TEXT [Commentary]

black diamond   B.   The Call to Rebuild the Temple (1:7-11)

7 “This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you! 8 Now go up into the hills, bring down timber, and rebuild my house. Then I will take pleasure in it and be honored, says the LORD. 9 You hoped for rich harvests, but they were poor. And when you brought your harvest home, I blew it away. Why? Because my house lies in ruins, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, while all of you are busy building your own fine houses. 10 It’s because of you that the heavens withhold the dew and the earth produces no crops. 11 I have called for a drought on your fields and hills—a drought to wither the grain and grapes and olive trees and all your other crops, a drought to starve you and your livestock and to ruin everything you have worked so hard to get.”

NOTES

1:7 The Hebrew of this verse is an exact repetition of v. 5, minus the introductory adverb “now” (‘attah [TH6258, ZH6964]).

Look at what’s happening to you! The exhortation to reflect upon current conditions in Judah anticipates the prophet’s cause-and-effect argument in 2:15-19.

1:8 Now go up into the hills, bring down timber. Meyers and Meyers (1987:28) suggest this verse refers to procuring lumber for construction equipment (like ramps, ladders, scaffolds, etc.), not the actual building materials. It is presumed that the local stands of trees around postexilic Jerusalem would have been insufficient to meet the demands of the Temple project, given the deforestation of the Jerusalem area during the Babylonian siege of the city and the timber required for the subsequent rebuilding of the city after the return from exile. See further the discussion in Taylor and Clendenen 2004:129, who suggest that the precedent of superior lumber from places like Lebanon for the construction of the first Temple may have been an issue as well.

be honored. See the discussion of this verb (kabed [TH3513, ZH3877]), which occurs here in its Niphal stem (possibly preserving a rare subjunctive ending—“that I may be glorified”), in Meyers and Meyers 1987:28.

1:9 but they were poor. The NLT agrees with the ancient versions (LXX, Syriac, Targum), understanding hinneh [TH2009, ZH2180] (“behold,” cf. NASB) as the infinitive absolute hayoh [TH1961, ZH2118] (“they were,” NLT). The meaning is roughly the same in either case.

And when you brought your harvest home. This may refer to the bulk of the grain harvest kept by the worshiper after the firstfruits sacrifices had been made at the altar (which had been rebuilt and put to use immediately by the restoration community during the reign of Cyrus; Ezra 3:2-3). Meyers and Meyers (1987:3, 29) translate this as “what you have brought to the House” and understand the expression as a reference to the firstfruits offerings themselves.

my house lies in ruins. The repetition of this clause completes an envelope construction, or inclusio, linking 1:4 and 1:9.

says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. The divine utterance formula (ne’um yhwh tseba’oth [TH5002, ZH5536]) is a nominal exclamation and is usually a closing formula in the prophets (Waltke and O’Connor 1990: 40.2.3a; cf. v. 13).

1:10 the dew. The NLT retains the MT’s mittal (“from dew”), reading the noun tal [TH2919, ZH3228] (few), with a partitive min [TH4480, ZH4946] (from) prefixed to it (Waltke and O’Connor 1990:11.2.11e). Cf. BHS, which proposes “rain” (matar [TH4305, ZH4763], so NJB).

1:11 drought. Note the wordplay with “drought” (khoreb [TH2721, ZH2996]) and “ruin” (khareb [TH2720, ZH2992], 1:4).

COMMENTARY [Text]

The compound name “LORD of Heaven’s Armies” is Haggai’s favorite title for God. The exact meaning of the epithet is still the subject of much debate (see note on 1:2). Generally, commentators have understood the title to emphasize the absolute authority intrinsic to God’s words and the sovereign power inherent in his command of the angelic hosts. Haggai, however, extended the idea of God’s sovereignty to the realm of nature, specifically the agricultural productivity of the postexilic community (“harvests,” 1:9 and “crops,” 1:10-11). Seemingly, the people made no connection between their bleak situation and the rule of God in nature. Yet such associations should have been obvious from the terms of Yahweh’s covenant with Israel (cf. Lev 26 and Deut 28). In fact, Haggai assumed his audience should have recognized divine activity in all spheres of life based upon their knowledge of previous Israelite experiences (e.g., the blight intended to bring people to repentance, as mentioned in Amos 4:6-10). We can only marvel at the profound subtlety of God in withholding something as mundane as dew (necessary to preserve ripening grain from the summer heat) to rebuke human pride and self-sufficiency (cf. Baldwin 1972:42).

Haggai summoned his audience to consider their circumstances four times in two brief chapters (1:5, 7; 2:15, 18). The Hebrew idiom (sim [TH7760, ZH8492] + lebab [TH3824, ZH4222]) rendered “look at what’s happening” or “think about this” in the NLT is literally “to set one’s heart” (or “ponder, consider, set one’s mind,” TDOT 7.409-410). The expression calls attention to the issue of human will or volition. The prophet exhorted the people to engage in careful reflection that would result in a change of heart or mind. They pursued a single policy, one of self-interest and personal well-being. Haggai urged the people to adopt a new agenda, one that elevated the glory of God and divine interests above the quest for the “good life.” Craigie (1984:139-140) has aptly observed that the community “had adopted a policy of fending first for themselves.” Though eminently practical, this policy was flawed because it skewed priorities. The fundamental priority in life for the righteous must always be God, not personal desires (cf. Craigie 1984:141).

The Covenant Code of Mount Sinai (Exod 21–23) gave the Hebrews ample warning that God must curse any human initiative motivated by an arrogant spirit and all achievement accomplished in hostility toward and rebellion against God (cf. Lev 26:19-20). The psalmist reflected on that covenant tradition poetically when he composed the familiar lines, “unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted” (Ps 127:1). Indeed, Haggai may have had this text in mind as he observed the futility of working “so hard” apart from cooperation with God in a spirit of faith and obedience (1:11; cf. Ps 127:2, “anxiously working”). It is apparent that the prophet also was acquainted with earlier wisdom sayings, especially in his agreement with the sage that plans will succeed only when one’s work has been committed to the Lord (Prov 16:3; cf. 16:9; 19:21; 21:30). This theological principle transfers to the New Testament as evidenced in the teachings of both Jesus (“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need,” Matt 6:33) and Paul (“Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth,” Col 3:2).