They belong to the period told about in the books of ezra, nehemiah, and esther. The books of haggai and zechariah represent a golden period in old testament history, but they are often overlooked. Ackroyd, studies in the book of haggai, jjs 2 1951. The book of haggai is the tenth of the minor prophetic books and the thirtyseventh book in the bible. There are a number of helpful commentaries on the book of haggai, and the following are five of the best. They are recorded in his book in chronological order. God s message was delivered by the prophet haggai to the governor of judah, zerubbabel son of shealtiel, and to the high priest, joshua son of jehozadak. Because his name means festal one, it is suggested that haggai was born on a feast day. 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. Haggai 12 esv the command to rebuild the temple in.
Haggai definition, a minor prophet of the 6th century b. 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. The commentary on haggai in this volume was written by alec motyer, one of the most insightful and helpful old testament scholars alive today. Daniel lived until approximately within 1520 years of haggais prophecy, but daniels prophecies were in babylon and daniel was not listed among the prophets of israel in the hebrew scriptures. He called them to reverence and glorify god by building the temple in spite of local and official opposition. Haggai haggai is the first of the prophets which are postexilic or who prophesied after the captivity.
Stir up the people to resume the work of rebuilding the temple. Haggai 1, new living translation nlt the bible app. Haggai 1, new international version niv the bible app. Transcribed and edited by david sielaff, march 2014. Book of haggai simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 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. Obedience brings the encouragement and strength of the spirit of god.
In particular haggai in conjunction with zechariah was given the task of stirring up the enthusiasm to rebuild the temple of the lord and is the. Haggai is the second shortest book in the ot obadiah is. Here, also, is where we discover another surprising mention of the. Haggai clearly shows the consequences of disobedience 1. Haggai was the first of the three postexilic prophets. He was the first prophet after the death of jeremiah and ezekiel. The response is positive and on 6242 the leaders, zerubbabel and joshua, along with the people obeyed the lord and began the work on the temple. What is the twelfth minor prophet and last book of the old testament.
After thousands of years, the book of haggai remains largely unique among the books of old testament prophets for one key reason. The name haggai, with various vocalizations, is also found in the book of esther, as a eunuch servant of the queen. The historical background for haggais prophecy is found in ezra 5 and 6. The object of the prophet was generally to urge the people to proceed with the rebuilding of the temple. 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. The book of haggai is the tenth of the minor prophetic books and the. Haggai is second only to obadiah in brevity among the books of the old testament. The prophet haggai recorded his four messages to the jewish people of jerusalem in 520 bc, eighteen years after their return from exile in babylon 538 bc. The book of haggai, the second shortest in the old testament, communicates this same message. We know nothing about the personal life of the prophet zechariah, except that he was the son of berachiah and the grandson of iddo. The time of the book certainly focuses on that feast which occurred in the seventh month of the jewish. The people listen to haggais message and finish rebuilding the temple. Which book is the shortest of the prophetic books of the holy bible.
According to haggais account, why was the peoples initial response to his message less than enthusiastic. The specific mention of the second year of darius 1. 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. Chapter first comprehends the first address 211 and its effects 1215. Haggai 12 english standard version esv the command to rebuild the temple.
It is a great bible study for individual or group study. Before you attempt to answer the questions below you should read these chapters in the bible and answer the. It is one that calls us, as a community of faith, to the priority of gods house, and. Sixteen years have passed since the jewish returnees from babylonian exile laid the foundation of jehovahs temple in jerusalem. Much as the ancient temple was built with magnificence it turned to vanity what later the very king,king solomon himself, who built it said in ecclesiastes. 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. Read book of haggai minor prophets kjv bible online. The book of haggai was written in approximately 520 b. Haggai figures significantly in the endtime period we are. They came for one major purpose to rebuild the temple that had been destroyed by babylon in. Haggai was a prophet of the remnant of israel and judah that remained after the 70 years in captivity, and his task was to instruct, encourage and also rebuke after their recent return to the land.
He is known for his prophecy in 520 bce, commanding the jews to rebuild the temple. 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. Pastors should not be afraid to take this bible trivia on the book of haggai. It was written by the prophet haggai in 520 bc after the jewish people had returned from their 70year exile in babylon. Haggai sought to challenge the people of god concerning their priorities. The book of haggai, the 10th of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor prophets. Apart from obadiah, haggai is the shortest book in the ot, but its teachings are none the less significant. When the people give priority to god and his house, they are blessed rather than cursed cf. Gods people had returned from exile in persia in 539 19 years earlier. Haggai is known only from this book as well as two references to him in the book of ezra. Book of haggai overview insight for living ministries. The book of haggai is closely linked with zechariah 18. See if this was carried out by playing this bible quiz from education quizzes.
