Lexical Summary
yegia: Labor, toil, effort, work
Original Word: יָגיּעַ
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: ygiya`
Pronunciation: yeh-GHEE-ah
Phonetic Spelling: (yeg-ee'-ah)
KJV: labour, work
NASB: labor, labors, fruit, possessions, produce, product of his labor, product of their labor
Word Origin: [from H3021 (יָגַע - weary)]
1. toil
2. (hence) a work, produce, property (as the result of labor)
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
yagaDefinitiontoil, product
NASB Translationfruit (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
] ; — construct
Genesis 31:42 5t.; suffix
Deuteronomy 28:33;
Job 39:11;
Ezekiel 23:29;
Psalm 109:11;
Nehemiah 5:13;
Job 39:16;
Jeremiah 20:5 Isaiah 55:2;
Psalm 78:46; plural suffix
Hosea 12:9 (but Che); —
toil, Genesis 31:42 (E; "" ), Job 39:11 ( = husbandry), laying of eggs Job 39:16.
, product, produce, acquired property; Hosea 12:9 ("" , on text see above), Deuteronomy 28:33 ("" ), Psalm 78:46 ("" ); Psalm 128:2, Haggai 1:11 ("" , , , , , ); Nehemiah 5:13 ("" ), Psalm 109:11 ("" ), Isaiah 45:14 (, "" ), Isaiah 55:2 ("" ), Jeremiah 3:24 ("" , , ), Jeremiah 20:5 ("" , , of city), Ezekiel 23:29; of Job as product of God's hands ( ) 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.
2. Stewardship and generosity: Because labor’s yield is God‐given, it must be offered back to Him through generosity and kingdom priorities (Proverbs 3:9).
3. Social ethics: Churches must advocate for fair treatment of workers, echoing Nehemiah’s reforms and the prophetic condemnation of exploitation.
4. Sabbath rest: By revealing the futility of toil that seeks ultimate satisfaction in itself, the passages press believers toward the rhythm of rest that confesses dependence on divine provision.
5. Eschatological hope: Persistent frustration in work can be answered with the promise that God will one day vindicate righteous labor and incorporate its fruits into the new creation.
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 yegiO
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