Haggai 2:9

"The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, saith Jehovah of hosts; and in this place will I give peace, saith Jehovah of hosts."

We have already seen that the true meaning of all that Haggai said was that the glory of Christianity should far outshine the glory of Judaism. The new Temple, the Church, would far surpass the temples of Jerusalem. Now, with reference to whether or not Haggai fully understood all the Lord said through him, we may freely concede that he most probably did not, but as we have repeatedly observed, the subjective imaginations and guesses by scholars trying to figure out what they suppose Haggai thought he was saying are absolutely irrelevant. We hold that the words were not Haggai's at all, but God's; and as Peter indicated (1 Peter 1:10-12), students in the present dispensation have a far better opportunity to understand what God wrote through that prophet than he did.

Therefore, although Haggai probably understood God's words which came through him as predictions of what would be fulfilled with regard to the physical temple they were rebuilding, discerning students of the holy Scriptures cannot fail to understand that much more was included in the heavenly meaning of this magnificent Messianic passage (Haggai 2:6-9). As Wiseman noted, "There was a first fulfillment soon after Haggai wrote, but not completely until Christ's reign."[13]

Before leaving this wonderful Messianic prophecy, we must call attention to the rendition of the KJV in Haggai 2:7, which reads:

"I will shake all nations; and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts."

In every way, this translation is far more suitable than subsequent renditions. The translators of most of the versions and translations since the KJV have made "desire" plural, reading it "the desires" "the precious things," "the desirable things," etc.; and, while we must accept the grammatical logic of this, it could very well be that the translators have been too much influenced by the Septuagint (LXX) in this place. Charles L. Feinberg discussed this verse as follows:

"It is well to remember, however, that from the earliest days the majority of Christian interpreters followed the Jewish tradition in referring the passage to the coming of Israel's Messiah. It seems clear that the longing all nations have in common must be their yearning for the Deliverer, whether or not they realize the nature of their desire or the identity of its true fulfillment in the Lord Jesus Christ.

"Moreover, in Hebrew an abstract noun is often used instead of the concrete; thus a reference to the Messiah is not automatically ruled out on the basis of language considerations. The use of a plural verb here does not militate against the Messianic interpretation, for there are instances in which the verb agrees with the second of two nouns."[14]

This writer does not claim any competence to decide such a question of Hebrew grammar; but, upon the unequivocal analysis of such a scholar as Feinberg (Dean, and Professor of Semitics, Talbot Theological Seminary, La Mirada, California), which, as far as we are able to determine is not contradicted by any authority whatever, we must in conscience receive the rendition which, to us, is clearly demanded by the entire context.

Haggai 2:7 plainly connects the filling of God's house with glory to the prior fact of the "Desire of all nations" having been brought into it; and "the desirable things" of all nations such as their wealth, their gold and silver, could not in any sense be viewed as "the glory" of God's house. The very next verse reminds us that God already owns all the gold and silver; and far from being an explanation of the nature of the promised glory, verse 8 is an explanation of what the glory is not!

Despite our preference for the KJV in this verse, the commentary above is written upon our version (ASV) and interpreted accordingly.

Gill properly discerned the true "glory" of the Lord's house. It is that "peace" mentioned at the conclusion of Haggai 2:9.

"The peace which prevails in the true and more glorious temple of God is not "as the world gives" (John 14:27). It comes only from complete surrender to and complete trust in Him Who is the meaning of the old temple and the High Priest of the new."[15]

"In this place will I give peace, saith Jehovah of hosts ..." In no sense may this be applied to the rebuilt temple; only in Christ is there "peace that passeth understanding." As for Zerubbabel's building,

"That which made it both sanctuary and temple was missing. Yahweh's glory did not fill it. Yahweh was not present there in creating and redeeming power."[16]

"Peace ..." The RSV and other versions have rendered this word "prosperity" for no compelling reason; and again we are compelled to find fault with this type of tampering with the Word of God. The Hebrew word here is "Shalom."[17] And, while it is true enough that it "has a comprehensive meaning, signifying total mental, spiritual, and physical well-being,"[18] "peace" is the primary meaning of the word; and it is thus used at the present time by Jews all over the world. To make this read "prosperity" is ridiculous, for the present-day meaning of "prosperity" leaves out of sight all the higher significance of the passage.

"In this place ..." As Keil accurately pointed out, "This place is not the temple, but the city of Jerusalem,"[19] from which place the word of the Lord went forth from Mount Zion. Again, it is the glory of the New Covenant in Christ Jesus that provides the complete fulfillment of the passage. "Peace" for mankind never yet came out of a Jewish temple.