From Christine Hayes’ Lecture 23 Summary in Dropbox
Post-exilic prophets like Haggai, Zechariah, and Third Isaiah articulated eschatological hopes to address the disillusionment of returning exiles. Haggai (520 BCE): Blamed the community’s hardships on their failure to rebuild the temple (Haggai 1:4-6) and saw Zerubbabel as a potential Davidic messiah.
From Christine Hayes’ Lecture 23 in Dropbox
So new prophets in the period of the Restoration have to address the community’s disappointment. The short Book of Haggai contains the words of the Prophet Haggai, spoken primarily to Zerubabbel, (Zerubabbel is the governor of Judea). Haggai prophesies around 520, and he declares that all of the difficulties the community was facing, the agricultural setbacks and the famines, these were all signs of God’s displeasure that the temple hadn’t been completed.
Zerubabbel is convinced by this, the people return to their task enthusiastically, and as we know, the temple is rebuilt as Haggai promised. He says it’s a humble structure but soon it’s going to be filled with treasures flowing in from all nations. And the promises of the Restoration that were made by the prophets of old are just around the corner.
So Haggai longed for a rebuilt temple. But not only that, also for the re-establishment of Judah’s independence under a Davidic King. And he held out hope for Zerubabbel, the governor, who was, after all, a descendant of David, through the last king that went into exile. He hoped that he would serve as God’s messiah, or appointed king. That hope is even stronger in the work of Haggai’s contemporary, the prophet Zechariah.
From the Oxford Bible Commentary
See the PDF version in the 128 GB USB drive.
A. Historical Background.
1. Haggai is one of the shortest of the prophetic books. Still, these thirty-seven verses offer a significant vantage point from which to observe a nodal moment in Israelite history, the creation of the Second Temple community out of which Judaism emerged. The book’s chronological markers (1:1; 2:1; 2:10) fix the literature to one year, 520 BCE, and to the issues of restoration for those in Persian-period Judah (also known as Yehud)….
2. Many prophetic books begin with references to Israelite or Judahite kings during whose reign the prophet was active (e.g. Isa 1:1; Jer 1:3; Hos 1:1; Am 1:1). Haggai could not commence with such references since there was no longer a king in Israel. Still, the author/editor of this book decided to situate the literature with reference to a king’s reign. The natural candidate was Darius, the Persian emperor, who reigned from 522 to 486 BCE….
B. Date and Place of Composition.
Although the book of Haggai refers explicitly to Persian chronology, it was almost certainly written in Judah. Haggai himself may well have been among those Yahwists who remained in the land during the
Babylonian Exile. Since the book includes chronological formulae, all of which refer to the year 520 BCE, it is difficult to imagine that the book was written much later than this pivotal moment. Given the special prominence of the temple for Haggai, one would have expected him to refer to its completion, which took place in 515 BCE. Since the book does not refer to this event, it was probably written between 520 and 515 BCE….
COMMENTARY
(1:1—2) Build the House Haggai addresses two individuals, both of whom were Yahwists sent to Judah by the Persian authorities (cf. Ezra 2:2). Zerubbabel held the political title of governor, while Joshua bore the religious title, high priest. They symbolize a new governance structure in Israel. Both offices were new ones….
(1:12—15a) They worked on the House of the Lord. This prose section chronicles the impact of Haggai upon those who heard him. That group is, however, larger than his initial audience. Along with Zerubbabel and Joshua, the text refers to ‘all the remnant of the people’ (w. 12, 14; 2:2)….
(1:15b—2:9) Take Courage. Almost a month passes before Haggai’s next utterance. His public is the same as that in the previous chronicle: Zerubbabel, Joshua, and the remnant. Moreover, he uses interrogative rhetoric as he did earlier (1:4, 9). 2:3 presents questions that surely explore the sensibilities of those who were in a position to compare the emerging Second Temple with the Solomonic Temple. The new
structure must have seemed a pale copy….
(2:10—14) Holy—Unclean A little over two months passes before Haggai speaks again as prophet. Now the audience is limited to the priests. Haggai makes use of questions again, and of a sort that requires special knowledge about Israel’s ritual norms….
