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Haggai Chapter
One
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO HAGGAI 1
This
chapter contains the first sermon of the Prophet Haggai to the people of the
Jews, directed to Zerubbabel the governor, and Joshua the high priest; the date
of which is fixed, Haggai 1:1. It
begins with a charge against that people; saying the time to build the house of
the Lord was not come, Haggai 1:2 which is
refuted by the prophet; arguing, that, if the time to panel their dwelling
houses was come, then much more the time to build the Lord's house, Haggai 1:3. They
are urged to consider how unsuccessful they had been in their civil employments
and labours, which was owing to their neglect of building the temple;
wherefore, if they consulted their own good, and the glory of God, the best way
was to set about it in all haste, and with diligence, Haggai 1:5 yea,
even the famine, which they had been afflicted with for some time, and which
affected both man and beast, sprung from the same cause, Haggai 1:10. This
discourse had such an effect upon the governor, high priest, and people, that
they immediately rose up, and went about the work they were exhorted to; upon
which the prophet, by a special message from the Lord, promises his presence
with them, Haggai 1:12.
Haggai 1:1 In the second
year of King Darius, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the
word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel,
governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying,
YLT
1In the second year of
Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, hath a word
of Jehovah been by the hand of Haggai the prophet, unto Zerubbabel son of
Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and unto Joshua son of Josedech, the high priest,
saying:
In the second year of
Darius the King,.... That is, of Persia; he is spoken of as if he was the only
king in the world; and indeed he was the then greatest king in it; and
therefore is emphatically called "the king". This was not Darius the
Mede, as Genebrard; who was contemporary with Cyrus, and partner in the
kingdom; nor Darius Nothus, as Scaliger, and those that follow him; since the
second year of this Darius was, according to Cocceius, who follows this
opinion, one hundred and thirty eight years after the first edict of Cyrus; and
so Zerubbabel and Joshua must exercise their office, the one of governor, the
other of high priest, such a term of years, and more, which is not credible;
and some of the Jews in captivity must have lived upwards of two hundred years;
even those who saw the temple in its first glory, before the captivity, and now
behold it in Haggai's time, in a very different condition, Haggai 2:3. It
seems therefore more probable, according to JosephusF9Antiqu. l. 11.
c. 3. sect. 1. and c. 4. sect. 5, 7. , and others, that this was Darius
Hystaspis, who was chosen king by the nobles of Persia, upon his horse's
neighing first as HerodotusF11Thalia, sive l. 3. c. 84, 85, 86.
relates: the second year of his reign was about seventeen or eighteen years
after the proclamation of Cyrus; during whose reign, he being much engaged in
affairs abroad, and the reign of his successor Cambyses, the enemies of the Jews,
encouraged by the latter, greatly obstructed the building of the temple, and
discouraged them from going on with it; but when this king came to the throne,
things took another turn, being favoured by him; for JosephusF12Ut
supra. (Antiqu. l. 11. c. 3. sect. 1. and c. 4. sect. 5, 7.) relates, that,
when a private person, he vowed, if ever he became king, whatever of the holy
vessels were in Babylon, he would send to the temple at Jerusalem; and upon
solicitations made to him, the Jews were encouraged to go on with the building
of it:
in the sixth month; the month Elul, answering, to part of
August, and part of September; which was the sixth, reckoning from the month
Nisan:
in the first day of the month; which was the feast of
the new moon:
came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet; or, "by
the hand of Haggai"F13ביד חגי "in manu Aggaei", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus,
Cocceius. ; by his means; he was the instrument by whom the Lord delivered his
word; the word was not the prophet's, but the Lord's; and this is observed, to
give weight and authority to it:
unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel: the same who
is called Salathiel, Matthew 1:12
according to Kimchi and Ben Melech, he was the grandson of Salathiel; though
rather Salathiel seems to be his uncle, he being the son of Pedaiah his
brother, 1 Chronicles 3:17
however, he was his heir and successor in the government, and so called his
son; See Gill on Matthew 1:12,
governor of Judah; not king; for the country was under the
dominion of the king of Persia, and Zerubbabel was a deputy governor under him;
so the apocryphal Ezra calls him governor of Judea,
"And
also he commanded that Sisinnes the governor of Syria and Phenice, and
Sathrabuzanes, and their companions, and those which were appointed rulers in
Syria and Phenice, should be careful not to meddle with the place, but suffer
Zorobabel, the servant of the Lord, and governor of Judea, and the elders of
the Jews, to build the house of the Lord in that place.' (1 Esdras 6:27)
and,
according to JosephusF14Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 11. c. 3. sect. 1. and
c. 4. sect. 5, 7.) , he was made governor of the captive Jews, when in Babylon,
being in great favour with the king of Babylon; and, with two more, were his
body guards; and he was continued governor by the Persians, when the Jews
returned to their land:
and to Joshua the son of Josedech the high priest; who is called
Jeshua, and his father Jozadak, Ezra 3:2 his father
was carried captive by Nebuchadnezzar, 1 Chronicles 6:15
now, to these two principal persons in the commonwealth of Judea was the word
of the Lord sent by the prophet; the one having the chief power in civil
things, and the other in things ecclesiastical; and both had an influence upon
the people; but very probably were dilatory in the work of building the temple;
and therefore have a message sent to them, to stir them up to this service:
saying: as follows:
Haggai 1:2 2 “Thus
speaks the Lord of hosts, saying: ‘This people says, “The time has not come, the
time that the Lord’s house should be built.”’”
