Haggai

Composition

Haggai is an Old Testament book believed to have been written in 520 BCE, about twenty years after the Jewish people returned home from their exile in Babylon. At the time, the Jews were struggling to regain their identity and restore their homeland. According to the book, God tasked Haggai with encouraging the rebuilding of the holy temple, which had been destroyed in 586 BCE. Haggai is one of the Old Testament’s twelve minor prophets, so called because their books were shorter than major prophets such as Isaiah and Ezekiel.

According to tradition, the temple of Solomon was the holiest place in Judaism. It was said to have been constructed in the tenth century BCE and housed the Ten Commandments, the laws of God given to Moses on Mount Sinai. In 597 BCE, the Babylonians, led by king Nebuchadnezzar II, began a campaign to conquer the Kingdom of Judah. The king besieged Jerusalem in 586 BCE, eventually destroying the city and temple. As was common practice at the time, many of the defeated people were forced to leave home and relocate to Babylon. Thousands of Jews were forced into exile from 597–581 BCE. In 537 BCE, Persian King Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon and allowed the displaced Jews to return home.

Haggai was a Jewish prophet who was commanded to give God’s message to Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah. Scholars know very little about Haggai, other than that he must have been a religious leader of some status. In Hebrew, his name means “to gather for a festival” or “celebrate a festival.” A line in chapter 2 hints that Haggai had seen the temple before it was destroyed, suggesting that he was very old at the time of his writing.

Haggai offers very specific dates as to when he was writing. He begins by stating it was the “second year of King Darius,” a Persian king who came to power in 522 BCE. Furthermore, Haggai dates the events of his book as beginning on the first day of the sixth month and ending on the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. In the Gregorian calendar, these dates correspond to mid-August to mid-December 520 BCE.

Although the dates in Haggai are very specific, they do not necessary prove its authorship or the periods in which it was written. Most experts do place the events of the book as occurring under the reign of Darius I from 522–486 BCE. However, some speculate that the Darius the book refers to was another Persian king of that name—Darius II, who ruled from 425–405 BCE, or Darius III, who ruled from 337–307 BCE. Those who believe that Haggai was written much later than 520 BCE say that it may have been set shortly after the Babylonian exile to “fulfill” predictions made in other books.

Summary

The book opens with Haggai saying that God has given him a message for Zerubbabel. The message states that the Lord is unhappy that the people have not yet rebuilt his temple. God sees that the people are not content. They plant crops, but do not harvest enough. They eat food, but never have enough. They wear clothes but are never warm enough. They earn money, but it falls out through holes in their purses. These hardships are a sign from God that the people have neglected his house while they go about taking care of their own.

Because of this, God has caused a drought that has withered the grains in the field and the grapes on the vine. The drought has caused livestock to die and brought suffering to the people. God commands Zerubbabel to send men into the mountains to bring back timber so the temple may be rebuilt. Haggai then addresses the people, telling them that the Lord says, “I am with you.” Zerubbabel and the people fear the Lord and are moved by his spirit, so they do as they are told.

God sends Haggai a second message to deliver to Zerubbabel. In it, the Lord asks who is left alive that remembers the original temple in all its glory? He says that compared to the old temple, the new one seems as “nothing.” However, the Lord also tells Zerubbabel and the people to stay strong and keep working. The Lord promises to support his people with his spirit and tells them not to fear as they undertake the endeavor.

God also says that he will one day return in glory to “shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land.” He will fill his temple with his glory so that all nations shall seek it out. The Lord says that the glory of the rebuilt temple will surpass that of the old temple. To those who visit the new temple, God promises to grant peace.

God’s third message to Haggai consists of a parable addressed to the priests. Haggai asks the priests a question: If someone carries meat that was consecrated under Jewish dietary law in the folds of their garment, and that garment touches stew or wine, does that food also become consecrated? The priests tell him no. Then, Haggai asks if someone has contact with a dead body—an act considered highly unclean under Jewish law—and that person touches one of those food items, are those items then defiled? The priests answer yes.

The Lord explains his parable by saying that because the Jews had not obeyed God, whatever they had touched became defiled. When someone went to get twenty baskets of grain, there was only enough for ten. When someone went to draw wine, there was far less in the vat than expected. Everything the Jews touched, the Lord struck down with hail, mold, and disease. However, now that the people have listened to God and laid the foundation for his temple, they will be blessed from this day forward.

God’s fourth and final message is again addressed to Zerubbabel. In it, the Lord says that he will assert his will over Earth’s other kingdoms. He will overthrow their empires and destroy their chariots. God then tells Zerubbabel that he has chosen him to act as his signet ring.

Themes

The book of Haggai consists of two chapters and is written in prose, rather than in the flowery, poetic language often found in some prophetic books of the Old Testament. The book is broken down into four messages that are precisely dated, each according to when it was received. Haggai says that he received the first on the first day of the sixth month in the Hebrew calendar. This corresponds to a time in August or September in the Gregorian calendar. Haggai says the people began work on rebuilding the temple on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month. Another message was delivered on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month and two were delivered on the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, which falls in November or December. The compressed timeframe in which Haggai is given his message suggests that God wanted the people to begin work immediately and finish his temple as fast as possible.

The fate of the community is intricately tied to their rebuilding the temple and obedience to God. The Babylonian exile itself was considered a sign of God’s punishment, but once the people had returned, their continued suffering signaled that they had not done enough to appease God. By moving forward and beginning to rebuild, the people show that they are repentant, and God, in return, shows them mercy and promises them property. The laying of the temple foundation is enough for God to stop the drought and allow crops to grow again.

Some scholars believe that Haggai may have detailed the initial steps in any ancient building project. The first step is a royal decree—or in this case a divine one—to begin a project. The next steps are preparing for the construction and deciding on a structure. Later steps include dedication ceremonies and the blessing of the structure. Although not mentioned in Haggai, the temple was completed about 515 BCE and dedicated by Zerubbabel.

For his role in listing to God and spurring the rebuild, Zerubbabel is honored by God as his chosen servant. When the temple is rebuilt, God also promises that he will destroy the enemies of the Jews and reestablish a Jewish kingdom.

Bibliography

“Haggai.” Bible Gateway, www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Haggai%201&version=NIV. Accessed 25 Apr. 2022.

“Haggai.” Society for Old Testament Study, 2022, www.sots.ac.uk/wiki/haggai/. Accessed 25 Apr. 2022.

“Haggai.” United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2022, bible.usccb.org/bible/haggai/0. Accessed 25 Apr. 2022.

Hooker, Richard. “The Jewish Temples: The Babylonian Exile.” Jewish Virtual Library, 2022, www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-babylonian-exile. Accessed 25 Apr. 2022.

“Minor Prophets.” Society for Old Testament Study, 2022, www.sots.ac.uk/wiki/minor-prophets/. Accessed 25 Apr. 2022.

Petterson, Anthony R. Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. IVP Academic, 2015.

Sanford, David. “How Haggai Encouraged the Rebuilding of the Second Temple.” Christianity.com, 12 May 2021, www.christianity.com/wiki/people/how-haggai-encouraged-the-rebuilding-of-the-second-temple.html. Accessed 25 Apr. 2022.

Schifferdecker, Kathryn M. “Theological Themes in Haggai.” Enter the Bible, enterthebible.org/courses/haggai/lessons/theological-themes-in-haggai. Accessed 25 Apr. 2022.