Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

HAGGAI

The tenth book of the so-called Book of the Twelve, the Minor Prophets of the Hebrew Bible. Haggai, which means “festival” or “of a festival,” is the name of the prophet whose oracles comprise the book and may indicate that he was born on a feast day. No biographical information is provided, although he and his contemporary (First) Zechariah are mentioned in Ezra 5:1; 6:14 and are referred to in the 3rd person in the narrative frameworks in which their oracles are set.

Haggai is also linked to First Zechariah by the unique arrangement of date formulas that provide the literary structure of Haggai and Zech. 1–8. Unlike chronological information in other biblical books (Kings/Chronicles and several other prophets), in which events are keyed to the reigns of Israelite or Judean monarchs, the dates in Haggai and First Zechariah are linked to the regnal years of a foreign imperial ruler, Darius I (522-486 b.c.e.), the first of three men named Darius who headed the Achaemenid Empire. This chronological relating of prophetic oracle to Persian power is striking indication of the political situation in Yehud, the postexilic province containing the capital Jerusalem and part of the former southern kingdom of Judah. Although his words are directed to the two main leaders of Yehud — the governor Zerubbabel and the high priest Joshua — as well as to the community in general, Haggai was nonetheless acutely aware of Yehud’s political status as part of a foreign empire rather than as the autonomous kingdom that its predecessor Judah had been for nearly half a millennium, since the days of King David.

The first of the five date formulas in Haggai (followed by three in Zechariah) appears in 1:1, which refers to the first day of the sixth month of Darius I’s reign (29 August 520). The last formula, in 2:20, mentions (as does the fourth formula, 2:10) the date of 18 December 520, several months later. The specificity of the dates probably reflects the prophet’s knowledge of and sensitivity to the oracles of earlier prophets. Jeremiah had referred to an expected 70-year period of desolation after the destruction of the First Temple in 587/586 (Jer. 25:11-12; 29:10). In 520 the imminence of the end of that period must have figured prominently in Haggai’s thinking. Convinced of Yahweh’s purposeful control of human affairs, he apparently saw in the emergence of the Persian Empire and its seemingly beneficent granting of semi-autonomy to many of its provinces the signals of the anticipated dawn of a new era. The fact that the dyarchic leadership structure of Yehud consisted of a priestly figure, in continuation of preexilic or even premonarchic Israelite governance, along with a political figure who was a Davidic scion, likewise encouraged Haggai’s future-oriented oracles and his sense that Yehud’s provincial status was only temporary and that the end of the seven decades of exile and ruin would mean the inauguration of restored independence and prosperity.

In addition to its unusual date formulas and its close thematic and lexical connections with Zech. 1–8, the book of Haggai shares with First Zechariah a literary texture that is difficult to characterize. For the most part it reads as prose, yet certain passages (e.g., 1:5-10) are rather poetic in structure, thereby lending a poetic flair to the whole, perhaps so the oracles might conform with the largely poetic prototype of earlier prophecy. The term “oracular prose,” or perhaps “elevated prose,” may best represent Haggai’s work. The intermingling of poetic and prose sections represents the creative impulse of a prophetic figure acutely aware of the form as well as the content of his prophetic legacy.

The book of Haggai has two major parts. The first deals with the restoration of the temple and consists of two sections: 1:1-11; 1:12-15a. The second is composed of oracles of encouragement, which can be subdivided into three sections: 1:15b–2:9; 2:10-19; 2:20-23. Each of the five sub-units is associated with one of the five chronological headings, perhaps indicating separate prophetic events or proclamations. Although each of the sub-units has its own integrity, together they provide a progression of events and ideas that form a unified whole.

Prophetic Call to Work on the Temple (1:1-11)

The opening oracle links the adverse political and economic conditions of postexilic Judah with the fact that the temple, which was destroyed by the Babylonians in 587/586, still lies in ruins. Haggai attempts to convince the people that the great disparity between their expectations for a thriving restored community and the reality of economic hardship will be ameliorated if they attend to the temple, the symbol of God’s presence among them. He urges that they undertake a temple reconstruction project. His oracular call to begin this project is grounded in the belief, common in the ancient Near East, that blessings will flow when the sacred center of a community — the place where its deity resides — is functioning as the locus of divine power on earth.

Response of Leaders and People (1:12-15a)

Haggai’s audience responds positively to his exhortation, whereupon he assures them that God is with them in their task. The alacrity of their response is clear from the date formula with which this section closes: less than a month after Haggai’s plea, the people have decided to obey God’s voice as communicated by the words of the prophet.

Assurance of God’s Presence (1:15b–2:9)

The second part of the book begins with further assurance that God’s beneficence is with them and that they should be encouraged in the work of reconstructing the temple. Once restored, God’s house will affect all humankind, for all nations will ultimately recognize Yahweh as God. The solution to the immediate problems besetting Yehud will have universal implications.

Priestly Ruling with Interpretation (2:10-19)

This proto-rabbinic pericope reveals Second Temple concepts of defilement and impurity on the one hand, and of holiness and purity on the other. The latter properties surround God and are much more difficult to transmit than are their opposites; the former categories of uncleanness are caused by immorality, sin, or disobedience to God’s word, not by physical dirt, and are unfortunately all too contagious. The arcane language of the priestly ruling becomes a vehicle for the idea that the work on the temple will affect the welfare of the land and its inhabitants. Haggai’s use of complex priestly concepts probably indicates the authoritative role of the priesthood at this time as well as the familiarity of his audience with priestly views.

Future Hope (2:20-23)

The concluding oracle is uniquely directed to a single individual, the governor Zerubbabel. The mention by name of this descendent of David arouses speculation that the prophet may have expected an imminent restoration of independence for Yehud, with Zerubbabel as king. Yet the language of the oracle depicts a subsidiary role for Zerubbabel as a human ruler. He is to serve as a sort of vice-regent to Yahweh (“a signet ring” on God’s hand) in a theocratic scheme involving all the nations of the world. An eschatological orientation for Haggai’s final utterance is thus more likely than a historical one. Haggai perceives the community’s work in restoring its sacred center as an integral part of its ultimate rule as the center of God’s universal redemptive plan.

Bibliography. R. Mason, The Books of Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. CBC (Cambridge, 1977); C. L. Meyers and E. M. Meyers, Haggai, Zechariah 1–8. AB 25B (Garden City, 1987); “Haggai-Zechariah,” NAB, rev. ed., ed. J. Jensen et al.; D. L. Petersen, Haggai and Zechariah 1–8. OTL (Philadelphia, 1985); “Haggai,” in Oxford Bible Commentary, ed. J. Barton and J. Muddiman (Oxford, 1999).

Carol Meyers

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

HAGGAI

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)