YLT
2Thus spake Jehovah of
Hosts, saying: This people! -- they have said, `The time hath not come, The
time the house of Jehovah [is] to be built.'
Thus speaketh the Lord of
hosts,.... Of armies above and below; whom all ought to reverence,
honour, and obey; who was able to support his people in building his house, and
protect them from their enemies, which should have been an encouragement to
them; and to punish them for their neglect of it, which might have deterred
them from it. This preface is made, to show that what follow were not the words
of the prophet, but of the Lord; and therefore to be the more regarded, and the
truth of them not to be doubted of:
saying, This people say; repeating the words of
the people of the Jews to Zerubbabel and Joshua, that they might observe them,
and the wickedness and ingratitude in them. "This people", lately
brought out of the captivity of Babylon, and loaded with various blessings and
benefits; and not a few of them, but the generality of them, the body of them,
expressed themselves after this manner, when pressed to build the temple:
The time is not come, the time that the Lord's house should be
built; suggesting that the seventy years of Jerusalem and the temple
lying in ruins, reckoning from the destruction of them in the nineteenth year
of Nebuchadnezzar, were not yet fulfilled; or rather intimating that it was not
the time in Providence, since they had been forbid and hindered in former
reigns from going on with the work; or, since it had been a time of famine and
distress with them, it was not a time fit and convenient to carry on such a
service; and though they did not lay aside all thoughts of it, yet they judged
it right and proper to defer it to a more convenient time, when they were better
settled, and in a better capacity to engage in it.
Haggai 1:3 3 Then
the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying,
YLT
3And there is a word of
Jehovah by the hand of Haggai the prophet, saying:
Then came the word of the
Lord by Haggai the prophet,.... This is a second prophecy, distinct
from the former; that was delivered to the two governors, setting forth the
sentiments and language of the people concerning the building of the temple,
which was left with them to consider how just it was; but this is sent to the
people themselves, expostulating with them about the folly and ingratitude of
it:
saying; as follows:
Haggai 1:4 4 “Is
it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple[a] to lie
in ruins?”
YLT
4Is it time for you -- you!
To dwell in your covered houses, And this house to lie waste?
Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your panelled houses,.... They
could not only find time, leisure, and convenience to build houses to dwell in;
but to wainscot them, and line them with boards of cedar, as the Targum; as bad
as the times were complained of; and could sit in them, indulging themselves in
luxury, ease, and sloth; and why then was it not a fit and convenient time as
well to build the house of the Lord in?
and this house lie waste? or, "and shall this
house lie waste?" or, "when this house lies waste?"F15והבית הזה חרב
"et domus ista deserta manebit?" Drusius; "quum domus haec vasta
est?" Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "dum domus haec desolata
est?" Cocceius. not indeed in its rubbish and ruins, as it was demolished
by the Chaldeans, and left; but with a bare foundation, laid some years ago;
and ever since neglected; the superstructure not carried on, and much less
built up to be fit for service; and therefore might be said with propriety to
lie waste and desolate, being unfinished, unfit for use, and no regard had unto
it. David was of another mind, 2 Samuel 7:2 and
truly religious persons will be more concerned for the house of God than for
their own houses.
