This was addressed to the leaders, rebuking them for the spiritual lethargy which had allowed the temple to lie unfinished for such a long time. So the first prophecy in this book was a message of rebuke. The book of the twelve prophets was originally on one parchment roll because of the brevity of the text, and together formed one book of the 24 books of hebrew scripture. He also pointed out when the people turned away from god, their needs were not met, but when they honored god, they prospered.
Then comes the word of elohim through the prophet haggai letting them know that yahweh was aware of what they were doing and encouraging. The book of haggai, the second shortest in the old testament, communicates this same message. The book consists of four prophecies delivered over a fourmonth period in the second year of the reign of the persian king darius i the great 521 bc. Haggai spoke of him as the glory of the latter house, and zechariah as the man, the branch. Before the temple completed, and then wrote chapters 9. It appears that haggai had returned to judah by permission of cyrus in the first year of the reign of darius. Haggai is the tenth of the twelve prophets in the book of the twelve in hebrew scripture. Haggai told the people, the lord says, i am with you. May 16, 2009 there are a number of helpful commentaries on the book of haggai, and the following are five of the best.
It is a postexilic book, meaning it was written after post the captivity exile in babylon. We hope this outline of haggai will assist you as you investigate the bible. He does not give us the total picture, but we need to start here in understanding how god sometimes works out his love in unexpected ways. Then spoke haggai, the lords messenger, in the lords message, in his name, and as from him, saying, i am with you, saith the lord. In the book of haggai, god refers to zerubbabel as my servant as king david was, and says he will make him as a signet ring, as king jehoiachin was haggai 2. He was the leader of judah and the son of shealtiel. It is a short book, consisting of only two chapters. Haggai is also mentioned twice in the book of ezra, the priest who oversaw the work. Thus priest, prophet, and ruler jointly testify in gods name. Haggai was the first of the three postexilic prophets.
Why were the israelites not rebuilding the temple haggai 1. The desire of all nations will come to that temple and then the glory of the second will be greater than the glory of the first as in chapter 2. Gods name, jehovah, appears 35 times in the prophecys 38 verses. This allows the reader, with a little help, to pinpoint not only when these words were prophesied but also to track the progress and response of the hearers over time. Haggai gives another proclamation from the word of the lord chapter 2. All of these prophetic books contain a piece of the puzzle that contributes to the total historicalspiritual picture. The book of haggai introduction to the book of haggai in the bible. Haggai is very literal, directly addressing the economic decline and the tangible solution building the temple. The book of zechariah is narrative history, prophetic and apocalyptic in genre. Haggai was a prophet who, along with zechariah, encouraged the returned exiles to rebuild the temple see ezr. After thousands of years, the book of haggai remains largely unique among the books of old testament prophets for one key reason. The nwt study bible is complete with cross references, maps, and an accurate bible dictionary. Summary of haggai introduction it must be registered from the outset that this is an outline study only of the so called minor prophets written as an introduction to a small group of people who played a huge role in guidingwarning the nations of israel and judah of the lords will regarding them. Apple, may 2007 four messages challenging the people of god to wholeheartedly commit themselves to the work of god and they came and worked on the house of the lord of hosts, their god haggai 1.
The prophet haggai recorded his four messages to the jewish people of jerusalem in 520 bc, eighteen years after their return from exile. The specific mention of the second year of darius places the book in the year 520 b. He believes that someone close to haggai in his day wrote the book with authentic material from haggai. This summary of the book of haggai provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of haggai.
Haggai zechariah malachi matthew the year was 520 bc. The book of haggai contains strong reproof, encouragement, and hopeinspiring prophecy. A large emigration had taken place from the land of captivity to jerusalem. There are also chronological prophecies in the book of haggai which dovetail with chronological prophecies in the following book of zechariah. When your conscience nags, you have reasons to explain why things are. A summary, synopsis or recap is a shortened version of the original. The book of haggai is named after its assumed writer, the prophet haggai. Haggai reproves the jews for neglecting the temple. The book of haggai was written 70 years after this prophesied exile and recounts the experience of a small group of israelites, led by joshua and zerubbabel, who had returned to. Most of these books are collections of discourses and visions, but haggai mixes short messages from god with the way people respond to them. They came for one major purpose to rebuild the temple that had been destroyed by babylon in. Haggai haggai 1 kjv commentary analysis application bible study.
