Haggai 1:1-4 NIV

The Pulpit Commentary - Haggai 1:1

In the second year of Darius the king. This is Darius Hystaspes, who reigned over Persia from B.C. 521 to B.C. 486. He is called in the inscriptions Daryavush, which name means "Holder," or "Supporter." Herodotus (6:98) explains it as "Coercer" ( ἑρξείης ). Hitherto the prophets have dated the time of the exercise of their office from the reigns of the legitimate Hebrew monarchs; it shows a new slate of things when they place at the head of their oracles the name of a foreign and a... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Haggai 1:1

Divine revelations. I. SELECT THEIR OWN TIMES . These are: 1 . Often unexpected. In the present instance this was probably the case. The band of exiles who, availing themselves of Cyrus's permission ( Ezra 1:3 ), returned to Judah and Jerusalem—nearly 50,000 persons in all ( Ezra 2:64 , Ezra 2:65 ), though Pusey estimates the company of immigrants at 212,000, counting free men, women, children, and slaves—had for sixteen years at least not heard a prophet's voice. The... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Haggai 1:1

The introduction. The Bible student, with a view to the clear understanding of the Old Testament Scriptures, should fix in his mind the order of the prophetical writings. These books of prophecy may appropriately be arranged under three heads. 1 . Those which stand related to the Assyrian period, including the books of Jonah, Joel, Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, Micah, and Nahum. 2 . Those connected with the Babylonian period, including Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, and... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Haggai 1:1-2

Duty revealed. "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, "This people say, The time is not come, the time that the Lord's house should be built." Haggai is the first of the three prophets who lived and taught after the restoration t the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Haggai 1:1-6

§ 1. The people are reproved for their indifference with regard to the erection of the temple, and admonished that their present distress is a chastisement for this neglect. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Haggai 1:1-15

Part I. THE FIRST ADDRESS : EXHORTATION TO BUILD THE TEMPLE AND ITS RESULT . read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Haggai 1:2

The Lord of hosts. Haggai, as the other prophets, always uses this formula in enunciating his messages (see note on Amos 9:5 ). Trochon justly remarks that this expression is not found in the earlier books of the Bible—the Pentateuch, Joshua, and Judges. If these books were contemporary with the prophets, the phrase would certainly occur in them (see a valuable note in the Appendix to Archdeacon Perowne's Commentary on Haggai, in 'The Canibridge Bible for Schools'). This people; populus... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Haggai 1:2

Procrastination. "This people say, The time is not come, the time that the Lord's house should be built." There are several ways of accounting for the delay which occurred in the work of re-erecting the temple in Jerusalem. 1 . In part it arose from the returned exiles being preoccupied in seeking to secure to themselves material prosperity. 2 . Then they were daunted by the opposition they had to encounter as they engaged in this work. The powerful neighbouring tribes, being alike... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Haggai 1:2-5

The mistakes of the temple builders: a warning. I. THEY FAILED TO DISCERN THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES . They imagined the time had not come for them to build the Lord's house, whereas it had fully arrived. 1 . What led them to suppose or say so, though not stated, may easily be inferred. 2 . The indications that the time had fully come were so plain that they should hardly have been misread. II. THEY WERE TOO EASILY DAUNTED BY OPPOSITION . 1 ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Haggai 1:3

Then came the word of the Lord, etc. The formula of Haggai 1:1 is repeated to give more effect to the Lord's answer to the lame excuses for inaction. This emphasis by repetition is common throughout the book. read more

The Pulpit Commentary - Haggai 1:1

The Pulpit Commentary - Haggai 1:1

The Pulpit Commentary - Haggai 1:1

The Pulpit Commentary - Haggai 1:1-2

The Pulpit Commentary - Haggai 1:1-6

The Pulpit Commentary - Haggai 1:1-15

The Pulpit Commentary - Haggai 1:2

The Pulpit Commentary - Haggai 1:2

The Pulpit Commentary - Haggai 1:2-5

The Pulpit Commentary - Haggai 1:3

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