Haggai 1:8-11

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Haggai 1:1-11

It was the complaint of the Jews in Babylon that they saw not their signs, and there was no more prophet (Ps. 74:9), which was a just judgment upon them for mocking and misusing the prophets. We read of no prophets they had in their return, as they had in their coming out of Egypt, Hos. 12:13. God stirred them up immediately by his Spirit to exert themselves in that escape (Ezra 1:5); for, though God makes use of prophets, he needs them not, he can do his work without them. But the lamp of... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Haggai 1:8

Go up to the mountain ,.... Or, "that mountain" F21 ההר "in istum montem", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. ; pointing either to Lebanon, to cut down cedars, and bring them from thence for the building of the temple; or Mount Moriah, on which the temple was to be built; and thither carry the wood they fetched from Lebanon, or were brought from thence by the Tyrians: and bring wood ; or, "that ye may bring wood"; from Lebanon, or any other mountain on which wood grew, to Mount... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Haggai 1:9

Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little ,.... They looked for a large harvest, and very promising it was for a while; but in the end it came to little; it was a very small crop, very little was reaped and gathered in: or, "in looking", ye looked "to increase" F24 אל הרבה "ad rem augendam", Grotius. ; your substance; had raised expectations of making themselves and families by their agriculture, and by their plantations of vines and olives, and by their trade and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Haggai 1:10

Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew ,.... Or, "therefore over", or "upon you" F1 על־כן עליכם "propterea super vos", Varenius, Reinbeck, Burkius. ; where should be a stop; that is, because, of your neglect of the house of God; therefore upon you, and upon you only, and not upon other nations, the heaven is restrained from letting down the dew: or, "therefore I am against you" F2 "Idcirco contra vos", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. ; for the above reason, and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Haggai 1:11

And I called for a drought upon the land ,.... Upon the whole land of Judea; as he withheld the dew and rain from falling on it to moisten it, refresh it, and make it fruitful; so he ordered a vehement heat to dry and parch it; and directed the rays of the sun to strike with great force upon it, and cause the fruits of it to wither; and which is done by a word of his; when he calls, every creature obeys. There is an elegant play on words, which shows the justness of such a proceeding, that... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Haggai 1:8

Go up to the mountain, and bring wood - Go to Lebanon, and get timber. In the second year of the return from the captivity, they had procured cedar trees from Lebanon, and brought them to Joppa, and had hired masons and carpenters from the Tyrians and Sidonians; but that labor had been nearly lost by the long suspension of the building. Ezra 3:7 . read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Haggai 1:9

Ye looked for much - Ye made great pretensions at first; but they are come to nothing. Ye did a little in the beginning; but so scantily and unwillingly that I could not but reject it. Ye run every man unto his own house - To rebuild and adorn it; and God's house is neglected! read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Haggai 1:10

Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew - It appears from the following verse that God had sent a drought upon the land, which threatened them with scarcity and famine. read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Haggai 1:9

Verse 9 Here the Prophet relates again, that the Jews were deprived of support, and that they in a manner pined away in their distress, because they robbed God of the worship due to him. He first repeats the fact, Ye have looked for much, but behold little (138) It may happen that one is contented with a very slender portion, because much is not expected. They who are satisfied with their own penury are not anxious though their portion of food is but scanty, though they are constrained to feed... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Haggai 1:10

Verse 10 He confirms what the last verse contains—that God had made it evident that he was displeased with the people because their zeal for religion had become cold, and, especially, because they were all strangely devoted to their own interest and manifested no concern for building the Temple. Hence, he says, therefore the heavens are shut up and withhold the dew; that is, they distil no dew on the earth; and he adds, that the earth was closed that it produced no fruit; it yielded no... read more

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