Haggai 2 Study Notes: The Glory of the Rebuilt Temple
God encourages the builders who see the new temple as nothing beside the first, promising His presence and greater glory as He shakes the nations. Haggai uses priestly rulings on holiness and uncleanness to show the people's offerings were defiled, then God promises blessing and chooses Zerubbabel as His signet ring.
General
What reason does the LORD give Zerubbabel, Joshua and the people for taking courage and working?
Answer: He was with them and His Spirit stayed among them
Three times the LORD said be strong: to Zerubbabel, to Joshua the high priest, and to everyone living in the land, and then He told them to work (2:4). The reason was His presence: He was with them. He tied this to the promise He made at the exodus from Egypt, and He added that His Spirit remained among them, so they should not be afraid (2:5). In the law given after the exodus, God promised to live among His people as the God who had led them out of Egypt (Exodus 29:45-46), and Isaiah recalls that God placed His Holy Spirit in their midst in Moses' day (Isaiah 63:11). Long before, Moses' successor Joshua son of Nun had heard the same kind of encouragement (Joshua 1:9).
- Haggai 2:4-5 (BSB)“But now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the LORD. Be strong, O Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. And be strong, all you people of the land, declares the LORD. Work! For I am with you, declares the LORD of Hosts. This is the promise I made to you when you came out of Egypt. And My Spirit remains among you; do not be afraid.””The LORD tells the leaders and people to take courage and work, grounding the command in His presence and promise.
- Exodus 29:45-46 (BSB)“Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. And they will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God.”After bringing Israel out of Egypt, God pledged to live among them as their God, the promise Haggai recalls.
- Isaiah 63:11 (BSB)“Then His people remembered the days of old, the days of Moses. Where is He who brought them through the sea with the shepherds of His flock? Where is the One who set His Holy Spirit among them,”Isaiah remembers that in Moses' day God placed His Holy Spirit in the midst of His people.
- Joshua 1:9 (BSB)“Have I not commanded you to be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.””Joshua son of Nun received the same pairing of a call to courage with the promise of God's presence.
Theological
On what ground does the LORD command Zerubbabel, Joshua and the people to take courage and work in 2:4-5?
Answer: He was with them and His Spirit stayed among them
The threefold command to be strong, addressed to Zerubbabel, Joshua and the whole populace, issues in the imperative to work (2:4). The ground is God's covenant presence: He is with them, according to the word He pledged at the exodus from Egypt, and His Spirit remains among them, so they need not fear (2:5). The covenant given after the exodus promised that God, who had led Israel out of Egypt, would dwell among them (Exodus 29:45-46), Isaiah recalls that God placed His Holy Spirit in their midst in Moses' generation (Isaiah 63:11), and the pattern of courage grounded in God's presence goes back to Moses' successor Joshua (Joshua 1:9).
- Haggai 2:4-5 (BSB)“But now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the LORD. Be strong, O Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. And be strong, all you people of the land, declares the LORD. Work! For I am with you, declares the LORD of Hosts. This is the promise I made to you when you came out of Egypt. And My Spirit remains among you; do not be afraid.””The LORD tells the leaders and people to take courage and work, grounding the command in His presence and promise.
- Exodus 29:45-46 (BSB)“Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. And they will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God.”After bringing Israel out of Egypt, God pledged to live among them as their God, the promise Haggai recalls.
- Isaiah 63:11 (BSB)“Then His people remembered the days of old, the days of Moses. Where is He who brought them through the sea with the shepherds of His flock? Where is the One who set His Holy Spirit among them,”Isaiah remembers that in Moses' day God placed His Holy Spirit in the midst of His people.
- Joshua 1:9 (BSB)“Have I not commanded you to be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.””Joshua son of Nun received the same pairing of a call to courage with the promise of God's presence.
General
In 2:3, what does the LORD ask those who remembered the temple in its earlier glory?
