TEXT [Commentary]

black diamond   IV.   Fourth Message: Zerubbabel—Davidic Servant and “Signet Ring” (2:20-23)

20 On that same day, December 18,[*] the LORD sent this second message to Haggai: 21 “Tell Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, that I am about to shake the heavens and the earth. 22 I will overthrow royal thrones and destroy the power of foreign kingdoms. I will overturn their chariots and riders. The horses will fall, and their riders will kill each other.

23 “But when this happens, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, I will honor you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant. I will make you like a signet ring on my finger, says the LORD, for I have chosen you. I, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!”

NOTES

2:21 the heavens and the earth. The LXX adds kai tēn thalassan kai tēn xēran [TG2281/3584A, ZG2498/3831] (“and the sea and the dry land”), an insertion based on the phrasing of 2:6.

2:22 royal thrones. The expression (kisse’ mamlakoth [TH3678/4467, ZH4058/4930]) is a somewhat rare example of a plural genitival group in which only the second noun is plural (Joüon 1993:§136m; Kautzsch 1910:124.2c; cf. JPSV, NJB, “thrones of kingdoms”).

2:23 signet ring. The “signet ring” was a symbol of kingship in the biblical world. The engraved stone set in the gold or silver finger ring was used to seal or endorse official documents. Haggai employed the image to emphasize the divine authority invested in Zerubbabel and to assure the people of God’s continuing involvement in the restoration of Judah—even the political process. The designation of Zerubbabel as the “signet” of the Lord no doubt rekindled messianic expectations in the postexilic community since he was a descendant of King David.

I, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken! The threefold repetition of the divine utterance formula (ne’um-yhwh [TH5002/3068, ZH5536/3378]) in this verse emphasizes the certain fulfillment of Yahweh’s promise.

COMMENTARY [Text]

The two key elements of Haggai’s eschatology are the restored glory of the second Temple and “the shaking of the nations” in divine judgment (2:6-9, 20-22). The renewed association of God’s glory with the Temple is a prophetic theme distinctive in Haggai, but in keeping with the idea of “the transformation of Zion” at the center of Old Testament eschatology (cf. Gowan 1986:4-20). Haggai’s vision of God’s shaking the heavens and the earth parallels Isaiah 13:13 and Joel 3:16. The image is one of divine wrath—God’s fierce anger unleashed against the wicked for their rebellion against him and the oppression of his people Israel. Haggai used language traditionally associated with divine intervention in the Old Testament, especially Yahweh’s “overthrow” of Egypt in the Exodus (Exod 15:1, 4, 7, 21; cf. Baldwin 1972:54, “he will act, and Judah will not need to fight”). Given the historical context, the graphic portrayal of God’s power was a most appropriate way to dispel lingering doubt about God’s sovereignty after the cataclysm of Babylonian exile (cf. Mal 2:17, “Where is the God of justice?”). In his prediction of the shaking of the nations, the prophet tried to convince the people that God was still sovereign and that he had not forsaken his justice. Haggai called his audience to what Baldwin (1972:55) has described as “zealous allegiance” to God and his covenant. The prophet was holding out the hope of “nothing less than a universal reordering of all things and the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth” (Achtemeier 1986:101). God shook the earth once before at the Exodus (2:5; cf. Ps 114); for Haggai this was proof enough that God possessed sufficient power to do it again!

The identification of Zerubbabel with the “signet ring” (2:23), a symbol of kingship in the ancient world, marks an important episode in the historical development of postexilic Judah. Pragmatically speaking, the restoration community was in desperate need of stable political leadership in the aftermath of the Babylonian exile. The priests remained in place as authority figures by virtue of their role as ministers of Hebrew worship and teachers of the law of Moses (2:1-19; Mal 2:4-9). Haggai’s endorsement of Zerubbabel assured the people of God’s continuing involvement in the political process despite the failure of the Hebrew monarchies: Zerubbabel would complete the task God had assigned to him. Haggai’s message recalls the cooperation between kingship and the priesthood under King David (cf. 1 Chr 23–26), and anticipates Zechariah’s vision of shared leadership for the office of governor and the priesthood (cf. Zech 3–4).

The promises to Zerubbabel are significant theologically for at least two reasons. First, Haggai’s word of affirmation overturns the divine curse of the Davidic line pronounced by Jeremiah upon King Jehoiachin of Judah (Jer 22:24-30). Haggai’s fourth message both reinstates the family of Jehoiachin by reversing the earlier prophetic curse and reestablishes the provisions of the Davidic covenant for perpetuating the dynasty of King David (2 Sam 7:4-17; cf. Wolf 1976:54-55). Second, Haggai’s prophecy over Zerubbabel rekindles the messianic hopes for the Israelites that had been dashed by the Babylonian exile. The language of Haggai’s oracle echoes messianic terminology found in Isaiah, especially the designations “my servant” and “my chosen one” (cf. Isa 42:1; 52:13). His message is a pledge that God intends to fulfill the new covenant promises announced by Jeremiah and Ezekiel concerning the descendant of David (cf. Jer 33:17, 22, 26; Ezek 37:24-25).