Haggai 2

a stone was laid &c.] From the time that a stop had been put to the building of the temple, after the first foundations of it were laid: compare Ezra vi. 3. W. Louth. “Upward” should be “forward:” so the word is used in 1 Sam. xvi. 13, and xxx. 25; in both those places it means from such a time and afterwards. Abp. Secker.

Haggai 2:7

7. — and the desire of all nations shall come: &c.] Christ, who is “the desire of all nations,” as the Redeemer of the world, and the guide and director to mankind in the performance of their duty, shall come under the roof of this house: and though it wants the cloud of glory overshadowing the mercy seat, which was a symbol of the Divine presence peculiar to Solomon’s temple, (see Ps. lxxx. 1,) yet I will honour this second temple with a much greater glory, even the presence of the Messiah, in whom shall “dwell all the fulness of the Godhead bodily,” Col. ii. 9. Bp. Hall, Dr. Wells, W. Lowth.

The expectation, the hope, the desire of all nations, and of Israel in particular, was a known description of some Person, delivered from Abraham’s days, Gen. xxii. 18, from one Prophet to another, and, after the captivity, fixed on the Messiah, of whom the Jews, about Christ’s time, interpreted this text in Haggai: and in his time the Messiah was usually termed, “the hope,” “the blessed hope,” “the hope of Israel,” “the hope of the promise to the twelve tribes,” “the blessing of Abraham to the Gentiles,” 1 Tim. i. 1; Titus ii. 13; Acts xxviii. 20; xxvi. 7, 8; Gal. iii. 14. Bp. Chandler.

As Christ ought to be, what He is called, “the desire of all nations” in general, so ought He to be the desire of every person in particular. We must all, and every

one of us, desire to have Him for our only Saviour and Redeemer, our only Mediator and Advocate: we must desire to have Him, according to all the offices which He has undertaken for us, as our Prophet, our King, and our Priest: our Prophet, to reveal his and our Father’s will unto us and in us: our King, to rule and govern our hearts and affections, to keep both our souls and bodies in subjection; and our Priest, to make atonement for our sins, and so to reconcile God to us and us to Him. Bp. Beersidge.

Haggai 2:8

8, 9. The silver is mine, &c.] Think not that I stand upon matter of cost or price of metals; all the silver and gold, which is hidden in the bowels of the earth, is mine, and how easy were it for me thus to adorn my house! But the glory of this house doth not consist in these outward things: no; the glory of this latter house, though meaner in structure, shall be greater than that of the former, saith the Lord; in that my Son, the Saviour of the world, being clothed in flesh, shall come personally and visibly under its roof; there He, who is “the Prince of Peace,” shall make his appearance; and there shall his Gospel, which is the Gospel of peace, be preached and published to the world. See Isa. ix. 6; Mic. v. 5; Eph. ii. 14. Bp. Hall, W. Lowth.

God wanted not the command of gold and silver to have made the second temple equal to Solomon’s in outward glory and splendour; He could easily have made it so in that respect: for “silver and gold are his;” and all the riches of the world are at his command: but He chose to put a far greater honour upon it than that of silver and gold, and to make it much more glorious in another respect: “the glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former; (because) in this place I will give (the Messiah, the peace,” and happiness, and salvation of mankind, and incomparably the greatest blessing that ever was given to the world. Abp. Tillotson.

Haggai 2:12

12—14. If one bear holy flesh &c.] In like manner as “holy flesh,” or any part of a sacrifice, will not make any thing else, which it touches, to become holy; so neither have the sacrifices of this people, which have been all along offered since their leaving off the work of my temple, made them holy or acceptable unto God. But on the contrary, as the touch of an unclean person renders what he touches unclean also, so the very sacrifices of this people, since they have left off the building of my temple, are become unclean or unacceptable to me, by reason of that uncleanness or impurity of their minds, which has caused their neglect of my house. Dr. Wells.

God’s promise to Zerubbabel. Before CHRIST about 520. and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean.

Haggai 2:16

16. — an heap of twenty measures.] That is, an heap of corn, which seemed likely to produce twenty measures; but which failed from the poverty of the ear. Abp. Newcome.

Haggai 2:18

18. Consider now from this day and upward, &c.] Rather, “forward.” In the fifteenth verse the Prophet exhorted them to reflect upon the calamities they had suffered from the time the building of the temple was left off. Now he bids them look forward from the day the building was renewed, and they would find a visible change in their affairs for the better. W. Louth. — from the day that the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid.] The Prophet speaks of the carrying on of the building, as it were a new foundation, because the work had been so long interrupted: compare Zech. viii. 9. W. Louth.

Haggai 2:19

19. Is the seed yet in the barn?] Is the harvest already laid up in the barn? Or are any of the fruits of the earth gathered in? No, certainly; this is but the ninth month, (answering in part to our November,) when no judgment can be made what will be the increase of the year following. Yet from this time I promise you the blessing of a fruitful year, as an encouragement to you to carry on the building. Compare Zech. viii. 12. W. Louth.

Haggai 2:21

21. • Zerubbabel, governor of Judah.] By the same title which is given him, chap. i. 1; as “governor of Judah,” he was a type of the Messiah, to whom the following words belong. W. Louth.

Haggai 2:23

23. In that day, - will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, &c.] I will invest Thee with my power and authority, as the head of my Church, and judge of the world. So kings depute their viceroys by giving them their signet. Gen. xli. 42; which was particularly the custom of the Persian monarch: see Esth. iii. 10; viii. 2: or the expression may denote one particularly near and dear to God, and always under his eye and protection; compare Jer. xxii. 24; Cant. viii. 6. This prophecy could not be fulfilled in Zerubbabel, who did not in all likelihood live many years after the finishing of the temple, and certainly did not see the great changes here foretold: therefore the Messiah must be here described under the name of Zerubbabel, as He elsewhere is under that of David. W. Louth. The proper application to be made of the prophecies concerning the Messiah, especially of the celebrated one in the early part of this chapter, is the very same with that which the Apostle makes, from the consideration of the perfection and excellence of this revelation, which God hath made to the world by his Son: “See that ye refuse not him that speaketh,” &c. Heb. xii. 25-28. We have all the advantages of the Divine revelation which the world ever had; and the last and most perfect that the world ever shall have: we have not only Moses and the Prophets, but that doctrine, which the Son of God came down from heaven on purpose to declare to the world, God hath vouchsafed to us that clear and complete revelation of his will, which He demed to “many Prophets and kings, who desired to see those things which we see, but could not see them; and to hear those things which we hear, but could not hear them.” There were good men in the world under those imperfect revelations, which God made to them: but we have far greater advantages, and more powerful arguments to be good than ever they had. And, as we ought thankfully to acknowledge these blessed advantages, so ought we likewise with the greatest care and diligence to improve them. Abp. Tillotson.