Haggai 1:5 5 Now
therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider your ways!
YLT
5And now, thus said Jehovah
of Hosts, Set your heart to your ways.
Now therefore thus saith
the Lord of hosts,.... The Lord God omniscient and omnipotent, that saw all their
actions, and could punish for them; since they were so careful of their own
houses, and adorning them, and so careless of his house; he would have them now
sit down, and seriously think of these things, and of what he should further
observe unto them:
Consider your ways; their sinful ways, and repent of them, and
forsake them, particularly their ingratitude before observed; and their civil
ways, their common ways of life; their labour, work, and business, they were
continually employed in; and observe the event of them; what success they had,
what these issued in; whether there were not some visible tokens of the divine
displeasure on them, which rendered all their attempts to support and enrich
themselves and families vain, and of no effect: and they would do well to
consider to what all this was to be imputed; whether it was not chiefly owing
to this, their neglect of the house of God; and this he would have considered,
not in a slight cursory way; but with great earnestness, diligence, and
application of mind: "put", or "set your hearts upon your
ways"F16שימו לבבכם
"ponite corda vestra", V. L.; "ponite cor vestrum",
Burkius. ; so it may be literally rendered.
Haggai 1:6 6 “You
have sown much, and bring in little; You eat, but do not have enough; You
drink, but you are not filled with drink; You clothe yourselves, but no one is
warm; And he who earns wages, Earns wages to put into a bag with holes.”
YLT
6Ye have sown much, and
brought in little, To eat, and not to satiety, To drink, and not to
drunkenness, To clothe, and none hath heat, And he who is hiring himself out,
Is hiring himself for a bag pierced through.
Ye have sown much, and
bring in little,.... Contrary to what is usually done; the seed that is sown is
but little, in, comparison of what springs up, is reaped, and gathered into the
barn; which commonly affords seed again to the sower, and bread to the eater;
but here much land was tilled, and a great deal of seed was sown in it; but a
thin crop was produced, little was gathered into the barn; a blessing being
withheld from the earth, and from their labours, because of their sins, which
they would do well to think of, and the cause of it:
ye eat, but ye have not enough; what the earth did
yield, and which they gathered in, they made food of, and ate of it; yet it was
not sufficient to satisfy their hunger; or it was not blessed for their
nourishment; or they had a canine appetite in judgment given them, so that they
were never satisfied: or, it was "not for fulness"F17לשבעה "ad satietatem", Calvin, De Dieu; "ad
saturitatem", Munster. ; they were not filled with it to satisfaction, but
still craved more; and yet, it may be, durst not eat more, if they had it, lest
they should want the next day:
ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; or, "not
to inebriation"F18לשכרה "ad
ebrietatem", Tigurine version, Vatablus, Calvin, De Dieu. ; it was not
sufficient to quench their thirst, much less to make them merry and; cheerful:
the vines produced such a small quantity of grapes, and those so little wine,
that they had not enough to drink, at least could not drink freely, but
sparingly, lest it should be all spent before another vintage came:
ye clothe you, but there is none warm; or,
"but" it is "not for heat to him"F19ואין לחם לו
"et non est ad calorem ei", De Dieu; "sed nemo ita ut sit calor
ipsi", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "ut calefiat ei",
Burkius. ; to anyone; so rigorous the season, so extreme the cold, that his
clothes will not keep him warm, even though the climate was, naturally and
usually hot:
and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a
bag with holes; or, "pierced through"F20נקוב
"pertusum", V. L. Munster, Tigurine version, Vatablus, Junius &
Tremellius, Piscator; "perforatum", Munster, Varenius. ; if a man is
hired as a labourer, and gets much wages, and brings it home, and lays it up;
or if he trades and merchandises, and has great gains by it, and thinks to
amass great riches; yet, what through losses, and the dreariness of provisions,
and the many ways he has for the spending of his money, it is as if he put it
into a bag full of holes, and it ran through as fast as put into it; signifying
hereby that all his pains and labour were in vain.
Haggai 1:7 7 Thus
says the Lord of hosts: “Consider your ways!
YLT
7Thus said Jehovah of Hosts:
Set your heart to your ways.
Thus saith the Lord of
hosts, Consider your ways. What they have been; what has been the
consequence of them; and to what the above things are to be ascribed. This
exhortation is repeated, to impress it the more upon their minds; and to denote
the importance of it, and the necessity of such a conduct; See Gill on Haggai 1:5.
