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Chapter 2

Assurance of God’s Presence. On the twenty-first day of the seventh month,[a] the word of the Lord came through Haggai the prophet: Speak to the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, and to the high priest Joshua, son of Jehozadak, and to the remnant of the people:

Who is left among you[b]
    who saw this house in its former glory?
And how do you see it now?
    Does it not seem like nothing in your eyes?(A)
Now be strong, Zerubbabel—oracle of the Lord
    be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, high priest,
Be strong, all you people of the land—oracle of the Lord
    and work! For I am with you—oracle of the Lord of hosts.
This is the commitment I made to you
    when you came out of Egypt.
My spirit remains in your midst;
    do not fear!

For thus says the Lord of hosts:[c]

In just a little while,
    I will shake the heavens and the earth,(B)
    the sea and the dry land.
I will shake all the nations,
    so that the treasures of all the nations will come in.
And I will fill this house with glory—
    says the Lord of hosts.(C)

Mine is the silver and mine the gold—oracle of the Lord of hosts.

Greater will be the glory of this house(D)
    the latter more than the former—says the Lord of hosts;
And in this place I will give you peace—[d]
    oracle of the Lord of hosts.

Priestly Ruling with Prophetic Interpretation.[e] 10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month in the second year[f] of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Haggai the prophet: 11 Thus says the Lord of hosts: Ask the priests for a ruling:[g] 12 If someone carries sanctified meat in the fold of a garment and the fold touches bread, soup, wine, oil, or any other food, do they become sanctified? “No,” the priests answered. 13 Then Haggai asked: “If a person defiled from contact with a corpse touches any of these, do they become defiled?” The priests answered, “They become defiled.”(E) 14 Then Haggai replied:

So is this people,[h] and so is this nation
    in my sight—oracle of the Lord
And so is all the work of their hands;
    what they offer there is defiled.

15 Now reflect,[i] from this day forward—before you set stone to stone in the temple of the Lord, 16 what was your experience?

When one went to a heap of grain for twenty ephahs,
    there were only ten;
When one went to a vat to draw fifty ephahs,[j]
    there were only twenty.(F)
17 I struck you, and all the work of your hands,
    with searing wind, blight, and hail,
    yet you did not return to me—oracle of the Lord.(G)

18 Reflect from this day forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month.[k] From the day on which the temple of the Lord was founded, reflect!

19 Is there still seed in the storehouse?
    Have the vine, the fig, the pomegranate,
    and the olive tree still not borne fruit?
From this day, I will bless you.[l]

Future Hope.[m] 20 The word of the Lord came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month:[n] 21 Speak to Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah:

I will shake the heavens and the earth;
22     I will overthrow the thrones of kingdoms,
    and destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations.
I will overthrow the chariots and their riders,
    and the riders with their horses
    will fall by each other’s swords.(H)

23 On that day—oracle of the Lord of hosts—I will take you, my servant, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel—oracle of the Lord—and I will make you like a signet ring,[o] for I have chosen you—oracle of the Lord of hosts.(I)