(2:15-19) A Stone in the Lord’s Temple If the book of Haggai has a climax, it occurs in this section. These verses attest building activity of a special form, the laying of a foundation stone (w. 15,18; see Petersen 1974)….
(2:20-3) Zerubbabel, my Servant The twenty-fourth day of the sixth month in 520 BCE was doubly important, as this second oracle from that day signifies. Whereas earlier oracles had been delivered to both Zerubbabel and Joshua, this one is addressed only to Zerubbabel….
Extracts From the Harper Collins Commentary, Page 675
The literary arrangement of the book is quite similar to that of Zechariah 1-8, so much so that Zechariah
can be read as a prophetic continuation of Haggai. In both, the sayings of the prophet are introduced by precise dates locating them in the reign of the Persian ruler, Darius (> Darius). These chronological introductions to the sayings are part of a narrative framework in which Haggai’s sayings are set. The narrative setting divides the book into sections that can be read in sequence as a chronological account of Haggai’s prophetic activity.
The five major sections of the book may be dated to a four-month period in 520 B.c.:
August 29, 1:1-11
September 21, 1:12-15a
October 17, 1:15b—2:9
December 18, 2:10-19
December 18, 2:20—23
The Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem was the major focus of Haggai’s prophecy (> Temple, The). Its rebuilding and the reinstitution of its ceremonies as central to the life of the nation were his constant concerns.
Commentary
1:1-11, Consider Seriously Your Situation. The chronological formula (1:1) places the Lord’s command, conveyed by the prophet to a political leader and high priest, within an urgent context. The people
are quoted (1:2) as saying that they refuse to build the house of the Lord, despite dwelling in their own
houses (1:4, 9). In the midst of Zerubbabel’s and Joshua’s failure to lead and the people’s refusal to
build, Haggai comes empowered by the Lord, commanding that the people consider the results of their
actions as well as the potential impact of building the Lord’s house (1:5, 7).
1:12-15a, I Am with You. A simple word of assurance from the Lord (v. 13) moves the narrative beyond the
Lord’s initial admonition (vv. 1-11). Even though the leaders are still addressed, the people are of central importance (v. 13). The historical narrative that links the Lord’s word and deed with the people’s word and deed also emphasizes the importance of the prophet’s role. Only twenty-four days after the initial prophetic word (1:1; 1:15a), the people begin to work on the Temple.
1:15b—2:9, I Will Fill This House with Glory. The occasion for these precisely dated words of comfort is
not stated explicitly. The day occurred within the Feast of Booths (Lev. 23:33-36)… Haggai begins by questioning (v. 3), then reassuring the leaders and the people; they must not fear, for he will be with them (note the similarities between 1:12-13 and 2:4-5). Haggai promises that glory will fill the Temple and that, ultimately, well-being and prosperity will ensue.
2:10-19, Consider This Day and Its Future Significance.
Something of profound importance happened three months from the day that Haggai first conveyed
the Lord’s word. Nothing seems special about this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. … One key to understanding vv. 10-19 is the recognition that “this people” and “this nation” to which Haggai refers (v. 14) are the people and nation mentioned throughout Haggai. They must consider “this day” (v. 15). The call to consider, first, reminds the listeners of the call to consider the lack of blessings (1:5, 7). Moreover, they are to reflect on the day when the foundation stone of the Temple was laid, making it possible
for God to provide “blessings” (Gen. 26:3-5; Lev. 26:3-13; Deut. 28:2-14), thereby transforming the situation from the one stated at the beginning of the book. Instead of famine, there will be agricultural bounty. The twenty-fourth day of the ninth month was the day on which the Temple was rededicated, a day that would enable fertility in the land.
2:20—23, I Will Take You. The importance of “the day” in the preceding section (2:10, 18) is further emphasized by Haggai’s receiving another word of the’ Lord on the very same day. Here, as at the beginning of the book and on several other occasions (1:2, 12, 14; 2:2, 4), Zerubbabel is mentioned. However, in contrast to the other occurrences, Zerubbabel is now the only one addressed. The Lord stresses Zerubbabel’s significance by addressing him as “my servant.” … With this oracle, Haggai confirms the Lord’s sovereignty over all the kingdoms, the centrality of the Temple, and hope for the future.
