The book of haggai was set sixteen years after the first return of captives. Transcribed and edited by david sielaff, march 2014. Haggai is among the most carefully and precisely dated books in the entire bible. Let me just give you a bit of historical sense of this. Nothing is known about haggai the prophet beyond what is recorded in his own prophecy and in ezra 5. Scholars disagree whether he had come back to jerusalem in that first wave of returnees, or whether he was one of those who had stayed behind. Yet once after many confirmations of the new covenant, one more, remains to be made a little while tho above five hundred years, yet this was but a little time compared with that between the promise to adam and christs coming i will shake whether it be metaphorical or literal, it was verified at the time of christs coming into the world. Charts from recommended resource jensens survey of the ot used by permission. This commentary has been through advanced checking. Apart from obadiah, haggai is the shortest book in the ot, but its teachings are none the less significant. Haggai promised peace and prosperity and encouraged the leaders to embark on rebuilding the temple in jerusalem see ezra 3. In this book, haggai challenges israel after the exile to remain faithful. On the first day of the sixth month in 520 bce, haggai began his work as gods prophetic instrument.
Haggai is the second shortest book in the old testament obadiah is shorter, and is quoted by the new testament once compare heb. The book of haggai, also called the prophecy of aggeus, the 10th of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor prophets. Of particular interest in haggais use of little while in haggai 2. An invitation to returna survey of hoseamalachi purchase. The brief period of haggais ministry august to december 520 b. Intro to haggai biblica the international bible society. It therefore follows that when the biblical record speaks of nehemiah going to. The specific mention of the second year of darius 1. The historical setting dates around 520 bc before the temple has been. Haggai s messages were preached within a fifteen week period 29 august to 18 december 520 b. Haggai 2 bible commentary wesleys explanatory notes.
The gospel in haggai sample by sacra script ministries issuu. The name has something to do with festival, but the significance is obscure. Obedience brings the encouragement and strength of the spirit. Not by might or by power daily portion 10217 red horses among the myrtle trees daily. History old testament overview general survey of the old testament. The phrase is found 285 times in the bible, 91 of those times it is to be found in the books of haggai, zechariah and malachi, the postexile prophets. Translators could also find the translated bible text useful, as the writer translated from the hebrew text. The specific mention of the second year of darius places the book in the year 520 b. The historical setting dates around 520 bc before the temple has been rebuilt. Zechariah is a contemporary of haggai and shares his concern for a rebuilt temple and a new messianic age under the leadership of joshua and zerubbabel. New testament overview general survey of the new testament. It was written in 520 bc some 18 years after cyrus had conquered babylon and issued a decree in 538 bc allowing the captive jews to return to judea.
The first 11 chapters of genesis cover about 2000 years of history. Summary of the book of haggai the story of the bible. Haggai is second only to obadiah in brevity among the books of the old testament. The book of haggai is a book of the tanakh hebrew bible and of the old testament, written by the prophet haggai. Haggai 1 commentary spurgeons verse expositions of the bible. The books of ezra and nehemiah are also key literary sources on the restoration of the jewish religious. Three out of the four prophetic speeches in the book deal, in one way or another with the. Key personalities are haggai, zerubbabel, and joshua. Haggai 2 commentary james burton coffman commentaries on. Haggai was a prophet who, along with zechariah, encouraged the returned exiles to rebuild the temple see ezr. Haggai preached his sermons during the second year of darius i 521486 b. Before you attempt to answer the questions below you should read these chapters in the bible and answer the questions at the end of each chapter found at the website answer the questions below and then click ok to send your answers. Clearly the temple occupies a central position in the book of haggai. In fact, most of the book deals with temple matters.
Historical background and summary of the book of haggai in easy to study bible survey format. In their specificity and in their link to the reign of a foreign king darius, the dates underscore gods control over history, as do similar chronological references in zechariah, a prophetic book connected in literary and thematic ways to haggai. Jul 31, 2016 watch our overview video on the book of haggai, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Aggaeus was a hebrew prophet during the building of the second temple in jerusalem, and one of the twelve minor prophets in the hebrew bible and the author of the book of haggai.
Haggai sought to challenge the people of god concerning their priorities. An easyenglish translation and commentary 1200 word vocabulary on the book of haggai. In greek the book is titled aggaios, a transliteration from the hebrew, from which we get our english spelling of haggai. This was before the reconstruction of the temple or the walls of jerusalem. Cyrus also wanted the temple in jerusalem to be built, so that the worship there could be begun again. 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.
It was written in 520 bce, some 18 years after cyrus had taken the kingdom of babylon and made a law in 538 bce, so that the captive jews could return to judea. After thousands of years, the book of haggai remains largely unique among the books of old testament prophets for. Haggai is known only from this book as well as two references to him in the book of ezra. Yet once after many confirmations of the new covenant, one more, remains to be made a little while tho above five hundred years, yet this was but a little time compared with that between the promise to adam and christs coming. Haggai clearly shows the consequences of disobedience 1. It is a postexilic book, meaning it was written after post the captivity exile in babylon. The book of haggai contains four prophetic messages, all delivered in about four months. In that period of time, the world of the biblical prophets completely changed.
