Haggai 2 (NET)

The Glory to Come

1 On the twenty-first day of the seventh month,1 the Lord spoke again through the prophet Haggai:2 2 “Ask the following questions to3 Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak,4 and the remnant of the people: 3 ‘Who among you survivors saw the former splendor of this temple?5 How does it look to you now? Isn’t it nothing by comparison? 4 Even so, take heart, Zerubbabel,’ says the Lord. ‘Take heart, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and6 all you citizens of the land,’7 says the Lord, ‘and begin to work. For I am with you,’ says the Lord who rules over all. 5 ‘Do not fear, because I made a promise to your ancestors when they left Egypt, and my spirit8 even now testifies to you.’9 6 Moreover, the Lord who rules over all says: ‘In just a little while10 I will once again shake the sky11 and the earth, the sea and the dry ground. 7 I will also shake up all the nations, and they12 will offer their treasures;13 then I will fill this temple with glory,’ says the Lord who rules over all. 8 ‘The silver and gold will be mine,’ says the Lord who rules over all. 9 ‘The future splendor of this temple will be greater than that of former times,’14 the Lord who rules over all declares, ‘and in this place I will give peace.’”15

The Promised Blessing

10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month of Darius’ second year,16 the Lord spoke again to the prophet Haggai:17 11 “The Lord who rules over all says, ‘Ask the priests about the law.18 12 If someone carries holy meat in a fold of his garment and that fold touches bread, a boiled dish, wine, olive oil, or any other food, will that item become holy?’”19 The priests answered, “It will not.” 13 Then Haggai asked, “If a person who is ritually unclean because of touching a dead body20 comes in contact with one of these items, will it become unclean?” The priests answered, “It will be unclean.”

14 Then Haggai responded, “‘The people of this nation are unclean in my sight,’21 says the Lord. ‘And so is all their effort; everything they offer is also unclean.22 15 Now therefore reflect carefully on the recent past,23 before one stone was laid on another in the Lord’s temple.24 16 From that time25 when one came expecting a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten; when one came to the wine vat to draw out fifty measures from it, there were only twenty. 17 I struck all the products of your labor26 with blight, disease, and hail, and yet you brought nothing to me,’27 says the Lord. 18 ‘Think carefully about the past:28 from today, the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month,29 to the day work on the temple of the Lord was resumed,30 think about it.31 19 The seed is still in the storehouse, isn’t it? And the vine, fig tree, pomegranate, and olive tree have not produced. Nevertheless, from today on I will bless you.’”

Zerubbabel the Chosen One

20 Then the Lord spoke again to Haggai32 on the twenty-fourth day of the month:33 21 Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah: ‘I am ready34 to shake the sky35 and the earth. 22 I will overthrow royal thrones and shatter the might of earthly kingdoms.36 I will overthrow chariots and those who ride them, and horses and their riders will fall as people kill one another.37 23 On that day,’38 says the Lord who rules over all, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant,’39 says the Lord, ‘and I will make you like a signet ring,40 for I have chosen you,’ says the Lord who rules over all.”41

