Old Testament Commentary - Haggai 2

by Don R. Hender
Scriptural Text [& Editorial]
Commentary & Explanation
Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
           CHAPTER 2             

Haggai speaks Messianically: The desire of all nations shall come—The Lord will give peace in his temple.

  1 In the seventh amonth, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of the LORD by the prophet Haggai, saying,
  2 Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the residue of the people, saying,
  3 Who is left among you that saw this ahouse in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?
  4 Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be astrong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts:
  5 According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my aspirit remaineth among you: fear ye not.
  6 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will ashake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;
  7 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall acome: and I will fill this house with bglory, saith the LORD of hosts.
  8 The asilver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.
  9 The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give apeace, saith the LORD of hosts.
  10 ¶ In the four and twentieth day of the ninth amonth, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying,
  11 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ask now the priests concerning the law, saying,
  12 If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, No.
  13 Then said Haggai, If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean.
  14 Then answered Haggai, and said, So is this people, and so is this nation before me, saith the LORD; and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean.
  15 And now, I pray you, consider from this day and upward, from before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of the LORD:
  16 Since those days were, when one came to an heap of twenty measures, there were but ten: when one came to the apressfat for to draw out fifty vessels out of the press, there were but twenty.
  17 I asmote you with bblasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands; yet ye cturned not to me, saith the LORD.
  18 aConsider now from this day and upward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of the LORD's temple was laid, consider it.
  19 Is the seed yet in the barn? yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you.
  20 ¶ And again the word of the LORD came unto Haggai in the four and twentieth day of the month, saying,
  21 Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the aearth;
  22 And I will aoverthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen; and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the bhorses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his cbrother.
  23 In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the LORD, and will make thee as aa signet: for I have bchosen theea, saith the LORD of hosts.  23a make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee It is an honor and a blessing (Moses 7:10) to be an ancestor from whom the Messiah was to come. Here Zerubbabel or Zorobabel (Matthew 1:12 & 13) is so denoted to be of the ancestral line from which the Messiah was to come. Zerubbabel is a descendent of King David and though the genealogy given in Matthew is but the Royal Genealogy of heirship right, Zerubbabel was not a direct descendant of Jechonias or Jehoachin, the grandson of Josiah (Jehoiakim the father of Jehoachin also being dropped out because of wickedness and having died the disgraceful death as an animal in a field left to the devouring of wild animals), as Jehoachin did not have any male heirs or posterity. Thus Salathiel, the father of Zerubbabel is actually literally descended from the line of Nathan another son of King David, and Salathiel's birth father is Neri (see Luke 3:27-31). Salathiel was the nearest kinsman of Jehoachin, and thus it was through him the right of kingship came, as he was so adopted royally into the royal linage as the heir of Jehoachin to the crown of Israel.