Haggai 2:17

The Lord had used hot winds, mildew, and hail to smite the people and what they had planted, but they still did not repent (cf. Amos 4:9). Hot winds posed problems for crops because of the dry heat, and mildew created other problems because of excessive moisture. Perhaps these conditions are a merism describing polar opposites that together mean all types of weather-related problems. [Note: Taylor, p. 185.] Hail, one of the plagues on Egypt (Exodus 9:13-35), caused severe damage to unprotected crops.