12:1tn Heb “In the seventh [month], on the twenty-first day of the month.”sn The seventh month was the month Tishri, according to the modern (Julian) calendar October 17, 520 b.c. The twenty-first day of Tishri marked the seventh day of the Feast of Tabernacles (Num 29:32-34). It also coincided with the date 440 years earlier (960 b.c.) when Solomon finished building his temple (1 Kgs 6:38; 8:2). 22:1tc Heb “the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, saying.” The MT has בְּיַד (bÿyad, “by the hand of” = “through” [so NAB, NIV, NLT] as in 1:1, 3); the Murabba’at Dead Sea text reads אֶל (’el, “to”), perhaps because the following command is given to the prophet. 32:2tn Heb “say to”; NAB “Tell this to.” 42:2tn Many English versions have “Joshua (the) son of Jehozadak the high priest,” but this is subject to misunderstanding. See the note on the name “Jehozadak” at the end of v. 1. 52:3tn Heb “this house in its earlier splendor”; NAB, NIV, NRSV “in its former glory.”sn Solomon’s temple was demolished in 586 b.c., 66 years prior to Haggai’s time. There surely would have been some older people who remembered the former splendor of that magnificent structure and who lamented the contrast to the small, unimpressive temple they were building (see Ezra 3:8-13). 62:4tn Heb “and take heart.” Although emphatic, the repetition of the verb is redundant in contemporary English style and has been left untranslated. 72:4tn Heb “the people of the land” (עַם הָאָרֶץ, ’am ha’arets); this is a technical term referring to free citizens as opposed to slaves. 82:5sn My spirit. It is theologically anachronistic to understand “spirit” here in the NT sense as a reference to the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity; nevertheless during this postexilic period the conceptual groundwork was being laid for the doctrine of the Holy Spirit later revealed in the NT. 92:5tc The MT of v. 5 reads “with the word which I cut with you when you went out from Egypt and my spirit [which] stands in your midst, do not fear.” BHS proposes emending “with the word” to זֹאת הַבְּרִית (zo’t habbÿrit, “this is the covenant”) at the beginning of the verse. The proposed emendation makes excellent sense and is expected with the verb כָּרַת (karat, “cut” or “make” a covenant), but it has no textual support. Most English versions (including the present translation) therefore follow the MT here. 102:6tc The difficult MT reading עוֹד אַחַת מְעַט הִיא (’od ’akhat mÿ’at hi’, “yet once, it is little”; cf. NAB “One moment yet, a little while”) appears as “yet once” in the LXX, omitting the last two Hebrew words. However, the point being made is that the anticipated action is imminent; thus the repetition provides emphasis. 112:6tn Or “the heavens.” The same Hebrew word, שָׁמַיִם (shamayim), may be translated “sky” or “heavens” depending on the context. Although many English versions translate the term as “heavens” here, the other three elements present in this context (earth, sea, dry ground) suggest “sky” is in view. 122:7tn Heb “all the nations.” 132:7tn Though the subject here is singular (חֶמְדַּה, khemdah; “desire”), the preceding plural predicate mandates a collective subject, “desired (things)” or, better, an emendation to a plural form, חֲמֻדֹת (khamudot, “desirable [things],” hence “treasures”). Cf. ASV “the precious things”; NASB “the wealth”; NRSV “the treasure.” In the OT context this has no direct reference to the coming of the Messiah. 142:9tn Heb “greater will be the latter splendor of this house than the former”; NAB “greater will be the future glory.” 152:9tn In the Hebrew text there is an implicit play on words in the clause “in this place [i.e., Jerusalem] I will give peace”: in יְרוּשָׁלַיִם (yÿrushalayim) there will be שָׁלוֹם (shalom). 162:10sn The twenty-fourth day of the ninth month of Darius’ second year was Kislev 24 or December 18, 520 b.c. 172:10tn Heb “the word of the Lord came to Haggai the prophet, saying.” This Hebrew expression is slightly different from the one in 1:1, 3; 2:1. 182:11tn Heb “Ask the priests a torah, saying”; KJV “concerning the law”; NAB “for a decision”; NCV “for a teaching”; NRSV “for a ruling.” 192:12sn This is probably not an appeal to the Torah (i.e., the Pentateuch) as such but to a priestly ruling (known in postbiblical Judaism as a pÿsaq din). There is, however, a Mosaic law that provides the basis for the priestly ruling (Lev 6:27). 