthy at first glance but is being consumed by a pale, silent rot from within.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word yerāqōn describes a quiet, creeping decay that turns healthy crops pale and useless. In the ancient world, this mildew was not just an agricultural nuisance; it was a visible sign of spiritual distance. When the land suffered from blight and rust, it reflected a deeper rupture in the relationship between God and His people. The imagery is stark: something that should be vibrant with life becomes gray and hollow from the inside out.
For your faith today, this word offers a gentle warning about the slow drift of neglect. It reminds us that spiritual vitality requires attention. Just as crops need care to avoid decay, our hearts need regular connection with God to remain alive and fruitful. This is not a message of fear, but an invitation to check in on your spiritual health before small issues become major burdens.
God’s response to this decay was always corrective, not destructive. He used these signs to draw His people back to Himself. You can find hope in knowing that God notices when things are fading and wants to restore them. This word points to a God who cares about the details of your life and desires to see you thrive, not wither.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 6 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- and/ with <the>/ mildew3×
- mildew1×
- into/ paleness1×
- and/ mildew1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- לְ/יֵרָקֽוֹן\׃1×
- יֵרָק֜וֹן1×
- וּ/בַ/יֵּרָקוֹן֒1×
- וּ/בַ/יֵּרָק֑וֹן1×
- וּ/בַ/יֵּֽרָקוֹן֙1×
- וְ/יֵרָק֜וֹן1×
Key Verses
-
Amos 4:9
“I struck you with blight and mildew many times in your gardens and your vineyards, and the swarming locusts have devoured your fig trees and your olive trees; yet you haven’t returned to me,” says Yahweh.
This verse highlights the purpose behind the mildew: it was a repeated call for repentance that went largely unanswered by the people.
-
Haggai 2:17
I struck you with blight, mildew, and hail in all the work of your hands; yet you didn’t turn to me,’ says Yahweh.
Here, the mildew is linked to the people's neglect of God's house, showing how spiritual priorities affect physical outcomes.
-
Deuteronomy 28:22
Yahweh will strike you with consumption, with fever, with inflammation, with fiery heat, with the sword, with blight, and with mildew. They will pursue you until you perish.
This passage places mildew among other severe judgments, illustrating the comprehensive nature of covenant consequences.