Haggai 1:8 8 Go
up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take
pleasure in it and be glorified,” says the Lord.
YLT
8Go up the mountain, and ye
have brought in wood, And build the house, and I am pleased with it. And I am
honoured, said Jehovah.
Go up to the mountain,.... Or,
"that mountain"F21ההר "in
istum montem", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. ; pointing either to
Lebanon, to cut down cedars, and bring them from thence for the building of the
temple; or Mount Moriah, on which the temple was to be built; and thither carry
the wood they fetched from Lebanon, or were brought from thence by the Tyrians:
and bring wood; or, "that ye may bring wood";
from Lebanon, or any other mountain on which wood grew, to Mount Moriah:
and build the house; the temple, whose
foundation was already laid, but the superstructure was neglected: now the Lord
would have them go on with it immediately, out of hand, with the utmost
diligence, alacrity, and vigour; and not desist till the whole building was
completed:
and I will take pleasure in it; as a type of Christ, for
whose sake he was so desirous of having it built; into which he was to come,
and there appear as the promised Saviour. It signifies, moreover, that the Lord
would not only take pleasure in the temple built, but in their work in building
it; which would be acceptable to him, being according to his mind and will; and
that he would take pleasure in, and accept of them, being worshippers therein,
when they worshipped him in spirit and in truth in it; and in their services,
sacrifices, prayers, and praises, being rightly offered; and that he would
forgive their sins, and be propitious to them for his Son's sake, the antitype
of the temple:
and I will be glorified, saith the Lord; by his people
here, and by the worship and service they should perform: or, "I will show
myself glorious"F23אכבד
"gloriosum me ostendam", Vatablus. ; that is, show his glory, causing
his Shechinah to dwell here in glory, as the Targum is. The Jews observe, that
the letter ה is wanting in the word here used, which
numerically signifies "five"; hence they gather that five things were
wanting in the second temple, the ark, the Urim and Thummim, the fire from
heaven, the Shechinah, or the divine Majesty, and the Holy Ghost.
Haggai 1:9 9 “You
looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home,
I blew it away. Why?” says the Lord of hosts.
“Because of My house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs to
his own house.
YLT
9Looking for much, and lo,
little, And ye brought [it] home, and I blew on it, Wherefore? -- an
affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts, Because of My house that is waste, And ye are
running -- each to his house,
Ye looked for much, and,
lo, it came to little,.... They looked for a large harvest, and
very promising it was for a while; but in the end it came to little; it was a
very small crop, very little was reaped and gathered in: or, "in
looking", ye looked "to increase"F24אל הרבה "ad rem
augendam", Grotius. ; your substance; had raised expectations of making
themselves and families by their agriculture, and by their plantations of vines
and olives, and by their trade and merchandise; and it dwindled away, and came
to little or nothing; their riches, instead of being increased, were
diminished:
and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it; when they
brought into their barns or houses the produce of their land, labour, and
merchandise, which was but little, the Lord blew a blast upon that little, and
brought rottenness and worms into it, as Jarchi; so that it was not a blessing
to them, but a curse. So the Targum interprets it,
"behold,
I sent a curse upon it:'
or,
"I blew it away"F25נפחתי בו "exsufflo illud", Vatablus; "efflo
illud", Junius & Tremellius; "difflo", Piscator;
"difflavi", Drusius, Cocceius. ; as any light thing, straw or
stubble, or thistle down, are blown away with a wind; so easily can the Lord,
and sometimes he does, strip men of that little substance they have; riches by
his orders make themselves wings, and flee away; or he, by one providence or
another, blows them away like chaff before the wind:
Why? saith the Lord of hosts; what was the cause and
reason of this? which question is put, not on his own account, who full well
knew it; but for their sakes, to whom he speaks, that they might be made
sensible of it; and in order to that to introduce what follows, which is an
answer to the question:
because of mine house that is waste; which they
suffered to lie waste, and did not concern themselves about the rebuilding of
it: this the Lord resented, and for this reason blasted all their labours:
and ye run every man unto his own house; were very
eager, earnest, and diligent, in building, beautifying, and adorning their own
houses; taking care of their own domestic affairs; sparing no cost nor pains to
promote their own secular interest; running in all haste to do any thing and
everything to increase their worldly substance; but sat still, were idle and
slothful, careless and negligent, about the house of God and the affairs of it.
