Haggai 1:1-15

In order for one to fully understand literature, especially biblical texts, one needs to understand the historical context of the literature in question. In the first sentence of the Haggai it is stated, “In the second year of King Darius, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the lord came by the prophet Haggai…” Darius was king of the Persian Empire from 522 to 486 BCE. This date can be pinpointed as august 29, 520 BCE (Coogan 1354).

There are three large events which Keck discusses in his commentary as being of large importance in the time of Haggai. The first event is the relatively unproductive economy present in Judah, which had yet t

In this segment of text, God is questioning his people’s decision to focus so closely on their own comfort and lives, and why they concentrate so little on reconstructing the temple. Kent suggests that the phrase “paneled houses” is being used to describe the completion of the Judean’s homes in comparison to the partially built house of God, once again this shows the reader the lack of priority they have for their religion (Kent 716).

In the verses to follow the reader learns of what God had done to punish the people for their lack of prioritizing. God brings a drought upon the people, thus destroying their crop and source of money, but not only did God put a drought on “what the soil produces” (Haggai 1:11), but he places a drought on “human beings and animals, and on all their labors” (Haggai 1:11). This means that not only was the land infertile, but so became the humans and animals, they were no longer able to produce anything. This all can be read in the Haggai 1:7-11.

“…all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of their Lord their God…and the people feared the Lord…and they came and worked on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God, on the twenty-fourth day of the month, in the six month.” (Haggai 1:12-15)

“Thus says the Lord of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord’s house. Then the word of the Lord came by the prophet Haggai, saying: Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses while this house lies in ruins?” (Haggai 1:2-4)

God then goes on to ask the people to consider, in verses five through six, why they are not thankful for all that they have been given in life.

Through the first four chapters

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