Haggai 2
1 In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of the LORD by the prophet Haggai, saying,
2 Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the residue of the people, saying,
3 Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?
4 Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts:
5 According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not.
6 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;
7 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.
8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.
9 The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.
10 In the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying,
11 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ask now the priests concerning the law, saying,
12 If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, No.
13 Then said Haggai, If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean.
14 Then answered Haggai, and said, So is this people, and so is this nation before me, saith the LORD; and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean.
15 And now, I pray you, consider from this day and upward, from before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of the LORD:
16 Since those days were, when one came to an heap of twenty measures, there were but ten: when one came to the pressfat for to draw out fifty vessels out of the press, there were but twenty.
17 I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands; yet ye turned not to me, saith the LORD.
18 Consider now from this day and upward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of the LORD'S temple was laid, consider it.
19 Is the seed yet in the barn? yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you.
20 And again the word of the LORD came unto Haggai in the four and twentieth day of the month, saying,
21 Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth;
22 And I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen; and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother.
23 In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the LORD, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith the LORD of hosts.
World Behind This Chapter
Explore the people, places, language, history, and material world connected to Haggai 2.
What temple were the people rebuilding in Haggai 2?
The project was the Jerusalem temple later called the Second Temple. Haggai compares the building then visible with the remembered “former glory” of its predecessor. Archaeology cannot isolate the 520 BCE structure securely beneath the later building phases of the Temple Mount.
Why does Haggai ask priests questions about holiness and impurity?
Verses 11–13 present two short rulings: holiness is not transferred indirectly through contact, while ritual impurity can be. Haggai then applies that contrast rhetorically to the community and its offerings; the exchange resembles priestly instruction rather than a narrative incident.
Why is Zerubbabel compared with a signet ring?
A signet authenticated documents and represented delegated authority. Calling Zerubbabel a chosen signet reverses the rejected-signet image applied to his ancestor Jehoiachin in Jeremiah 22:24. Scholars debate the passage’s political expectations, but Haggai does not report Zerubbabel becoming king.
WORTH A CLOSER LOOK
See how a royal signet made authority visible
This Achaemenid cylinder seal depicts Darius I in a chariot and names him “Darius, Great King” in Old Persian, Elamite, and Babylonian. It probably belonged to a high-ranking official rather than to Darius himself. The object makes Haggai’s signet metaphor tangible without claiming it resembles Zerubbabel’s own seal.
View the objectResearch PathsCurated links for exploring this chapter 3
History & Daily Life1
- The Behistun Inscription of Darius ILivius
Browser-readable translation of Darius I’s monumental account of revolts and the restoration of Persian imperial control. Its catalogue of defeated kings and kingdoms provides contemporary background for Haggai’s imagery of shaking nations and overturning royal thrones.
Language & Literature1
- Haggai 2: Texts in ConversationIntertextual Bible
Collects connections involving the former temple, divine presence, shaking heaven and earth, the wealth of nations, priestly rulings about holiness and impurity, agricultural failure, restored blessing, overturned chariots, and Zerubbabel as a chosen signet.
Artifacts & Manuscripts1
- Achaemenid Persian Stamp SealThe Metropolitan Museum of Art
Visible stamp seal from the Achaemenid period demonstrating how engraved seals authenticated ownership, authority, or administrative acts. It provides a material comparison for Haggai’s promise that Zerubbabel would become like a signet, though this object did not belong to him.
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