Haggai 2

This is the final chapter of Haggai. In Haggai 1 the people were rebuked and began work on the temple on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month. This chapter records three messages that Haggai received over the roughly two months that followed.

Outline

• Verses 1–9: The word comes on the twenty-first day of the seventh month. To those who had seen the glory of the former temple, the present one seems as nothing. God tells Zerubbabel, Joshua, and the people to be strong and work. He declares that the covenant He made with them when they came out of Egypt stands and that His Spirit remains among them, and He says that He will shake the heavens, the earth, and all nations. He promises that the treasures of all nations will come and that "the glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former."
• Verses 10–14: On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of King Darius, Haggai puts a question of the law to the priests. If the skirt of a garment carrying holy flesh touches other food, that food does not become holy. But if a person made unclean by a dead body touches it, the food becomes unclean. On the basis of this answer, Haggai declares that the people and what they offer are unclean.
• Verses 15–19: Before stone was laid upon stone in the temple, those who expected twenty measures found only ten, and those who expected fifty vessels found only twenty. From the day the foundation was laid, God promises to bless them.
• Verses 20–23: On the same day a message is given to Zerubbabel. God says that He will overthrow the thrones of kingdoms and that He has chosen Zerubbabel and will make him as a signet.

Key Verses

• Haggai 2:4 "Be strong... and work: for I am with you": the heart of the encouragement given to a disheartened community.
• Haggai 2:9 "The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former": a promise given concerning the humble rebuilt temple.
• Haggai 2:23 "Will make thee as a signet": notable as a promise given to a descendant of the house of David.

People and Places

• Haggai: The prophet who urged the rebuilding of the temple after the return from exile.
• Zerubbabel: The son of Shealtiel and governor of Judah.
• Joshua: The son of Josedech and high priest after the return from exile. He is not to be confused with Joshua, the successor of Moses.
• King Darius: The Persian king whose reign provides the reference point for the dates in this chapter.
• Temple in Jerusalem: The temple being rebuilt in this chapter.
• Egypt: Mentioned in the passage recalling the covenant made at the Exodus.

Points for Reflection

• The twenty-first day of the seventh month in verse 1 is understood to fall during the Feast of Tabernacles.
• The phrase rendered "the treasures of all nations" in verse 7 appears in the Latin Vulgate and the King James tradition as "the desire of all nations." That tradition has read the verse as a prophecy of the Messiah. Another interpretation, also widely accepted on the basis of Hebrew grammar, takes the verse to mean that the wealth of the nations will be gathered into the temple.
• "This people" in verse 14 is generally understood as the people of Judah themselves. Some scholars, however, take it to refer to another group that sought to take part in rebuilding the temple.
• The "signet" of verse 23 stands in contrast to Jeremiah 22:24, where the Lord says that even if Jehoiachin (Coniah) were the signet upon His right hand, He would pluck him off. Zerubbabel's name appears in the genealogies of Jesus in Matthew 1:12 and Luke 3:27.
• Verse 6 is quoted in Hebrews 12:26, where it leads into an exhortation concerning the kingdom that cannot be moved.

In Korean Churches

Haggai 2:9 and 2:8, "The silver is mine, and the gold is mine," are frequently cited in sermons related to church building projects and dedications. Haggai 2:4–5 is used as a passage of encouragement at the start of a new year or a new ministry.