Haggai 2

Haggai 2
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The Leningrad Codex (AD. 1008) contains the complete Hebrew text of the Book of Haggai.
Book	Book of Haggai
Category	Nevi'im
Christian Bible part	Old Testament
Order in the Christian part	37

Haggai 2 is the second (and final) chapter of the Book of Haggai in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible.^[1][2] This book contains the prophecies attributed to the prophet Haggai, written c. 520-515 BCE,^[3] and is a part of the Book of the Twelve Minor Prophets.^[4][5]

Text[]

The original text was written in Hebrew language. This chapter is divided into 23 verses.

Textual witnesses[]

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), the Petersburg Codex of the Prophets (916), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).^[6][a] Fragments containing parts of this chapter in Hebrew were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, including 4Q77 (4QXII^b; 150–125 BCE) with extant verses 2–4;^[8][9][10] 4Q80 (4QXII^e; 75–50 BCE) with extant verses 1–2;^[8][9][11] and Wadi Murabba'at Minor Prophets (Mur88; MurXIIProph; 75-100 CE) with extant verses 1–9, 11, 13–24.^[9][12]

There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}$^B; 4th century), Codex Sinaiticus (S; BHK: ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}$^S; 4th century), Codex Alexandrinus (A; ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}$^A; 5th century) and Codex Marchalianus (Q; ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}$^Q; 6th century).^[13]

Take Courage! (2:1–9)[]

The prophecy in this part was spoken almost a month after Haggai's last utterance to the same public: Zerubbabel, Joshua, and the remnant, using a similar interrogative rhetoric as in 1:4, 9.^[14]

Verse 1[]

In the seventh month, on the twenty-first of the month, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying:^[15]

The date is October 17, 520 BC in current calendar calculation. In the ancient Jewish calendar this day was the last day of Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles; see Leviticus 23:33-44).^[16]

Blessings for a defiled people (2:10–19)[]

Haggai speaks again as prophet a little more than two months later to the priests only.^[14] Haggai asks for a priestly ruling (tora), which was one of the basic tasks of priests (cf. Deuteronomy 33:10; Leviticus 10:10–11) whether a certain action is holy (verse 12) and then whether another action is unclean (verse 13), to be connected to the condition of the people who at that time were worshipping at the temple site, which had been profaned (so it is unclean), thus without the purification of that holy place, all that the people of Judah offered were also unclean.^[14] The solution of the problem would be the rebuilding the temple, because it involves rituals of purification (Haggai 2:15-19).^[14]

Verse 10[]

On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying,^[17]

The date is December 24, 520 BCE in Julian calendar; or December 18, 520 BCE in Gregorian calendar calculation.^[16]

Verse 12[]

[Haggai asked:] "'If someone carries holy meat in the fold of his garment and touches with his fold bread or stew or wine or oil or any kind of food, does it become holy?'"

The priests answered and said, "No."^[18]

Verse 13[]

Then Haggai said, "If someone who is unclean by contact with a dead body touches any of these, does it become unclean?"

The priests answered and said, "It does become unclean."^[19]

Verse 18[]

′Consider now from this day forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day that the foundation of the Lord's temple was laid—consider it:^[20]

The texts from other ancient Near-Eastern cultures mention a ritual (kalû) for the 'rededication of destroyed sanctuaries', during which ('this day'; cf. verses 15, 18) a 'foundation stone' was placed in the building that was purified or rededicated (cf. Zechariah 4:9; Ezra 3:10–11).^[14]

Verse 19[]

Is the seed still in the barn? As yet the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yielded fruit. But from this day I will bless you.′″^[21]

• "Barn" from Hebrew: megūrâh (same as mammegūrâh in Joel 1:17), a "granary", from the word gūr.^[22]

Zerubbabel the Lord's signet ring (2:20–23)[]

This passage contains a short final prophecy (the fourth prophecy of Haggai), stated on the same day as the previous one, in which Haggai called Zerubbabel "the Ruler and Representative of the Jewish nation", and "the Predecessor and Type of the true King of the Jews", along with "a gracious promise of safety and distinction" for the nation he represented.^[23]

Uses[]

Music[]

The King James Version of verses 6–7 from this chapter are cited as texts in the English-language oratorio "Messiah" by George Frideric Handel (HWV 56).^[24]

See also[]

• Darius I
• Joshua, son of Jehozadak
• Months in ancient Hebrew calendar: the seventh, the ninth
• Old Testament messianic prophecies quoted in the New Testament
• Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel
• Related Bible parts: Ezra 3, Ezra 4, Ezra 5, Ezra 6, Nehemiah 7, Zechariah 1

Notes[]

References[]

Sources[]

• Collins, John J. (2014). Introduction to the Hebrew Scriptures. Fortress Press. ISBN 9781451469233.
• Fitzmyer, Joseph A. (2008). A Guide to the Dead Sea Scrolls and Related Literature. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. ISBN 9780802862419.
• Hayes, Christine (2015). Introduction to the Bible. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0300188271.
• Petersen, D. L. (2007). "36. Haggai". In Barton, John; Muddiman, John (eds.). The Oxford Bible Commentary (first (paperback) ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 607–610. ISBN 978-0199277186. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
• Ulrich, Eugene, ed. (2010). The Biblical Qumran Scrolls: Transcriptions and Textual Variants. Brill.
• Würthwein, Ernst (1995). The Text of the Old Testament. Translated by Rhodes, Erroll F. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans. ISBN 0-8028-0788-7. Retrieved January 26, 2019.

External links[]

Wikisource has original text related to this article: Haggai

Look up Haggai in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Jewish translations:
  • Chaggai – Haggai (Judaica Press) translation with Rashi's commentary at Chabad.org
• Christian translations:
  • Online Bible at GospelHall.org (ESV, KJV, Darby, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English)
• Haggai public domain audiobook at LibriVox Various versions