Haggai
God raised up certain "prophets" who were His mouthpieces.
They would speak out against their sin and idolatry and would
continually warn of God's judgment. Some of the prophets spoke
out in the North and some in the South, but God was faithfully
warning them of certain catastrophe if they would not turn to
him.
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The Book of Haggai is a book of the Hebrew Bible, written by
the prophet Haggai. It was written in 520 BCE some 18 years
after Cyrus had conquered Babylon and issued a decree in 538
BCE allowing the captive Jews to return to Judea. He saw the
restoration of the temple as necessary for the restoration of
the religious practices and a sense of peoplehood after a long
exile.
It consists of two simple, comprehensive chapters. The object
of the prophet is generally urging the people to proceed with
the rebuilding of the second Jerusalem temple in 521 BCE after
the return of the deportees. Haggai attributes a recent
drought to the peoples' refusal to rebuild the temple, which
he sees as key to Jerusalem’s glory. The book ends with the
prediction of the downfall of kingdoms, with one Zerubbabel,
governor of Judah, as the Lord’s chosen leader. The language
here is not as finely wrought as in some other books of the
minor prophets, yet the intent seems straightforward...
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hag'-a-i, hag'-a-i (chaggay, an adjective formed from chagh,
"feast"):
1. Name:
The word "Haggai" may mean "festal," the prophet having been
born perhaps on a festival day; compare the Roman name
"Festus." Hebrew proper names were sometimes formed in this
manner, e.g. Barzillai, "a man of iron," from barzel,
"iron." Haggai may, however, be a shortened form of Haggiah
(1 Ch 6:30), meaning "festival of Yahweh," as Mattenai is an
abbreviation of Mattaniah (Ezr 10:33,16). In Greek Haggaios,
in Latin, Aggaeus or Aggeus, sometimes Haggaeus. Haggai is
the 10th in the order of the Twelve Prophets.
2. Personal History:
Little is really known of his personal history. But we do
know that he lived soon after the captivity, being the first
of the prophets of the Restoration. From Hag 2:3 of his
prophecies it is inferred by many that he had seen the first
temple, which, as we know, was destroyed in 586 BC. If so,
he must have prophesied when a comparatively old man, for we
know the exact date of his prophecies, 520 BC. According to
Ezr 5:1; 6:14, he was a contemporary of Zechariah, and was
associated with him in the work of rebuilding the temple;
besides, in the Greek and Latin and Syriac VSS, his name
stands with Zechariah's at the head of certain psalms, e.g.
Ps 111 (112), in the Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405
A.D.) alone; Psalms 125; 126, in the Peshitta alone; Ps 137,
in the Septuagint alone; Psalms 146; 147; 148, in Septuagint
and Peshitta; and Ps 145, in Septuagint, Peshitta and
Vulgate; perhaps these psalms were introduced into the
temple-service on their recommendation. He was a prophet of
great faith (compare 2:1-5); it is possible that he was a
priest also (compare 2:10-19). Like Malachi he bears the
name of "Yahweh's messenger" (Heg 1:13; compare Mal 3:1).
According to Jewish tradition, he was a member of the Great
Synagogue...
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The style of Haggai is generally tame and prosaic, though at
times it rises to the dignity of severe invective when the
prophet rebukes his countrymen for their selfish indolence and
neglect of God's house. But the brevity of the prophecies is
so great, and the poverty of expression which characterizes
them so striking, as to give rise to a conjecture, not without
reason, that in their present form they are but the outline or
summary of the original discourses. They were delivered in the
second year of Darius Hystaspes (B.C. 620), at intervals from
the 1st day of the 6th month to the 24th day of the 9th month
in the same year.
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consists of two brief, comprehensive chapters. The object of
the
prophet was generally to urge the people to proceed
with the
rebuilding of the temple.
Chapter first comprehends the first address (2-11) and
its
effects (12-15). Chapter second contains,
(1.) The second prophecy (1-9), which was delivered a
month
after the first.
(2.) The third prophecy (10-19), delivered two months
and
three days after the second; and
(3.) The fourth prophecy (20-23), delivered on the
same day as
the third.
These discourses are referred to in Ezra 5:1; 6:14;
Heb.
12:26. (Comp. Hag. 2:7, 8, 22.)
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festive, one of the twelve so-called minor prophets. He was
the
first of the three (Zechariah, his contemporary, and
Malachi,
who was about one hundred years later, being the
other two)
whose ministry belonged to the period of Jewish
history which
began after the return from captivity in Babylon.
Scarcely
anything is known of his personal history. He may
have been one
of the captives taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar.
He began his
ministry about sixteen years after the Return. The
work of
rebuilding the temple had been put a stop to through
the
intrigues of the Samaritans. After having been
suspended for
fifteen years, the work was resumed through the
efforts of
Haggai and Zechariah (Ezra 6:14), who by their
exhortations
roused the people from their lethargy, and induced
them to take
advantage of the favourable opportunity that had
arisen in a
change in the policy of the Persian government. (See
DARIUS
characterized:, "There is a ponderous and simple
dignity in the
emphatic reiteration addressed alike to every class
of the
community, prince, priest, and people, 'Be strong,
be strong, be
strong' (2:4). 'Cleave, stick fast, to the work you
have to do;'
or again, 'Consider your ways, consider, consider,
consider'
(1:5, 7;2:15, 18). It is the Hebrew phrase for the
endeavour,
characteristic of the gifted seers of all times, to
compel their
hearers to turn the inside of their hearts outwards
to their own
view, to take the mask from off their consciences,
to 'see life
steadily, and to see it wholly.'", Stanley's Jewish
Church. (See
SIGNET -T0003426.)
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("my feast".) A name given in anticipation of the joyous
return from exile. Perhaps a Levite, as the rabbis say he
was buried at Jerusalem among the priests. Tradition
represents him as returning with the first exiles from
Babylon his birthplace, under Zerubbabel 536 B.C., when
Cyrus, actuated by Isaiah's prophecies concerning himself
(Isaiah 44:28; Isaiah 45:1), decreed the Jews' restoration
and the rebuilding of the temple, for which he furnished all
necessaries. (See CYRUS; EZRA; AHASUERUS; ARTAXERXES;
DARIUS.) In spite of Samaritan opposition the temple
building went on under Cyrus and Cambyses (Ahasuerus Ezra
4:6); but under the Magian usurper Smerdis (Artaxerxes Ezra
4:7-23) the Samaritans procured a royal decree suspending
the work.
Hence, the Jews became so indifferent about it that
when Darius came to the throne (521 B.C.), whose accession
virtually nullified the usurper's prohibition, they
pretended that as the prophecy of the 70 years applied to
the temple as well as to the captivity in Babylon (Haggai
1:2), they were only in the 68th year, and that, the time
not yet having come, they might build splendid cieled
mansions for themselves. Haggai first, and Zechariah two
months later, were commissioned by Jehovah (Haggai 1:1) in
Darius' (Hystaspes) second year, 520 B.C., to rouse them
from their selfishness to resume the work which had been
suspended for 14 years. The dates of his four distinct
prophecies are given.
I. (Haggai 1). On the first day of the 6th month of
Darius' second year of reigning, 520 B.C. Reproves their
apathy in leaving the temple in ruins; reminds them of their
ill fortune because of their neglect of God's house. In
consequence, within 24 days they began building under
Zerubbabel (Haggai 1:12-15)...
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