Outline of the book of haggai the first of haggais four prophecies haggai 1. Haggai shows us that we are all in danger of doing this. It is about rebuilding jerusalem and why it was important for the jews to rebuild the temple. Haggai blends history and prophecy like no other minor prophet. The book of haggai, also known as the book of aggeus, is a book of the hebrew bible or. The historical setting dates around 520 bce before the temple has been rebuilt. This is where we learn that the work of rebuilding the temple was interrupted for around 14 years but taken up again as a result of the prophetic ministry of haggai and zechariah in the second year of king darius. An easyenglish translation and commentary 1200 word vocabulary on the book of haggai. Apart from obadiah, haggai is the shortest book in the ot, but its teachings are none the less significant.
Haggai summary we have detailed a brief summary of the book of haggai for bible study or sunday school lessons. Ye have let my house be waste, and i will send on all that is yours a wasting drought. To grasp its full significance, we require knowledge about the books of ezra, jeremiah, malachi, and zechariah. This fulfills the prophecies of isaiah, jeremiah and others. Then the prophets, haggai the prophet and zechariah the son of iddo, prophesied unto the jews that were in jerusalem, in the name of the god of israel, even unto them so we read ezra 5. The book of haggai is narrative history and prophetic oracle. Haggai 1 kjv commentary analysis application bible study. Haggai commentary introduction lets open our bibles to the book of haggai. The date of this book is, i believe, the most precisely dated book in the whole of the bible. He upholds the unity of the book, and traces the movement through the verses carefully in relation to its background.
Does god use frustrations in life to awaken andor punish us haggai 1. The book of haggai, second shortest in the old testament, has a potent message. They came for one major purpose to rebuild the temple that had been destroyed by babylon in 586. The book of haggai is a book of the hebrew bible or tanakh, and has its place as the thirdtolast of the minor prophets.
And if you and i respond to the rebuke god sends to us through his word like the jews did, we will receive the kind of comfort this prophecy gives. When the people give priority to god and his house, they are blessed rather than cursed cf. These events that build the historical background of the book of haggai are described in detail in the book of ezra. Sixteen years have passed since the jewish returnees from babylonian exile laid the foundation of jehovahs temple in jerusalem. He has interacted with much scholarship within the text and in footnotes. It tells us to put first things first in our lives. Haggai is the tenth of the minor prophets, the last 12 books of the old testament. The commentary on haggai in this volume was written by alec motyer, one of the most insightful and helpful old testament scholars alive today. Haggai with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. Rebuilding the temple commentary provides one key step in trying to figure out what god is doing when things get tough. The book of haggai contains messages delivered by the prophet haggai, and thus it is reasonable to consider haggai its author. Greater glory promised to the second temple than to the first. The book of haggai is the second smallest book of the old testament.
Each sermon is given to the exact day and makes you wonder if haggai kept a journal with him to record his acts. Outline of the book of haggai haggais work haggai was a prophet of god that prophesied to the jews who had returned to jerusalem from babylon during the year 536 bc i. Haggai addresses the civil and the religious representatives of the people, so as to have them as his associates in giving gods commands. In this book, haggai challenges israel after the exile to remain faithful to their god and rebuild the temple. Haggai free bible commentary in easy english easyenglish bible. When god had a message for the people, he spoke through the.
Haggai dares to show them that they had given themselves. The prophecy consists of four messages from god delivered to the nation after the rebuilding of the temple had ceased for about 10 years. Haggai 1 commentary matthew henry commentary on the. Haggais message to rebuild the temple was passionate, simple, and straightforward haggai 1. The book of haggai is a reminder of the problems the people of god faced at this time, how the people courageously trusted in god. The people of israel were conquered by babylon because they broke their covenant with god through idolatry and injustice. Haggai 1 commentary commentary critical and explanatory on. Aug 15, 2018 in this second shortest book of the old testament after obadiah, haggai scolded his countrymen for living in paneled houses while the lords house had fallen into disarray. After 70 years of captivity, persian king cyrus, issued a decree in 538 b. Study haggai 1 using matthew henrys bible commentary concise to better understand scripture with full outline and verse meaning. Read haggai 1 commentary using matthew henry commentary on the whole bible complete. Watch our overview video on the book of haggai, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. The book of haggai is the first of the three postexile prophets.
