Haggai 2:1

The Glory to Come

2:1 On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, ¹  the Lord spoke again through the prophet Haggai: ² 

Haggai 1:1

Introduction

1:1 On the first day of the sixth month ³  of King Darius’ ⁴  second year, the Lord spoke this message through the prophet Haggai ⁵  to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak: ⁶ 

Haggai 2:3

2:3 ‘Who among you survivors saw the former splendor of this temple? ⁷  How does it look to you now? Isn’t it nothing by comparison?

Haggai 2:9

2:9 ‘The future splendor of this temple will be greater than that of former times,’ ⁸  the Lord who rules over all declares, ‘and in this place I will give peace.’” ⁹ 

[2:1]  ¹ tn Heb “In the seventh [month], on the twenty-first day of the month.”

[2:1]  ² tc Heb “the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, saying.” The MT has בְּיַד (bÿyad, “by the hand of” = “through” [so NAB, NIV, NLT] as in 1:1, 3); the Murabba’at Dead Sea text reads אֶל (’el, “to”), perhaps because the following command is given to the prophet.

[1:1]  ³ sn The first day of the sixth month was Elul 1 according to the Jewish calendar; August 29, 520 b.c. according to the modern (Julian) calendar.

[1:1]  ⁴ sn King Darius is the Persian king Darius Hystaspes who ruled from 522-486 b.c.

[1:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet” (בְּיַד־חַגַּי, bÿyad-khaggay). This suggests that the prophet is only an instrument of the Lord; the Lord is to be viewed as the true author (see 1:3; 2:1; Mal 1:1).

[1:1]  ⁶ tn The typical translation “Joshua (the) son of Jehozadak, the high priest” (cf. ASV, NASB, NIV, NRSV) can be understood to mean that Jehozadak was high priest. However, Zech 3:1, 8 clearly indicates that Joshua was high priest (see also Ezra 5:1-2; cf. NAB). The same potential misunderstanding occurs in Hag 1:12, 14 and 2:2, where the same solution has been employed in the translation.

[2:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “this house in its earlier splendor”; NAB, NIV, NRSV “in its former glory.”

[2:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “greater will be the latter splendor of this house than the former”; NAB “greater will be the future glory.”

[2:9]  ⁸ tn In the Hebrew text there is an implicit play on words in the clause “in this place [i.e., Jerusalem] I will give peace”: in יְרוּשָׁלַיִם (yÿrushalayim) there will be שָׁלוֹם (shalom).