Haggai 2:4–5

Context

According to Haggai 2:1, this word came through the prophet Haggai on the twenty-first day of the seventh month in the second year of King Darius, usually dated to 520 BC. After Cyrus permitted the exiles to return from Babylon, they began rebuilding the temple, but the work then stood idle for a long time. Only after Haggai's exhortation did they resume construction (Haggai 1:14–15). Yet to those who remembered the former temple, the new one seemed as nothing (Haggai 2:3).

In that situation, these verses offer encouragement to three parties: Zerubbabel, governor of Judah; Joshua the high priest; and "all ye people of the land." The verses that follow (vv. 6–9) continue with the promise that the latter glory of this house will be greater than the former.

Interpretation

• Contextual reading: The Hebrew imperative rendered "be strong" means "take courage" and is repeated three times. Many commentators read this passage alongside other scenes in which the same expression appears: Moses' encouragement when commissioning Joshua (Deuteronomy 31:7) and David's encouragement when entrusting Solomon with building the temple (1 Chronicles 28:20). They therefore understand the passage as a charge that accompanies the assignment of a task. The basis of the encouragement is the promise of God's presence: "for I am with you."
• Covenant-continuity reading: Verse 5 declares that the covenant made at the Exodus remains in force even after the exile. Interpreters who emphasize the unity of the covenant read this passage as evidence that God's promises continue across the ruptures of history.
• Reading of "my spirit": In its Old Testament setting, the phrase is read as referring to God's presence among the people during the wilderness period (compare Isaiah 63:11–14). Many Christian interpreters connect it with the Holy Spirit, reading it together with the word given to Zerubbabel in the same period: "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts" (Zechariah 4:6).

Questions Concerning Application

• Textual issue: The opening of verse 5, "According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt," is syntactically awkward in Hebrew. This portion is reportedly absent from the Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation, and some scholars therefore regard it as a later addition. Most translations that follow the Hebrew Masoretic Text, however, render it as it stands. In Korean, the Korean Revised Version's rendering "나의 신" ("my spirit") was changed to "나의 영" in the New Korean Revised Version.
• Application to buildings: Opinions differ on whether this passage can be applied directly to the construction of church buildings today. Some argue that, because the New Testament applies the concept of the temple to the community of believers, the passage should be read more broadly as concerning the building up of the community rather than the construction of buildings. Others hold that it may be applied as encouragement for all labor in the work of God.

In the Korean Church

Because the Book of Haggai concerns the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem, it is often used as a sermon text at groundbreakings for church construction and at dedication services. Because of its promises "fear ye not" and "I am with you," this passage is also cited as a text of encouragement at the New Year or at the start of a new ministry.

Related Passages

• Zechariah 4:9–10
• 1 Chronicles 28:20
• Joshua 1:9
• Exodus 40:34–35
• 1 Corinthians 3:16–17