Answer: Whether it looked like nothing beside the first
About a month after the work began, the LORD spoke again through Haggai to Zerubbabel, Joshua and the remnant (2:1-2). He asked who among them had seen the house in its earlier glory, meaning Solomon's temple before Babylon destroyed it, and whether the new house seemed like nothing compared with it (2:3). God named the discouragement openly. Ezra describes older leaders who remembered Solomon's temple weeping aloud when the new foundation was laid (Ezra 3:12), and Zechariah warned the people not to despise small beginnings (Zechariah 4:10).
- Haggai 2:1-3 (BSB)“On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the LORD came through Haggai the prophet, saying: “Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and also to the remnant of the people. Ask them, ‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not appear to you like nothing in comparison?’”The LORD addresses the leaders and the remnant, asking those who remember the first temple how the new one compares.
- Ezra 3:12 (BSB)“But many of the older priests, Levites, and family heads who had seen the first temple wept loudly when they saw the foundation of this temple. Still, many others shouted joyfully.”When the foundation was laid, older leaders who remembered Solomon's temple wept aloud.
- Zechariah 4:10 (BSB)“For who has despised the day of small things? But these seven eyes of the LORD, which scan the whole earth, will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.””Zechariah also warns against despising the small beginnings of the rebuilt house.
Theological
What question does the LORD put in 2:3 to those who remembered the first temple?
Answer: Whether it looked like nothing beside the first
In the second oracle, addressed again to Zerubbabel, Joshua and the remnant (2:1-2), the LORD voices the discouragement directly: who is still alive who remembers the house as it once was, and does the new one not look like nothing by comparison (2:3)? God does not deny the disparity with Solomon's temple; He names it. Ezra records the same grief among the older leaders when the foundation was laid (Ezra 3:12), and Zechariah rebukes those who scorn modest beginnings (Zechariah 4:10).
- Haggai 2:1-3 (BSB)“On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the LORD came through Haggai the prophet, saying: “Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and also to the remnant of the people. Ask them, ‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not appear to you like nothing in comparison?’”The LORD addresses the leaders and the remnant, asking those who remember the first temple how the new one compares.
- Ezra 3:12 (BSB)“But many of the older priests, Levites, and family heads who had seen the first temple wept loudly when they saw the foundation of this temple. Still, many others shouted joyfully.”When the foundation was laid, older leaders who remembered Solomon's temple wept aloud.
- Zechariah 4:10 (BSB)“For who has despised the day of small things? But these seven eyes of the LORD, which scan the whole earth, will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.””Zechariah also warns against despising the small beginnings of the rebuilt house.
General
What does the LORD promise in 2:18-19, starting from the day His temple's foundation was laid?
Answer: From then on, the LORD would bless the people
The LORD told the people to think back to the time before the rebuilding began. A heap expected to hold twenty measures held ten, and a winepress expected to give fifty gave twenty (2:15-16). He had struck their work with crop disease and hail, yet they had not turned to Him (2:17), much as Amos had described in an earlier generation (Amos 4:9). Then He pointed to the day the temple's foundation was laid. Even before the vines and fruit trees had produced anything, He promised that from that day He would bless them (2:18-19). Zechariah later gave a similar promise to the same remnant, looking back to the laying of the foundation (Zechariah 8:9-12). This was God's covenant promise to that community in their land.
- Haggai 2:15-17 (BSB)“Now consider carefully from this day forward: Before one stone was placed on another in the temple of the LORD, from that time, when one came expecting a heap of twenty ephahs of grain, there were but ten. When one came to the winepress to draw out fifty baths, there were but twenty. I struck you—all the work of your hands—with blight, mildew, and hail, but you did not turn to Me, declares the LORD.”The LORD reminds the people of their poor returns before the rebuilding and of the crop disease and hail He sent.
- Haggai 2:18-19 (BSB)“Consider carefully from this day forward—from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, the day the foundation of the LORD’s temple was laid—consider carefully: Is there still seed in the barn? The vine, the fig, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yet yielded fruit. But from this day on, I will bless you.””The LORD marks the date the temple's foundation was set and promises blessing from then on.
- Amos 4:9 (BSB)““I struck you with blight and mildew in your growing gardens and vineyards; the locust devoured your fig and olive trees, yet you did not return to Me,” declares the LORD.”Amos had described the same kind of judgment on crops, which likewise failed to bring the people back.
