Haggai 2:4

4. The prophet does not deny the justice of the estimate, but he does deny that the prospective inferiority of the temple is a valid ground for discouragement, or a sufficient reason for discontinuing the building operations.

Yet now Nevertheless; in spite of the great difference.

Be strong Do not permit appearances to discourage you, but remain confident as to the ultimate success. These words are addressed to all the people (compare Zechariah 4:6-10).

Work Only if they do their share can God render assistance (compare 1 Chronicles 28:20). There is no need for discouragement, because Jehovah, the God of hosts (see on Hosea 12:5), is with them (Haggai 1:13). “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31.)

The translation of 5a is uncertain. Both English translations supply “according to,” but A.V. connects 5a with 5b, “According to the word… , so my spirit remaineth,” while R.V. connects it with 4b, “I am with you,… according to the word.” The chief difficulty lies in “the word,” which in Hebrew stands in the accusative, but whose syntactical relation cannot be determined very easily. Some supply the verb remember, hence margin R.V., “Remember the word,” but this is arbitrary. The grammatical difficulty cannot be solved, and we must be satisfied with saying that, if the text is correct, the promise of Jehovah to co-operate with the people is somehow brought in connection with a covenant promise made at the time of the Exodus (compare, for example, Exodus 6:7; Exodus 19:4-6). The difficulty vanishes if, following LXX., we omit 5a; LXX. reads 5b, “And my spirit shall remain in the midst of you, fear not.” This makes a natural continuation of Haggai 2:4. For the promise see on Zechariah 4:6; for my spirit, on Joel 2:28, and A.B. Davidson, The Theology of the Old Testament, pp. 115-129, from which may be quoted a few sentences: “The Spirit of Jehovah is Jehovah himself the source of life of all kinds, of the quickening of the mind in thought, in morals, in religion, particularly the last.… The Spirit of God ab intra is God active, showing life and power, of all kinds similar to those exhibited by the spirit of man in man; the Spirit of God ab extra is God in efficient operation, whether in the cosmos or as giving life, reinforcing life, exerting efficiency in any sphere, whether physical, intellectual, or spiritual; the tendency toward limiting the Spirit of God to the ethical and spiritual spheres is due to the tendency to regard God mainly on those sides of his being.” The translation of R.V. “abode” is wrong, for the words contain a promise for the future.

Fear ye not Though the present seems dark and unpromising.