Haggai links their losses to neglect of the LORD’s house: they looked for much but got little, and what they brought home “I blew away” Haggai 1:9. He says the heavens withheld dew and the earth its produce, and the LORD called for a drought because “my house lies in ruins” Haggai 1:10–11.
In Haggai 1:9–11 Yahweh explains why the community’s hoped-for harvest kept shrinking and why dryness spread across their work. They expected “much,” but it became “little,” and even what they gathered did not last. Yahweh ties this frustration to a mismatch in priorities: his house remained in ruins while everyone stayed occupied with personal housing. These verses conclude Haggai’s first message (1:1–11). Earlier, the prophet reports Yahweh’s charge that the people say it is “not time” to rebuild, even while they invest in their own homes (1:2–4). He then urges them to “consider” their situation: much effort, little satisfaction, and economic loss (1:5–6).
Haggai 1:9–11 explains a failed harvest and widespread dryness as more than bad luck. The text presents a clear cause-and-effect: the community expected “much” but received “little,” and even what was gathered did not hold (verse 9).
A careful answer keeps the immediate passage, the book's argument, and the whole-Bible storyline together, so the question is answered in context instead of as a detached idea.
Start with Haggai 1:9, then read the surrounding section so the answer stays connected to the passage's flow.
9"You looked for much, and, behold, it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?" says Yahweh of Hosts, "Because of my house that lies waste, while each of you is busy with his own house.