- Zechariah 8:9-12 (BSB)“This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Let your hands be strong, you who now hear these words spoken by the prophets who were present when the foundations were laid to rebuild the temple, the house of the LORD of Hosts. For before those days neither man nor beast received wages, nor was there safety from the enemy for anyone who came or went, for I had turned every man against his neighbor. But now I will not treat the remnant of this people as I did in the past,” declares the LORD of Hosts. “For the seed will be prosperous, the vine will yield its fruit, the ground will yield its produce, and the skies will give their dew. To the remnant of this people I will give all these things as an inheritance.”Zechariah, looking back to the foundation-laying, promises fruitful seed, vine and ground to the remnant.
Theological
What does the LORD pledge in 2:18-19 from the day the temple's foundation was laid?
Answer: From then on, the LORD would bless the people
The LORD has the people review the period before the rebuilding: diminished heaps and short yields at the winepress (2:15-16), and His own blows of crop disease and hail, which did not bring them back to Him (2:17), the same pattern Amos had charged against Israel (Amos 4:9). He then fixes the date of the foundation-laying as a turning point. Though the vines and fruit trees had produced nothing yet, from that day He would bless them (2:18-19). Zechariah's later oracle, looking back to the foundation-laying, makes the same covenant promise of fruitful seed, vine, ground and sky for the remnant (Zechariah 8:9-12). The blessing is God's covenant pledge to that community, given before any harvest proved it.
- Haggai 2:15-17 (BSB)“Now consider carefully from this day forward: Before one stone was placed on another in the temple of the LORD, from that time, when one came expecting a heap of twenty ephahs of grain, there were but ten. When one came to the winepress to draw out fifty baths, there were but twenty. I struck you—all the work of your hands—with blight, mildew, and hail, but you did not turn to Me, declares the LORD.”The LORD reminds the people of their poor returns before the rebuilding and of the crop disease and hail He sent.
- Haggai 2:18-19 (BSB)“Consider carefully from this day forward—from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, the day the foundation of the LORD’s temple was laid—consider carefully: Is there still seed in the barn? The vine, the fig, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yet yielded fruit. But from this day on, I will bless you.””The LORD marks the date the temple's foundation was set and promises blessing from then on.
- Amos 4:9 (BSB)““I struck you with blight and mildew in your growing gardens and vineyards; the locust devoured your fig and olive trees, yet you did not return to Me,” declares the LORD.”Amos had described the same kind of judgment on crops, which likewise failed to bring the people back.
- Zechariah 8:9-12 (BSB)“This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Let your hands be strong, you who now hear these words spoken by the prophets who were present when the foundations were laid to rebuild the temple, the house of the LORD of Hosts. For before those days neither man nor beast received wages, nor was there safety from the enemy for anyone who came or went, for I had turned every man against his neighbor. But now I will not treat the remnant of this people as I did in the past,” declares the LORD of Hosts. “For the seed will be prosperous, the vine will yield its fruit, the ground will yield its produce, and the skies will give their dew. To the remnant of this people I will give all these things as an inheritance.”Zechariah, looking back to the foundation-laying, promises fruitful seed, vine and ground to the remnant.
General
What does the LORD promise about the rebuilt house in 2:9?
Answer: Its later glory would exceed the earlier, with peace
The people thought the new temple looked like nothing next to Solomon's (2:3), but the LORD promised that the new house would have more glory than the old one, and that He would give peace in that place (2:9). The promise is about glory and peace that God Himself would supply, not about the building's size or a guarantee that no enemy would ever enter it. The temple was finished in Darius's sixth year (Ezra 6:14-15). Later, Malachi promised that the Lord the people were looking for would appear at His temple without warning (Malachi 3:1), and many Christians have seen the greater glory of 2:9 in Jesus Christ coming to that rebuilt temple.
- Haggai 2:9 (BSB)“The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former, says the LORD of Hosts. And in this place I will provide peace, declares the LORD of Hosts.””The LORD promises that the rebuilt house will have greater glory than the first and that He will give peace there.