Haggai 1:10 10 Therefore
the heavens above you withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its fruit.
YLT
10Therefore, over you
refrained have the heavens from dew, And the land hath refrained its increase.
Therefore the heaven over
you is stayed from dew,.... Or, "therefore over", or "upon you"F1על־כן עליכם "propterea super
vos", Varenius, Reinbeck, Burkius. ; where should be a stop; that is,
because, of your neglect of the house of God; therefore upon you, and upon you
only, and not upon other nations, the heaven is restrained from letting down the
dew: or, "therefore I am against you"F2"Idcirco
contra vos", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. ; for the above reason,
and which the following things show; and sad it is to have God to be an enemy,
and against a people! or, "for your sake"; so the Syriac version, to
which sense is the Targum,
"therefore
for your sins;'
and
so Jarchi, "the heaven is stayed from dew"; none descends from it;
the Lord, who has the ordering of it, will not suffer it: to have the dew fall
upon the earth in the night season is a great blessing; it makes the earth
fruitful, revives the corn, plants, and herbs, and causes them to flourish and
increase; and to have it restrained is a judgment:
and the earth is stayed from her fruit; from bringing
forth its increase, which is the consequence of the dew being withheld.
Haggai 1:11 11 For
I called for a drought on the land and the mountains, on the grain and the new
wine and the oil, on whatever the ground brings forth, on men and livestock,
and on all the labor of your hands.”
YLT
11And I proclaim draught on
the land, And on the mountains, and on the corn, And on the new wine, and on
the oil, And on what the ground doth bring forth, And on man, and on beast, And
on all labour of the hands.'
And I called for a drought
upon the land,.... Upon the whole land of Judea; as he withheld the dew and
rain from falling on it to moisten it, refresh it, and make it fruitful; so he
ordered a vehement heat to dry and parch it; and directed the rays of the sun
to strike with great force upon it, and cause the fruits of it to wither; and
which is done by a word of his; when he calls, every creature obeys. There is
an elegant play on words, which shows the justness of such a proceeding, that
it was according to the law of retaliation; they suffered the house of God to
lie חרב, "waste", and therefore he calls
for חרב, a "wasting" drought, to come upon
their land:
and upon the mountains; where herbage grew, and
herds of cattle and flocks of sheep were fed; but now the grass through the
drought was withered away, and so no pasturage for them, and in course must
perish:
and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil; that is, upon
the grain fields, and upon the vines and olive trees; so that they produced but
very little grain, wine, and oil, and that not very good, and which was not
satisfying and refreshing; at least there were not enough for their support and
comfort: now these three things were the principal necessaries of life in the
country of Judea, and therefore a scarcity of them was very distressing:
and upon that which the ground bringeth forth; whatever else
not mentioned the earth produced, as figs, pomegranates, and other fruit:
and upon men, and upon cattle; who not only suffered in
this drought, by the above said things it came upon; but by diseases it
produced upon them, as the pestilence and fever among men, and murrain upon the
cattle:
and upon all the labour of the hands: of men;
whatsoever fields and gardens, trees and plants of every kind, that were set
and cultivated by them. Of this drought, and the famine that came upon it, we
nowhere else read; but there is no doubt to be made of it.
Haggai 1:12 12 Then
Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high
priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the Lord their God had sent him; and the people feared the presence of the Lord.
YLT
12And Zerubbabel son of
Shealtiel, and Joshua son of Josedech, the high priest, and all the remnant of
the people, do hearken to the voice of Jehovah their God, and unto the words of
Haggai the prophet, as Jehovah their God had sent him, and the people are
afraid of the face of Jehovah.