202:13tn Heb “unclean of a person,” a euphemism for “unclean because of a dead person”; see Lev 21:11; Num 6:6. Cf. NAB “unclean from contact with a corpse.” 212:14tn Heb “so this people, and so this nation before me.” In this context “people” and “nation” refer to the same set of individuals; the repetition is emphatic. Cf. CEV “this entire nation.” 222:14sn The point here is that the Jews cannot be made holy by unholy fellowship with their pagan neighbors; instead, they and their worship will become corrupted by such associations. 232:15tn Heb “and now set your heart from this day and upward.” The juxtaposition of מָעְלָה (ma’lah, “upward”) with the following מִטֶּרֶם (mitterem, “before”) demands a look to the past. Cf. ASV “consider from this day and backward.” 242:15sn Before one stone was laid on another in the Lord’s temple is best taken as referring to the laying of the present temple’s foundation, sixteen years earlier (536 b.c.; see Ezra 3:8). Cf. NCV “before you started laying stones”; TEV “before you started to rebuild”; NLT “before you began to lay (started laying CEV) the foundation.” 252:16tn Heb “from their being,” idiomatic for “from the time they were then,” or “since the time.” Cf. KJV “Since those days were.” 262:17tn Heb “you, all the work of your hands”; NRSV “you and all the products of your toil”; NIV “all the work of your hands.” 272:17tn Heb “and there was not with you.” The context favors the idea that the harvests were so poor that the people took care of only themselves, leaving no offering for the Lord. Cf. KJV and many English versions “yet ye turned not to me,” understanding the phrase to refer to the people’s repentance rather than their failure to bring offerings. 282:18tn Heb “set your heart.” A similar expression occurs in v. 15. 292:18sn The twenty-fourth day of the ninth month was Kislev 24 or December 18, 520. See v. 10. Here the reference is to “today,” the day the oracle is being delivered. 302:18sn The day work…was resumed. This does not refer to the initial founding of the Jerusalem temple in 536 b.c. but to the renewal of construction three months earlier (see 1:15). This is clear from the situation described in v. 19 which accords with the food scarcities of that time already detailed in Hag 1:10-11. 312:18tn Heb “set your heart.” A similar expression occurs in v. 15 and at the beginning of this verse. 322:20tn Heb “and the word of the Lord came a second time to Haggai.” This Hebrew expression is like the one in 2:10 and is slightly different from the one in 1:1, 3; 2:1. 332:20sn Again, the twenty-fourth day of the month was Kislev 24 or December 18, 520 b.c. See v. 10. 342:21tn The participle here suggests an imminent undertaking of action (cf. NRSV, TEV, NLT “I am about to”). The overall language of the passage is eschatological, but eschatology finds its roots in the present. 352:21tn See the note on the word “sky” in 2:6. Most English translations render the Hebrew term as “heavens” here. 362:22tn Heb “the kingdoms of the nations.” Cf. KJV “the kingdoms of the heathen”; NIV, NLT “foreign kingdoms.” 372:22tn Heb “and horses and their riders will go down, a man with a sword his brother”; KJV “every one by the sword of his brother.” 382:23sn The expression on that day appears as a technical eschatological term in a number of other OT passages (cf., e.g., Isa 2:11, 17, 20; 3:7, 18; Amos 8:3, 9; Hos 2:18, 21). 392:23sn My servant. The collocation of “servant” and “chosen” bears strong messianic overtones. See the so-called “Servant Songs” and other messianic texts in Isaiah (Isa 41:8; 42:1; 44:4; 49:7). 402:23sn The noun signet ring, used also to describe Jehoiachin (Jer 22:24-30), refers to a ring seal worn by a king or other important person and used as his signature. Zerubbabel was a grandson of King Jehoiachin (1 Chr 3:17-19; Matt 1:12); God once pronounced that none of Jehoiachin’s immediate descendants would rule (Jer 22:24-30), but here he reverses that judgment. Zerubbabel never ascended to such a lofty position of rulership; he is rather a prototype of the Messiah who would sit on David’s throne. 412:23tn The repetition of the formula “says the Lord who rules over all” in v. 23 emphasizes the solemn and divine nature of the promise.