- Ezra 6:14-15 (BSB)“So the Jewish elders built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo. They finished building according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia. And this temple was completed on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.”Ezra records that the rebuilt temple was finished in Darius's sixth year, as Haggai had urged.
- Malachi 3:1 (BSB)““Behold, I will send My messenger, who will prepare the way before Me. Then the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple—the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight—see, He is coming,” says the LORD of Hosts.”A later prophet, Malachi, promises that the Lord the people are seeking will appear at His temple without warning.
Theological
What promise does the LORD make in 2:9 concerning the rebuilt house?
Answer: Its later glory would exceed the earlier, with peace
Against the apparent inferiority of the new structure (2:3), the LORD promises that the rebuilt house's glory will surpass that of the first, and that in this place He will grant peace (2:9). The glory is God-given, not architectural, and the verse makes no promise of size or of permanent immunity from foreign powers. The house itself was completed in Darius's sixth year (Ezra 6:14-15). Malachi later promises that the Lord the people are looking for will appear at His temple without warning (Malachi 3:1), and many Christians have seen the fulfillment of 2:9 in the presence of Christ in that second temple.
- Haggai 2:9 (BSB)“The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former, says the LORD of Hosts. And in this place I will provide peace, declares the LORD of Hosts.””The LORD promises that the rebuilt house will have greater glory than the first and that He will give peace there.
- Ezra 6:14-15 (BSB)“So the Jewish elders built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo. They finished building according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia. And this temple was completed on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.”Ezra records that the rebuilt temple was finished in Darius's sixth year, as Haggai had urged.
- Malachi 3:1 (BSB)““Behold, I will send My messenger, who will prepare the way before Me. Then the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple—the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight—see, He is coming,” says the LORD of Hosts.”A later prophet, Malachi, promises that the Lord the people are seeking will appear at His temple without warning.
General
True or False: Haggai applies the priests' rulings to say that the people's offerings were acceptable because they were made in a holy place.
Answer: False
This is false. Haggai applied the rulings the other way: the people and the nation were like this in the LORD's sight, as was all their labor, and their offerings at the altar were defiled (2:14). Just as holy meat could not make other food holy, offering sacrifices at the holy altar did not make the people acceptable. And just as uncleanness spread by touch, their own condition stained everything they did. The point is not mainly about ritual rules but about the people themselves: while they neglected God's house and did not turn back to Him (2:17), their offerings were unclean in His sight. Scripture teaches the same elsewhere (Proverbs 15:8; Isaiah 1:13; Titus 1:15).
- Haggai 2:14 (BSB)“Then Haggai replied, “So it is with this people and this nation before Me, declares the LORD, and so it is with every work of their hands; whatever they offer there is defiled.”Haggai applies the priests' rulings to the people, their work and their offerings.
- Proverbs 15:8 (BSB)“The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is His delight.”God rejects the offerings of the wicked but takes pleasure in the prayers of the upright.
- Isaiah 1:13 (BSB)“Bring your worthless offerings no more; your incense is detestable to Me. New Moons, Sabbaths, and convocations—I cannot endure iniquity in a solemn assembly.”Isaiah also told Judah that their offerings were worthless while sin went on among them.
- Titus 1:15 (BSB)“To the pure, all things are pure; but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure. Indeed, both their minds and their consciences are defiled.”Paul states the same principle: to the defiled, nothing is pure.
Theological
True or False: In 2:14 Haggai concludes that the people's offerings were acceptable because the holiness of the altar passed to them.
Answer: False
This is false. Haggai draws the opposite conclusion: the people and the nation stand before the LORD like the corpse-defiled man, and so does all their labor; their offerings at the altar are defiled (2:14). The first ruling shows that proximity to holy things does not sanctify; the second shows that defilement spreads. Ritual uncleanness is the picture, but the point is the people's own condition: while they neglected God's house and did not turn back to Him (2:17), their sacrifices could not be clean before Him. The same principle runs through Scripture (Proverbs 15:8; Isaiah 1:13; Titus 1:15).
- Haggai 2:14 (BSB)“Then Haggai replied, “So it is with this people and this nation before Me, declares the LORD, and so it is with every work of their hands; whatever they offer there is defiled.”Haggai applies the priests' rulings to the people, their work and their offerings.
