Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

• A. The Lineage of David chs. 1-3
  The writer evidently chose, under divine inspiration, to open his book with genealogies to help his readers appreciate their heritage and to tie themselves to Adam, Abraham, and David in particular. Adam was important as the ...
• Preparations for the return 1:7-11
  Often warring armies in the ancient Near East carried images of their gods into battle to help secure victory (cf. 2 Sam. 5:21; 1 Chron. 14:12). When one army defeated the other the victors would take the images of their defe...
• The totals 2:64-67
  There is a discrepancy between the total number of exiles the writer gave here (49,897) and the sum of the various groups he just mentioned (29,818). Perhaps the women and children made up the difference, though if this was t...
• The resumption of work 5:1-2
  The Book of Haggai contains four messages that Haggai delivered to the returned exiles in 520 B.C. We know from it that the people had turned from their commitment to rebuild the temple to constructing comfortable houses for ...
• Place of Composition
  Haggai obviously preached and wrote in Jerusalem as is clear from his references to the temple in both chapters. Confirming this location is his reference to the nearby mountains (1:8, 11). There were no real mountains in Bab...
• Message10
  Haggai is the first in the last group of prophetic Old Testament books. Along with Zechariah and Malachi, these books reveal life in the restoration community. The historical book of Ezra deals with the same time period and t...
• Outline
  I. A call to build the temple ch. 1A. Haggai's first challenge 1:1-6B. Haggai's second challenge 1:7-11C. The Israelites' response 1:12-15II. A promise of future glory for the temple 2:1-9III. A promise of future blessing for...
• A. Haggai's First challenge 1:1-6
  1:1 Yahweh sent a message to Zerubbabel and Joshua through the prophet Haggai, though it went to all the Israelites too (vv. 2, 4). Zerubbabel was the political governor (overseer) of the Persian province of Judah who had led...
• B. Haggai's second challenge 1:7-11
  1:7-8 Again the Lord called the people to reflect thoughtfully on what they were doing (cf. v. 5). He urged them to go to the mountains where trees grew abundantly, to cut them down, and to continue rebuilding the temple (cf....
• C. The Israelites' response 1:12-15
  1:12 Haggai's preaching moved Zerubbabel, Joshua, and the remnant of Israelites who had returned from captivity to obey the Lord. This demonstrated reverence for Him."Haggai referred to the people as a remnant(here and also i...
• II. A promise of future glory for the temple 2:1-9
  2:1 The Lord revealed another message to Haggai almost one month later, on the twenty-first day of the seventh month (Tishri, modern October 17) of the same year, 520 B.C. This was the last day of the feast of Tabernacles (Bo...
• III. A promise of future blessing for the people 2:10-19
  2:10 Another prophecy came from the Lord on the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month of 520 B.C. (Kislev 24, December 18). During the two months between this prophecy and the former one (vv. 1-9), Zechariah began his ministry...
• Historical Background
  Zechariah began ministering among the Jews who had returned from captivity in Babylon (i.e., the restoration community) two months after Haggai began preaching (1:1; 7:1; cf. Neh. 12:10-16; Hag. 1:1). In a sense, Zechariah's ...
• 1. The vision proper 1:7-15
  1:7 Zechariah received another revelation from the Lord three months after his previous one in Darius' second year, 520 B.C.35"On the same day (24 Shebat), five months earlier, the rebuilding of the temple had been resumed (c...
• The first oracle 4:6-7
  4:6 The angel announced a word of explanation from Yahweh that Zechariah was to pass on to Zerubbabel, the descendant of David who was the leader of the first group of returnees from exile.88He was to tell him, "not by might ...
• D. Israel's restoration to God's favor 8:1-17
  Chapter 8 not only contains two major messages from the Lord (vv. 1-17, 18-23) but 10 minor messages, "a decalogueof divine words,"155that make up the two major ones. "Thus says the Lord"introduces each of these minor message...