Shedephah (H7711) refers to the blasting or scorching of grain crops — the agricultural disaster of blight that withers the harvest. It typically appears alongside yeraqqon (mildew/yellowing) as paired curses on covenant breakers.
Deuteronomy 28:22 lists blight (shiddaphon) among the covenant curses for disobedience. Haggai 2:17 records that God struck His people with blight to call them back — but they did not return to Him. Blight is thus a divine attention-getter, a lesser judgment meant to prompt repentance before greater judgment falls. The reversal comes when the covenant is renewed and the curse lifted (Deuteronomy 30).