- Proverbs 15:8 (BSB)“The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is His delight.”God rejects the offerings of the wicked but takes pleasure in the prayers of the upright.
- Isaiah 1:13 (BSB)“Bring your worthless offerings no more; your incense is detestable to Me. New Moons, Sabbaths, and convocations—I cannot endure iniquity in a solemn assembly.”Isaiah also told Judah that their offerings were worthless while sin went on among them.
- Titus 1:15 (BSB)“To the pure, all things are pure; but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure. Indeed, both their minds and their consciences are defiled.”Paul states the same principle: to the defiled, nothing is pure.
General
How did the priests answer Haggai's two questions in 2:11-13?
Answer: Holy meat does not make food holy; corpse defilement spreads
The LORD told Haggai to have the priests give a ruling from God's law (2:11). First: if someone carried holy meat, set apart for sacrifice, folded in his robe, and the robe brushed against bread, stew, wine or something else to eat, would that food become holy? The priests said no (2:12). Second: if a person made unclean by touching a dead body touched any of those foods, would they become unclean? The priests said yes (2:13). Holiness did not spread by contact, but uncleanness did. This matched the law of Moses about contact with the dead (Numbers 19:11, 22). In the law, being unclean meant being unfit to take part in worship until cleansed.
- Haggai 2:11-13 (BSB)““This is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Ask the priests for a ruling. If a man carries consecrated meat in the fold of his garment, and it touches bread, stew, wine, oil, or any other food, does that item become holy?’” “No,” replied the priests. So Haggai asked, “If one who is defiled by contact with a corpse touches any of these, does it become defiled?” “Yes, it becomes defiled,” the priests answered.”At the LORD's command Haggai asks the priests two questions about how holiness and uncleanness are passed on.
- Numbers 19:11 (BSB)“Whoever touches any dead body will be unclean for seven days.”The law made anyone who touched a dead body unclean for a full week.
- Numbers 19:22 (BSB)“Anything the unclean person touches will become unclean, and anyone who touches it will be unclean until evening.””The same law said that whatever an unclean person touched became unclean as well.
Theological
What were the priests' rulings on the two questions Haggai put to them in 2:11-13?
Answer: Holy meat does not make food holy; corpse defilement spreads
At the LORD's direction Haggai seeks a priestly ruling (2:11). If consecrated meat carried in a robe brushes against bread, stew, oil or something else edible, would it become holy? The priests answer no (2:12). If someone made unclean by a dead body handles such food, is it made unclean? They answer yes (2:13). Holiness is not transmitted by secondary contact, but ritual defilement is. The second ruling rests on the Mosaic law of corpse impurity (Numbers 19:11), which spreads uncleanness to whatever the defiled person touches (Numbers 19:22).
- Haggai 2:11-13 (BSB)““This is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Ask the priests for a ruling. If a man carries consecrated meat in the fold of his garment, and it touches bread, stew, wine, oil, or any other food, does that item become holy?’” “No,” replied the priests. So Haggai asked, “If one who is defiled by contact with a corpse touches any of these, does it become defiled?” “Yes, it becomes defiled,” the priests answered.”At the LORD's command Haggai asks the priests two questions about how holiness and uncleanness are passed on.
- Numbers 19:11 (BSB)“Whoever touches any dead body will be unclean for seven days.”The law made anyone who touched a dead body unclean for a full week.
- Numbers 19:22 (BSB)“Anything the unclean person touches will become unclean, and anyone who touches it will be unclean until evening.””The same law said that whatever an unclean person touched became unclean as well.
General
How does Hebrews 12:26-28 explain the LORD's promise in Haggai 2:6 to shake heaven and earth once more?
Answer: As the removal of created things so the unshakable stays
In 2:6-7 the LORD promised that soon He would once more shake heaven and earth, sea and land, and every nation, and that He would fill His house with glory. Hebrews 12:26-28 quotes this promise directly. It explains that the phrase once more points to God taking away everything that can be shaken, meaning the created world, so that only what cannot be shaken is left. Believers are receiving that unshakable kingdom, so they should be thankful and worship God with reverence. Daniel had also foretold a kingdom set up by God that no one will ever destroy (Daniel 2:44). Hebrews reads Haggai's shaking as reaching all the way to God's final work.
