A sweeping divine decree of extreme drought falls upon the land, striking every aspect of agricultural and economic life. This total loss of prosperity is a direct response to the people's improper actions, bringing a harsh curse upon nature, animals, and human health [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This is not a standard weather pattern of withheld rain, but a direct command from God [מלבי״ם]. He summons a severe dryness that turns the earth as hard as copper, stripping all moisture from the air above and the groundwater below [אבן עזרא, רד״ק]. There is a deep thematic connection in this punishment: the profound dryness mirrors the ruined, desolate state of God's own Temple [אבן עזרא].
The curse spreads rapidly across the landscape. It reaches the mountains, withering the fruit trees and healthy grasses that grow there [אבן עזרא, רד״ק]. The devastation then targets the three primary staples of human survival [רד״ק]: grain, grapes for wine, and olives for oil [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Eventually, the ruin consumes all plant life. The primary approach among commentators is that the intense dryness simply causes the crops to wither and spoil [מצודת דוד]. However, an alternative perspective suggests that even if the earth somehow manages to yield a harvest, a lingering curse will infect the produce itself [מלבי״ם].
The devastation does not stop at the fields; it directly attacks humans and animals, damaging their health, general well-being, and livestock [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Commentators agree that the unnaturally dry air breeds severe illnesses, physically harming both people and beasts. Finally, the decree dooms all human labor and business ventures. People will invest their energy only to toil in vain, facing absolute failure in every craft [מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם]. Even desperate human attempts to outsmart the drought are destined to fail. Any effort to artificially water the fields from local wells will be completely useless, as the harsh, dry air will instantly absorb any drop of moisture before it can nourish the soil [אבן עזרא, רד״ק].