Footnotes

  1. 2:1 Twenty-first day of the seventh month: October 17, 520 B.C.
  2. 2:3 Who is left among you: i.e., who is old enough to have seen the first Temple prior to its destruction in 587 B.C.? Compare the reaction of priests who were alive then (Ezr 3:12–13).
  3. 2:6–9 These verses emphasize that the total fulfillment of God’s promises to Israel is on the horizon. Such an eschatological event, which will shake the nations (v. 6; cf. v. 21), finds an echo not only in the political revolts in the Persian empire in 521 but also in the formative events of Israel’s history (Ex 19:18; Jgs 5:4; Ps 68:8–9) when God intervened on behalf of the Israelites. The bringing of treasures of all the nations (v. 7) to Jerusalem recalls the visionary passages of Isaiah of the pilgrimage of all nations to Jerusalem (Is 2:2–4; 60:6–9).
  4. 2:9 Peace: after God’s presence or glory has returned to the Temple, Jerusalem will receive the treasures from the nations, making the Temple more glorious than ever; and from that place God will extend shalom, a peace which embraces prosperity, well-being, harmony.
  5. 2:10–14 A request for a priestly ruling (Heb. torah) is made in the form of a dialogue between Haggai and the priests. Explicit examples where such priestly rulings are quoted are rare in prophetic books. The interchange illustrates an essential role of the priesthood: the interpretation of God’s law (cf. Lv 10:9–11).
  6. 2:10 Twenty-fourth day of the ninth month in the second year: December 18, 520 B.C.
  7. 2:11 Ask the priests for a ruling: i.e., a determination on whether defilement and sanctity can be physically transmitted. The priests are expected to make a legal decision. The answer is that sanctity cannot be transmitted (v. 12) but defilement can (v. 13). Priestly duties are enumerated in Lv 10:10–20.
  8. 2:14 So is this people: the prophet’s interpretation is that the restored sacrifices were not acceptable because the people’s behavior was tainted.
  9. 2:15–19 This prophecy is retrospective and should be read with 1:5–11, a description of the conditions of economic deprivation before the rebuilding of the Temple.
  10. 2:16 Ephahs: see note on Is 5:10.
  11. 2:18 Twenty-fourth day of the ninth month: December 18, 520 B.C., the date of the refounding of the Temple (vv. 10, 20), the central date in Haggai.
  12. 2:19 I will bless you: from the day of the refounding of the Temple, agricultural plenty and fertility are assured. This link between temple and prosperity is part of the ancient Near Eastern temple ideology that underlies Haggai and Zec 1–8.
  13. 2:20–23 This final oracle of hope is uttered on the day of the refounding of the Temple. Unlike the other oracles it is addressed to Zerubbabel alone, who, as a Davidic descendant, will have a servant role in God’s future Israelite kingdom to be established when God intervenes to overthrow the nations.
  14. 2:20 Twenty-fourth day of the month: December 18, 520 B.C. (as in v. 18).
  15. 2:23 Like a signet ring: this promise to Zerubbabel reverses the punishment of his grandfather (Jer 22:23–25). A signet is a ring or other instrument used to mark documents or materials with the equivalent of an official signature. A lower official could thus be authorized to act on behalf of a higher official. Like a signet ring, Zerubbabel represents the Lord.

on the twenty-first day of the seventh month,(A) the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai:(B) “Speak to Zerubbabel(C) son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jozadak,[a](D) the high priest, and to the remnant(E) of the people. Ask them, ‘Who of you is left who saw this house(F) in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing?(G) But now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ declares the Lord. ‘Be strong,(H) Joshua son of Jozadak,(I) the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the Lord, ‘and work. For I am with(J) you,’ declares the Lord Almighty. ‘This is what I covenanted(K) with you when you came out of Egypt.(L) And my Spirit(M) remains among you. Do not fear.’(N)

“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while(O) I will once more shake the heavens and the earth,(P) the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and what is desired(Q) by all nations will come, and I will fill this house(R) with glory,(S)’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘The silver is mine and the gold(T) is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty. ‘The glory(U) of this present house(V) will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,(W)’ declares the Lord Almighty.”

Blessings for a Defiled People

10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month,(X) in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Haggai: 11 “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Ask the priests(Y) what the law says: 12 If someone carries consecrated meat(Z) in the fold of their garment, and that fold touches some bread or stew, some wine, olive oil or other food, does it become consecrated?(AA)’”

The priests answered, “No.”

13 Then Haggai said, “If a person defiled by contact with a dead body touches one of these things, does it become defiled?”

“Yes,” the priests replied, “it becomes defiled.(AB)

14 Then Haggai said, “‘So it is with this people(AC) and this nation in my sight,’ declares the Lord. ‘Whatever they do and whatever they offer(AD) there is defiled.

15 “‘Now give careful thought(AE) to this from this day on[b]—consider how things were before one stone was laid(AF) on another in the Lord’s temple.(AG) 16 When anyone came to a heap(AH) of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vat(AI) to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty.(AJ) 17 I struck all the work of your hands(AK) with blight,(AL) mildew and hail,(AM) yet you did not return(AN) to me,’ declares the Lord.(AO) 18 ‘From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought(AP) to the day when the foundation(AQ) of the Lord’s temple was laid. Give careful thought: 19 Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate(AR) and the olive tree have not borne fruit.(AS)

“‘From this day on I will bless(AT) you.’”

Zerubbabel the Lord’s Signet Ring

20 The word of the Lord came to Haggai(AU) a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month:(AV) 21 “Tell Zerubbabel(AW) governor of Judah that I am going to shake(AX) the heavens and the earth. 22 I will overturn(AY) royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms.(AZ) I will overthrow chariots(BA) and their drivers; horses and their riders(BB) will fall, each by the sword of his brother.(BC)

23 “‘On that day,(BD)’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘I will take you, my servant(BE) Zerubbabel(BF) son of Shealtiel,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will make you like my signet ring,(BG) for I have chosen you,’ declares the Lord Almighty.”

Footnotes

  1. Haggai 2:2 Hebrew Jehozadak, a variant of Jozadak; also in verse 4
  2. Haggai 2:15 Or to the days past