- Haggai 2:6-7 (BSB)“For this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all the nations, and they will come with all their treasures, and I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of Hosts.”The LORD promises to shake heaven, earth, sea, dry land and all nations, and to make His house glorious.
- Hebrews 12:26-28 (BSB)“At that time His voice shook the earth, but now He has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth, but heaven as well.” The words “Once more” signify the removal of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that the unshakable may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us be filled with gratitude, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.”Hebrews quotes Haggai's promise and explains it as the final removal of created things, leaving an unshakable kingdom.
- Daniel 2:44 (BSB)“In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will shatter all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, but will itself stand forever.”Daniel foretells an everlasting kingdom that God Himself sets up, a theme close to the unshakable kingdom in Hebrews.
Theological
How does Hebrews 12:26-28 interpret the promised shaking of heaven and earth in Haggai 2:6?
Answer: As the removal of created things so the unshakable stays
The LORD pledges that shortly He will once more shake heaven and earth, sea and land, and every nation, and fill His house with glory (2:6-7). Hebrews 12:26-28 quotes the promise and interprets the phrase once more as signifying that everything shakable, the created order, will be taken away and only the unshakable left standing. The church is already receiving that unshakable kingdom and is therefore called to grateful, reverent worship. Hebrews thus places Haggai's shaking at God's final, decisive work, in line with Daniel's kingdom that God sets up and that no power can ever destroy (Daniel 2:44).
- Haggai 2:6-7 (BSB)“For this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all the nations, and they will come with all their treasures, and I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of Hosts.”The LORD promises to shake heaven, earth, sea, dry land and all nations, and to make His house glorious.
- Hebrews 12:26-28 (BSB)“At that time His voice shook the earth, but now He has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth, but heaven as well.” The words “Once more” signify the removal of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that the unshakable may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us be filled with gratitude, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.”Hebrews quotes Haggai's promise and explains it as the final removal of created things, leaving an unshakable kingdom.
- Daniel 2:44 (BSB)“In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will shatter all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, but will itself stand forever.”Daniel foretells an everlasting kingdom that God Himself sets up, a theme close to the unshakable kingdom in Hebrews.
General
True or False: In 2:8 the LORD declares that the silver and the gold belong to Him.
Answer: True
This is true. Right after promising that the nations would come with their treasures and that He would fill His house with glory (2:7), the LORD declared that all silver and gold belong to Him (2:8). The people who remembered Solomon's richly decorated temple did not need to worry that the new house was poor, because all wealth already belongs to God. Psalm 50:10-12 says the whole world and everything in it is His, and when gifts were gathered for the first temple, David confessed that everything they gave came from God's hand (1 Chronicles 29:14).
- Haggai 2:7-8 (BSB)“I will shake all the nations, and they will come with all their treasures, and I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of Hosts. The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, declares the LORD of Hosts.”The LORD says the nations will come with their treasures and declares that the silver and gold are His.
- Psalm 50:10-12 (BSB)“for every beast of the forest is Mine—the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are Mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world is Mine, and the fullness thereof.”God claims every creature and the whole world as His own, so He needs nothing from people.
- 1 Chronicles 29:14 (BSB)“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? For everything comes from You, and from Your own hand we have given to You.”David confesses that all the gifts given for the first temple came from God's own hand.
Theological
True or False: In 2:8 the LORD asserts His ownership of the silver and the gold.
Answer: True
This is true. Following the promise that the nations will come with their treasures and that He will make this house glorious (2:7), the LORD asserts that the silver and the gold are His (2:8). The material poverty of the rebuilt house is no limit on God, who already owns all wealth (Psalm 50:10-12); David confessed the same when the materials for the first temple were gathered (1 Chronicles 29:14). Some have read part of 2:7 as pointing to the Messiah, the one all nations desire; others understand it as the treasures the nations bring.
