Thou shalt cast much seed into the ground, and gather little: because the locusts shall consume all.

Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather little in; for the locust shall devour it.

Thou shalt carry much seed into the field, and shalt gather but little: for the locust shall consume it.

'Much seed thou dost take out into the field, and little thou dost gather in, for the locust doth consume it;

You will take much seed out into the field, and get little in; for the locust will get it.

You will sow much seed upon the ground, but you will harvest little. For the locusts will devour everything.

Semen multum educes ad agrum, et parum colliges: quia absumet illud locusta.

Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field. He again makes mention of the scarcity of wine, of wheat, and all sorts of corn; but He assigns different causes for it. He proclaims that the harvest shall be scanty, notwithstanding an abundant sowing, because the locust shall consume the seed; that the vintage shall be poor, nay, almost nothing, because the worms shall devour the bunches; that the oil produced should be little, because the olives should wither on the trees and fall of themselves. Thus He admonishes them that He has at hand innumerable ministers (satellites) wherewith to destroy by famine the transgressors of His Law. Thus, whenever we see beetles, and locusts, and other insects attacking the fruits, we should remember that God, as it were, puts forth His arm to take away the food which He had given: thus Joel reminds us, that when the locust eats that which the palmer-worm hath left, and another insect that which the locust hath left, the curse of God is sufficiently conspicuous. (Joel 1:4.) Philosophers discover the reason why more of these little creatures are generated in one year than another; but we must remember the teaching of Moses, that they never trouble us except by God's command. For if we were submissive to God, as we ought to be, such a prodigy would never happen as that vile and filthy insects should devour the fruits of the earth which He Himself has provided for the sustenance of His children.

Thou shall carry much seed into the field,.... And sow it plentifully; this and what is said in some following verses plainly refer to them while in their own land, before carried captive, and not to their present case and circumstances:
and shall gather but little in at harvest; little springing up, or not coming to perfection, being blighted and blasted, and so yielded but a small crop; see Haggai 1:9; and chiefly for the following reason:
for the locust shall consume it; which is a great destroyer of the fruits of the earth; see Joel 1:4.