Jan 02, 2020 haggai called them not to be discouraged because this temple would not be quite as richly decorated as solomons. The book of zechariah contains the clearest and the largest number of messianic about the messiah passages among the minor prophets. The concise, bare bones style of the book of haggai has led some scholars to believe it is a summary of a longer, more detailed work that has since been lost. The prophet zechariah wrote chapters 18 approximately 520518 b.
Translators could also find the translated bible text useful, as the writer translated from the hebrew text. The short prophecy of haggai is very important on the prophetic scene. Key personalities are haggai, zerubbabel, and joshua. Haggai called them not to be discouraged because this temple would not be quite as richly decorated as solomons. In that respect, its possible to think of the book of zechariah as a kind of miniature book of isaiah. Book of zechariah overview insight for living ministries. Because his name means festal one, it is suggested that haggai was born on a feast day.
Zechariah pictures christ in both his first coming zechariah 9. Understanding the book of haggai in the bible old testament. May 03, 2017 the book of haggai is a book of the hebrew bible or tanakh, and has its place as the thirdtolast of the minor prophets. These jews were led back to jerusalem to rebuild the temple of jehovah that had been destroyed by the babylonians. The book of haggai contains historical markers at the outset of each message. The book of haggai, also known as the book of aggeus, is a book of the hebrew bible or tanakh, and has its place as the thirdtolast of the minor prophets. Chaggai haggai judaica press translation with rashis commentary at christian translations. And i hope that by looking at this book you will be challenged and encouraged to do what god is calling you to do. The prophet haggai recorded his four messages to the jewish people of jerusalem in 520 bc, eighteen years after their return from exile in babylon 538 bc. Translators could also find the translated bible text useful, as the.
Haggai is among the most carefully and precisely dated books in the entire bible. Gods people had returned from exile in persia in 539 19 years earlier. Haggai 1 commentary, one of over 110 bible commentaries freely available, this commentary is a onevolume commentary prepared by robert jamieson, a. Haggai clearly shows the consequences of disobedience 1. Yet, the temple is not completed, and the building work is under ban. Haggai supported the officials of his time, specifically zerubbabel, the governor, and joshua the high priest. Book of haggai bible survey what are the major prophets and minor prophets. Haggai is the second shortest book in the old testament obadiah is shorter, and is quoted by the new testament once compare heb.
Introduction the prophets to the returned remnant were haggai, zechariah, and malachi. The book of haggai offers future hope and encourages. The desire of all nations will come to that temple and then the glory of the second will. The straightforward style of the book is enhanced by the use of questions, recurring expressions, and commands. Summary of the book of haggai the story of the bible. The book of haggai records the extra motivation that was needed by god in 520 bc to have the israelites complete the rebuilding of the temple after they returned from the exile.
David guzik commentary on haggai 1, where god rebukes the returning. At the same time the lord shows the glorious purpose and design of the true temple which is jesus christ. He exhorted them to turn from the uncleanness of their ways and to trust in gods sovereign power. The great purpose which the returning exiles had in view was the rebuilding of the temple, as the centrepoint of the restored nation. It was written to people like us, who would say that god must be first.
Rudolph who says in his commentary on haggai that the book has no relevance at all for the christian faith verhoef, p. It is a postexilic book, meaning it was written after post the return from captivity exile in babylon. According to the book of ezra the jews returned to their homeland. God will surely be with you as you strive to do what. And i also hope that you will take to heart the lessons that we learn from haggai about serving the lord. Study the bible online using commentary on haggai 1 and more. In them the light of that morning star shone more brightly than in the foregoing prophecies, as they lived nearer the time of the rising of the sun of righteousness, and now began to see his day approaching. The book of haggai, second shortest in the old testament, has a. The book of haggai was written 70 years after this prophesied exile and recounts the experience of a small group of israelites, led by joshua and zerubbabel, who had returned to rebuild jerusalem. Haggai chapter 1 summary and what god wants from us duration. The book of haggai is only one composition among a rather rich corpus of hebrew literature of the sixth and fifth centuries b. Haggai, the writer of this short book, is mentioned in ezra 5. Book of haggai overview insight for living ministries. Jul 04, 2010 so, the book of haggai is a call to do gods work.
In this book, haggai challenges israel after the exile to remain faithful. Haggai, zechariah niv application commentary by mark boda more insights. He was the first prophet after the death of jeremiah and ezekiel. It was written to people, like us, who would have told you that god must be first.