Mckee surveys the book of haggai from a messianic perspective. New testament apocrypha studies synod of hippo textual criticism. Watch our overview video on the book of haggai, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. He is known for his prophecy in 520 bce, commanding the jews to rebuild the temple. The history of these struggles provides the setting for haggai s ministry. The first 5 books of the bible are written by moses. Pdf the book of haggai 2018 edition gary everett, mdiv dmin.
The first 5 books of the bible are called the pentateuch. With the fall of babylon about 19 years earlier in 539 b. The bible journey introduction to the book of haggai. May 02, 2020 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, and how god provided for their needs.
For further examination, you are encouraged to purchase a copy of. Haggai 1 commentary spurgeons verse expositions of the. The book of haggai is closely linked with zechariah 18. His message was largely positive, encouraging his hearers. His message was largely positive, encouraging his hearers to not be concerned that the.
It is a short book, consisting of only two chapters. He is given no introduction other than the prophet cf. When the people give priority to god and his house, they are blessed rather than cursed cf. The book of haggai is narrative history and prophetic oracle. Haggai ministered among the jews who had returned to judea after some 70. This book surveys the history of gods redeeming grace. A christcentered approach to studying jesus bible is intended to survey the message of the old testament, both at the individual book level and at the canonical level. It was a time when the israelites were strangers and pilgrims in their own land. If you want to really get a handle on the big picture of the bible as well as the details of individual books, this is the way to go. Haggai and zechariah appeared much about the same time, eighteen years after the return, when the building of the temple was both retarded by its enemies and neglected by its friends. Have your study bible handy, and be prepared to take notes.
The book of haggai introduction to the book of haggai in the bible. Because his name means festal one, it is suggested that haggai was born on a feast day. He called them to reverence and glorify god by building the temple in spite of local and official opposition. These studies necessitated a reevaluation of the various aspects of the historical setting of the books of the bible. The most popular bible verses from haggai found 38 verses haggai 1. The book of haggai contains messages delivered by the prophet haggai, and thus it is reasonable to consider haggai its author. Haggai figures significantly in the endtime period we are. He probably was one of the jewish exiles of the tribes judah, benjamin, and levi who returned under zerubbabel, the civil head of the people, and joshua, the high priest, 536 b.
Nine of the twelve minor prophets, whose oracles we have been hitherto consulting, lived and preached before that captivity, and most of them had an eye to it in their prophecies, foretelling it as the. Original bible history online visit the original site 19992016. His message was largely positive, encouraging his hearers to not be concerned that the temple was not as. Then zerubbabel son of shealtiel and joshua son of jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people who had returned from captivity, listened to and obeyed the voice of the lord their god not vaguely or partly, but completely, according to the words of haggai the prophet, since the lord their god had sent him, and the people reverently feared and worshipfully turned to. Haggai is the only prophet that provides a date for all of his prophecies. In hebrew the book is titled ygj after the name of the prophet which probably meant my feast 1. The prophets haggai and zechariah played an important role in encouraging the jewish people and their leaders zerubbabel, the governor of judah, and the high priest joshua to return to their homeland and rebuild the jerusalem temple following the babylonian exile. The book of haggai was written in approximately 520 b. The persian king cyrus encouraged the captive people to return to their country of origin and to rebuild the jerusalem temple so that their god would once again have a house to live in ezra 1. In the second year of darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the lord by haggai the prophet unto zerubbabel the son of shealtiel, governor of judah, and to joshua the son of josedech, the high priest, saying, thus speaketh the lord of hosts, saying. From these facts, the picture of haggai begins to come into focus. This shows god as a warrior, a king and a judge, and the emphasis of these prophets was to show god was in control of the situation and give hope for the future of israel. Zephaniah along with many of the other prophets had preached a message of doom and destruction. It is truly a survey with outlines of each book of the bible and then a discussion of pertinent information.
Book of haggai simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. In their specificity and in their link to the reign of a foreign king darius, the dates. It is made a signal epocha in our saviours genealogy, matt. The prophet haggai recorded his four messages to the jewish people of jerusalem. Haggai is the tenth of the minor prophets, the last 12 books of the old testament. Summary of the book of haggai bible history online maps. Haggai wrote for jews who were rebuilding the temple in jerusalem, following the exile. 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. His promises to them at that time are still true now. Our biblical survey will explore issues related to the historical background of the book, date of composition, author, and intended audience. No portion of scripture has been so misunderstood as the ook of haggai, b the tenth of the minor prophets. Haggais messages were preached within a fifteen week period 29 august to 18 december 520 b. The captivity in babylon gave a very remarkable turn to the affairs of the jewish church both in history and prophecy. This summary of the book of haggai provides information about the title, author s, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of haggai.
That is, students will not only grasp the main message of each individual book of the old testament, but they will understand how that message contributes to the overall message of. The book of haggai was written in 520bc shortly after the first exiles returned to jerusalem. Haggai was written almost one hundred years after the book of zephaniah, eighty after habakkuk, and sixty after jeremiah. Haggai mentions himself by name nine times in this short book, so the authorship is certain. Book of haggai overview insight for living ministries. Go up to the mountains, bring wood and rebuild the temple, that i may be pleased with it and be glorified, says the lord. The words given to haggai urge the people to consider their ways and strengthen what they had. The last three books of the minor prophets jump to the period of time after the captivity a.