Old Testament Commentary - Haggai 1

by Don R. Hender

Haggai is the prophet of the return of the remnant of the Jews to Jerusalem from out of their 70 year of captivity. It had been 70 years that the Jews had been in captivity and as Jeremiah had prophesied, the King of Babylon had fallen. Darius was now king and the Lord would touch his heart and influence him to allow the Jews to return to their homeland to build their temple unto their God.

Scriptural Text [& Editorial] Commentary & Explanation Footnotes ~ References ~ JST

           CHAPTER 1
Haggai exhorts the people to build the temple.
The LORD, through Haggai, sets forth that it is time to return to Jerusalem out of Babylon and rebuild the temple. Y@howshuwa` ~ Jehovah Deliver
The Son
Y@howtsadaq ~ Jehovah Righteous
Joshua the son of Josedech

1 In ^athe second year of Darius the king, in the sixth ^bmonth, in the first day of the month, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet unto ^cZerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest^a, saying,
2 Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD's house should be built.
3 Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying,
4 Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your ^acieled houses, and this house lie waste?

My House Lie Waste The House of the Lord had been destroyed. Thus the Lord had not house of dwelling. The contrast is made that the enslaved Jews did still have paneled houses in which they had a place to dwell, but their God had not. The question which Haggai raises is, would the Jews continue at this time to live in thier houses in Babylon or would they consider that it had been the 70 years since their captivity and that it was now time to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the House of the Lord. 1^a Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest Joshua was the high priest and he was a type or similitude of the Lord Jesus/Jehoshua Christ, by whose power Judah was then and would be later again restored to Jerusalem. The Hebrew version preserves the more formal form of the name 'Jehoshua' which means 'Jehovah Delivers' or Jehovah is Salvation'. This Hebrew name 'Jehoshua' is the same name as the Greek 'Jesus'. In Zechariah 6, this Jehoshua, being the 'namesake' of the Savior, is crowned in similitude of Christ in the 'BRANCH' prophecy portrayed in that foreshadowing. This is also the likely reason that the vision of Zechariah of the preexistence where Jesus and Satan stand before the Father, is preserved despite the general editing out of 'Jesus/Jehoshua' as the Messiah in the Old Testament by the Jews. That vision of the preexistent council is where the patern of Christ's ministry is set out. Also, the 'Day of Atonement', which is in similitude of Christ's atonement, in the 'eternal perspective', also is reflective of the occurances in this envisioned preexistent council of Zecharigh. (See Zechariah 3 commentary) 1^a About 520 B.C. as Darius
     Hystaspes reigned 521-486 B.C.
     Note: Given that Lehi left
     Jerusalem in the latter half of
     Zedekiah's first year (600 BC),
     and Jerusalem fell about 590
     BC, which marks the 70 years
     of captivity prophesied by
     Jeremiah. Jer. 25:11-12
  ^b Hag. 2:1, 10 (10,20)
  ^c Grandson of Jehoiachin, former
     short term king of Judah. And
     royal house of David ancestor
     to Jesus Christ.;
     1 Chr. 3;19 (17-19);
     Ezra 2:2 (1-2);
     Matt. 1;12 (11-13)
4^a HEB paneled

5 Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; ^aConsider your ways.
6 Ye have ^asown much, and bring in little; ye ^beat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that ^cearneth wages earneth ^dwages to put it into a bag with ^eholes. 14^a Zechariah 10:7 (6-12);
       D&C 109:60-61;
       D&C 133:34;
       TG Israel, Joseph, People of
    ^b Septuagint; crosing his hands

7 ¶ Thus saith the LORD of hosts; ^aConsider your ^bways.
8 Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the ^ahouse; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD.
9 Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house. 14^a Zechariah 10:7 (6-12);
       D&C 109:60-61;
       D&C 133:34;
       TG Israel, Joseph, People of
    ^b Septuagint; crosing his hands

10 Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her ^afruit.
11 And I called for a ^adrought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the ^bcorn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands. 14^a Zechariah 10:7 (6-12);
       D&C 109:60-61;
       D&C 133:34;
       TG Israel, Joseph, People of
    ^b Septuagint; crosing his hands

12 ¶ Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had ^asent him, and the people did fear before the LORD.
13 Then spake Haggai the LORD's messenger in the LORD's message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the LORD. 14^a Zechariah 10:7 (6-12);
       D&C 109:60-61;
       D&C 133:34;
       TG Israel, Joseph, People of
    ^b Septuagint; crosing his hands