- Haggai 2:7-8 (BSB)“I will shake all the nations, and they will come with all their treasures, and I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of Hosts. The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, declares the LORD of Hosts.”The LORD says the nations will come with their treasures and declares that the silver and gold are His.
- Psalm 50:10-12 (BSB)“for every beast of the forest is Mine—the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are Mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world is Mine, and the fullness thereof.”God claims every creature and the whole world as His own, so He needs nothing from people.
- 1 Chronicles 29:14 (BSB)“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? For everything comes from You, and from Your own hand we have given to You.”David confesses that all the gifts given for the first temple came from God's own hand.
General
In the final message of the book (2:20-23), what does the LORD promise Zerubbabel?
Answer: He would make him like His own signet ring
On the same day as the previous message, the LORD sent a word to Zerubbabel the governor (2:20-21). He would shake heaven and earth, overturn the thrones of kingdoms, and bring down chariots, horses and riders (2:21-22). On that day He would take Zerubbabel, His servant, and make him like His signet ring, because He had chosen him (2:23). A signet ring was a king's seal, worn close and used to sign with his authority. Jeremiah had used the same picture in judgment, saying God would pull King Coniah of Judah off His hand like a ring (Jeremiah 22:24). Zerubbabel came from David's royal line, and he appears in the genealogies of Jesus (Matthew 1:12-13; Luke 3:27), so God's promise to David's family continued on toward Christ.
- Haggai 2:21-23 (BSB)““Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I am about to shake the heavens and the earth: I will overturn royal thrones and destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations. I will overturn chariots and their riders; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother. On that day, declares the LORD of Hosts, I will take you, My servant, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, declares the LORD, and I will make you like My signet ring, for I have chosen you, declares the LORD of Hosts.””The LORD tells Zerubbabel that He will overturn the kingdoms and will make Zerubbabel like His signet ring.
- Jeremiah 22:24 (BSB)““As surely as I live,” declares the LORD, “even if you, Coniah son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring on My right hand, I would pull you off.”Jeremiah had used the signet-ring image in judgment: God would pull King Coniah off His hand.
- Matthew 1:12-13 (BSB)“After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor.”Matthew's genealogy of Jesus runs from Jeconiah through Shealtiel to Zerubbabel.
- Luke 3:27 (BSB)“the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri,”Luke's genealogy of Jesus also lists Zerubbabel, with Shealtiel as his father.
Theological
What does the LORD promise Zerubbabel in the closing oracle of 2:20-23?
Answer: He would make him like His own signet ring
The fourth oracle, given the same day, is addressed to Zerubbabel alone (2:20-21). The LORD will shake heaven and earth, topple kings from their thrones, and break the strength of the nations' kingdoms and armies (2:21-22). On that day He will take Zerubbabel, His servant, and make him like His signet ring, for He has chosen him (2:23). The signet, the seal of royal authority, reverses the image Jeremiah used when God declared He would pull Coniah off His hand (Jeremiah 22:24). Zerubbabel stands in the Davidic line recorded in both genealogies of Jesus (Matthew 1:12-13; Luke 3:27), so this word keeps God's promise to David's house moving toward Christ.
- Haggai 2:21-23 (BSB)““Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I am about to shake the heavens and the earth: I will overturn royal thrones and destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations. I will overturn chariots and their riders; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother. On that day, declares the LORD of Hosts, I will take you, My servant, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, declares the LORD, and I will make you like My signet ring, for I have chosen you, declares the LORD of Hosts.””The LORD tells Zerubbabel that He will overturn the kingdoms and will make Zerubbabel like His signet ring.
- Jeremiah 22:24 (BSB)““As surely as I live,” declares the LORD, “even if you, Coniah son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring on My right hand, I would pull you off.”Jeremiah had used the signet-ring image in judgment: God would pull King Coniah off His hand.
- Matthew 1:12-13 (BSB)“After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor.”Matthew's genealogy of Jesus runs from Jeconiah through Shealtiel to Zerubbabel.
- Luke 3:27 (BSB)“the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri,”Luke's genealogy of Jesus also lists Zerubbabel, with Shealtiel as his father.