Then Zerubbabel the son of
Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech the high priest,.... Here
follows an account of the success of Haggai's prophecy; with what power and
efficacy the word of the Lord by him was attended; how it at once reached and
affected the hearts of princes and people, and brought them to obedience to the
will of God. The governor and high priest are mentioned first, as being the
principal persons, and who very probably first declared their sense of their
former neglect, and their readiness to do as they were directed; which was
setting a good example to the people, and doubtless had some influence upon
them:
with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord
their God; not the two leading men in church and state only; but all the
people that came out of the Babylonish captivity, who were but a remnant; a few
that were left through various calamities they had been exposed unto; these,
one and all, signified how willing and ready they were to do the work of the
Lord enjoined them: or, "they heard the voice of the Lord"F3וישמע "et audivit", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus,
Burkius. ; by the prophet, very attentively and seriously; and received and
regarded it, not as the word of men, but as the word of God; and determined to
act according to it:
and the words of Haggai the prophet; or, "and for the
words of Haggai the prophet"F4ועל דברי חגי "idque propter
verba Chaggai", Varenius, Reinbeck. ; because of them, considering them as
coming from the Lord himself:
as the Lord their God had sent him; regarding him as having
a mission and commission from the Lord to deliver them to them:
and the people did fear before the Lord; perceiving
that he was displeased with them for the neglect of his house; and that this
drought upon them was a chastisement and correction for this sin; and fearing
lest his wrath should continue, and they should be more severely dealt with, on
account of their transgressions.
Haggai 1:13 13 Then
Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, spoke the Lord’s message
to the people, saying, “I am with you, says the Lord.”
YLT
13And Haggai, messenger of
Jehovah, in messages of Jehovah, speaketh to the people, saying: `I [am] with
you, an affirmation of Jehovah.'
Then spoke Haggai the
Lord's messenger,.... Which some render "angel"; hence sprung that
notion, imbibed by some, that he was not a man, but an angel; whereas this only
respects his office, being sent of God as an ambassador in his name with a
message to his people: he now observing what effect his prophecy had upon the
people; they being convinced of their sin, and terrified with the judgments of
God upon them, and fearing that worse still would attend them; in order to
revive their spirits and comfort them, spake the words unto them which follow:
and this he did
in the Lord's message unto the people; not of his
own head, nor out of the pity of his own heart merely; but as a prophet of the
Lord, having a fresh message from him to carry a promise to them for their
comfort and encouragement:
saying, I am with you, saith the Lord; to pardon
their sins; to accept their persons; to remove his rod from them; to assist
them in the work of building the temple, they were now willing to engage in; to
protect them from their enemies, and to strengthen them to go on with the work
till they had finished it; a short promise, but a very full one: it was saying
much in a little, and enough to remove all their fears, to scatter all their
doubts, and to bear them up, and through all discouragements.
Haggai 1:14 14 So
the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor
of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and
the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and worked on the
house of the Lord of hosts, their God,
YLT
14And Jehovah doth stir up
the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of
Joshua son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of
the people, and they come in, and do work in the house of Jehovah of Hosts
their God,
And the Lord stirred up
the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the
spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all
the remnant of the people,.... He roused them up from that sleep and
sloth in which they were before, both the governors and common people; he
wrought in them both to will and do; or a willing mind to do his work in
building his house; he gave them a spirit both of industry and courage; he
enabled them to shake off that sluggish disposition they were attended with,
and that fear of men which possessed them; he inspired them with zeal and
resolution to enter upon the work at once, and pursue it with close
application; the Lord only could do this:
and they came and did work in the house of the Lord of hosts,
their God; the governor and high priest came to direct and oversee,
encourage and animate the people by their presence and example; and the people
to do the several parts of service that belonged to them, according to their
genius and employment.
Haggai 1:15 15 on
the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month, in the second year of King Darius.
YLT
15in the twenty and fourth
day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.
In the four and twentieth
day of the sixth month,.... Or, "in the four and twentieth of the month, in the
sixth"; in that sixth month before mentioned, Haggai 1:1. On this
day they came and worked; not the sixth from Tisri, for the Jews had two ways
of beginning their years, which would have answered to part of February; and,
therefore, chose by some interpreters as being a proper time to begin building;
but no regard is had to the fitness of the season, but to the order of the
Lord; but the sixth month from Nisan, and answers to part of August; for so the
months are reckoned in the prophecy of Zechariah, who began to prophecy the
same year as Haggai did; see Zechariah 1:1 Zechariah 7:1 this
was three and twenty days after the prophecy was delivered out; during which
time they might be employed in cutting of stones, and sawing and hewing of
wood, as Jarchi suggests, and preparing for work in the temple:
in the second year of Darius the king; See Gill on Haggai 1:1. Here some
begin a new chapter, but wrongly; since, if these words do not belong to the
preceding, there would be a contradiction in joining them with the beginning of
the next.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)