14 And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the LORD of hosts, their God,
15 In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king. 14^a Zechariah 10:7 (6-12);
       D&C 109:60-61;
       D&C 133:34;
       TG Israel, Joseph, People of
    ^b Septuagint; crosing his hands

14^a Zechariah 10:7 (6-12);
       D&C 109:60-61;
       D&C 133:34;
       TG Israel, Joseph, People of
    ^b Septuagint; crosing his hands

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
CHAPTER 1 Haggai exhorts the people to build the temple.	The LORD, through Haggai, sets forth that it is time to return to Jerusalem out of Babylon and rebuild the temple.	Y@howshuwa` ~ Jehovah Deliver The Son Y@howtsadaq ~ Jehovah Righteous Joshua the son of Josedech
1 In ^athe second year of Darius the king, in the sixth ^bmonth, in the first day of the month, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet unto ^cZerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest^a, saying, 2 Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD's house should be built. 3 Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying, 4 Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your ^acieled houses, and this house lie waste? My House Lie Waste The House of the Lord had been destroyed. Thus the Lord had not house of dwelling. The contrast is made that the enslaved Jews did still have paneled houses in which they had a place to dwell, but their God had not. The question which Haggai raises is, would the Jews continue at this time to live in thier houses in Babylon or would they consider that it had been the 70 years since their captivity and that it was now time to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the House of the Lord.	1^a Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest Joshua was the high priest and he was a type or similitude of the Lord Jesus/Jehoshua Christ, by whose power Judah was then and would be later again restored to Jerusalem. The Hebrew version preserves the more formal form of the name 'Jehoshua' which means 'Jehovah Delivers' or Jehovah is Salvation'. This Hebrew name 'Jehoshua' is the same name as the Greek 'Jesus'. In Zechariah 6, this Jehoshua, being the 'namesake' of the Savior, is crowned in similitude of Christ in the 'BRANCH' prophecy portrayed in that foreshadowing. This is also the likely reason that the vision of Zechariah of the preexistence where Jesus and Satan stand before the Father, is preserved despite the general editing out of 'Jesus/Jehoshua' as the Messiah in the Old Testament by the Jews. That vision of the preexistent council is where the patern of Christ's ministry is set out. Also, the 'Day of Atonement', which is in similitude of Christ's atonement, in the 'eternal perspective', also is reflective of the occurances in this envisioned preexistent council of Zecharigh. (See Zechariah 3 commentary)	1^a About 520 B.C. as Darius Hystaspes reigned 521-486 B.C. Note: Given that Lehi left Jerusalem in the latter half of Zedekiah's first year (600 BC), and Jerusalem fell about 590 BC, which marks the 70 years of captivity prophesied by Jeremiah. Jer. 25:11-12 ^b Hag. 2:1, 10 (10,20) ^c Grandson of Jehoiachin, former short term king of Judah. And royal house of David ancestor to Jesus Christ.; 1 Chr. 3;19 (17-19); Ezra 2:2 (1-2); Matt. 1;12 (11-13) 4^a HEB paneled
5 Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; ^aConsider your ways. 6 Ye have ^asown much, and bring in little; ye ^beat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that ^cearneth wages earneth ^dwages to put it into a bag with ^eholes.		14^a Zechariah 10:7 (6-12); D&C 109:60-61; D&C 133:34; TG Israel, Joseph, People of ^b Septuagint; crosing his hands
7 ¶ Thus saith the LORD of hosts; ^aConsider your ^bways. 8 Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the ^ahouse; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD. 9 Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.		14^a Zechariah 10:7 (6-12); D&C 109:60-61; D&C 133:34; TG Israel, Joseph, People of ^b Septuagint; crosing his hands
10 Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her ^afruit. 11 And I called for a ^adrought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the ^bcorn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands.		14^a Zechariah 10:7 (6-12); D&C 109:60-61; D&C 133:34; TG Israel, Joseph, People of ^b Septuagint; crosing his hands
12 ¶ Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had ^asent him, and the people did fear before the LORD. 13 Then spake Haggai the LORD's messenger in the LORD's message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the LORD.		14^a Zechariah 10:7 (6-12); D&C 109:60-61; D&C 133:34; TG Israel, Joseph, People of ^b Septuagint; crosing his hands
14 And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the LORD of hosts, their God, 15 In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.		14^a Zechariah 10:7 (6-12); D&C 109:60-61; D&C 133:34; TG Israel, Joseph, People of ^b Septuagint; crosing his hands
		14^a Zechariah 10:7 (6-12); D&C 109:60-61; D&C 133:34; TG Israel, Joseph, People of ^b Septuagint; crosing his hands