Haggai 2:12

2:12 If someone carries holy meat in a fold of his garment and that fold touches bread, a boiled dish, wine, olive oil, or any other food, will that item become holy?’” ¹  The priests answered, “It will not.”

Haggai 2:18

2:18 ‘Think carefully about the past: ²  from today, the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, ³  to the day work on the temple of the Lord was resumed, ⁴  think about it. ⁵ 

[2:12]  ¹ sn This is probably not an appeal to the Torah (i.e., the Pentateuch) as such but to a priestly ruling (known in postbiblical Judaism as a pÿsaq din). There is, however, a Mosaic law that provides the basis for the priestly ruling (Lev 6:27).

[2:18]  ² tn Heb “set your heart.” A similar expression occurs in v. 15.

[2:18]  ³ sn The twenty-fourth day of the ninth month was Kislev 24 or December 18, 520. See v. 10. Here the reference is to “today,” the day the oracle is being delivered.

[2:18]  ⁴ sn The day work…was resumed. This does not refer to the initial founding of the Jerusalem temple in 536 b.c. but to the renewal of construction three months earlier (see 1:15). This is clear from the situation described in v. 19 which accords with the food scarcities of that time already detailed in Hag 1:10-11.

[2:18]  ⁵ tn Heb “set your heart.” A similar expression occurs in v. 15 and at the beginning of this verse.