An easyenglish translation and commentary 1200 word vocabulary on the book of haggai. The books of haggai and zechariah were completed in 520 b. Most major english translations have presented the text in prose form, although a number of translators would acknowledge some poetic elements in the text. Intro to haggai biblica the international bible society. May 16, 2009 there are a number of helpful commentaries on the book of haggai, and the following are five of the best. The book of haggai contains messages delivered by the prophet haggai, and thus it is reasonable to consider haggai its author. Outline of the book of haggai haggais work haggai was a prophet of god that prophesied to the jews who had returned to jerusalem from babylon during the year 536 bc i. In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of the lord by the prophet haggai, saying, words detail. 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. A number of dates in haggai can be crosschecked with dates in surviving persian records and related accurately to our modern calendar. Consider your ways contains four daily bible reading lessons consisting of a brief commentary by the author, the daily bible reading scriptures, a few questions to consider called, things to think about, and a prayer of the day. It is a short book, consisting of only two chapters. Haggai 2 is the second and final chapter of the book of haggai in the hebrew bible or the old testament of the christian bible. Haggai is the tenth of the minor prophets, the last 12 books of the old testament.
What is the name of the special book that has the story of purim. This structure will receive attention presently, but for now it is important to consider various viewpoints as to the origin and growth of the composition. The community in judah is struggling with its identity in light of the loss of its statehood through the demise of the monarchy and the destruction of. Haggai is one of the minor prophets in the old testament. Haggai ministered among the jews who had returned to judea after some 70 years of exile in babylon. Although it must be acknowledged that this conclusion is highly debated.
Speak now to zerubbabel the son of shealtiel, governor of judah, and to joshua the son of josedech, the high priest, and to the residue of the people. The specific mention of the second year of darius places the book in the year 520 b. The people listen to haggai s message and finish rebuilding the temple. It was written to people like us, who would say that god must be first. Haggais message to rebuild the temple was passionate, simple, and straightforward haggai 1. The bible haggai, the building of the second temple of god. The historical setting dates around 520 bc before the temple has been rebuilt. With the fall of babylon about 19 years earlier in 539 b.
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. Haggai zechariah malachi matthew the year was 520 bc. Cyrus also wanted the temple in jerusalem to be built, so that the worship there could be begun again. Today we study the prophet haggai and discover yhwhs passion about his house. Haggai commentary introduction lets open our bibles to the book of haggai.
The book of haggai probably contains poetic oracles framed by narratival sections 1. Daniel lived until approximately within 1520 years of haggais prophecy, but daniels prophecies were in babylon and daniel was not listed among the prophets of israel in. Yet, the temple is not completed, and the building work is under ban. The book of haggai is a book of the tanakh hebrew bible and of the old testament, written by the prophet haggai. What haggai and zechariah proclaimed is recorded in the bible books bearing their names. The book of haggai haggais words concern conditions in the persian province of judah at the beginning of the postexilic period during the reign of the persian king darius i 522486 b. It was in 520 that god raised up haggai and zechariah to encourage the people to finish the job ezra 5. Translators could also find the translated bible text useful, as the writer translated from the hebrew text. Haggai was a hebrew prophet during the building of a temple in jerusalem. The efforts of these prophets succeed, and the temple is completed five years later. Mar 16, 2017 today we study the prophet haggai and discover yhwhs passion about his house.
These jews were led back to jerusalem to rebuild the temple of jehovah that had been destroyed by the babylonians. The ancient temple was beaten down to ruins,never to attain her glory again. Go up to the mountains, bring wood and rebuild the temple, that i may be pleased with it and be glorified, says the lord. No portion of scripture has been so misunderstood as the ook of haggai, b the tenth of the minor prophets. The lord now requires a place in our heart to be his holy habitation. Chapter second contains, the second prophecy 19, which was delivered a month after the first. Interactive bible quiz haggai rediscovering the bible.
Unlike haggai, however, zechariah thought that the rebuilding of the temple was the necessary prelude to the eschatological age, the arrival of which was imminent. A contemporary of the prophet haggai in the early years of the persian period, zechariah shared haggais concern that the temple of jerusalem be rebuilt. This quiz contains ten questions about the book of haggai and uses the king. 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. Haggai introduction commentary commentary critical and. Yet these two minor prophets speak a major message to the church today. The author of the prophecy is identified simply as haggai the prophet or the prophet haggai 1. According to haggai s account, why was the peoples initial response to his message less than enthusiastic. The book of haggai consists of four addresses of the prophet hag. The book of haggai consists of two brief, comprehensive chapters.
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