Haggai 1 KJV
1 In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying,
2 Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the Lord's house should be built.
3 Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying,
4 Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste?
5 Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.
6 Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.
Hag.1 (Old Testament)
7 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.
8 Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the Lord.
9 Ye looked for much, and, lo it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the Lord of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.
10 Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit.
11 And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands.
12 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the Lord their God had sent him, and the people did fear before the Lord.
Hag.1 (Old Testament)
13 Then spake Haggai the Lord's messenger in the Lord's message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the Lord.
14 And the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the Lord of hosts, their God,
15 In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.
| Hebrew Word + Transliteration + Meaning | Verse + Snippet | Scholarly Notes |
|---|---|---|
| דָּרַשׁ — dārash — “seek, inquire” | Verse 5 — “…Consider your ways.” | Haggai urges Judah to reflect deeply, and dārash highlights intentional examination. The prophet calls for renewed covenant pursuit rooted in inward devotion. This term stresses that divine blessing follows deliberate turning toward God. — Franz Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament (1890) |
| עָלָה — ‘ālāh — “go up, ascend” | Verse 8 — “Go up to the mountain…” | The command for Israel to ‘ālāh stresses initiative toward obedience. Ascent imagery reinforces returning to covenant loyalty. The term frames the effort required to rebuild. — C. F. Keil, Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the OT (1885) |
| בָּנָה — bānāh — “build, construct” | Verse 8 — “…and build the house.” | Bānāh conveys purposeful construction tied to divine mission. Rebuilding the temple represents restored worship. The term emphasizes human responsibility within God’s plan. — Samuel Rolles Driver, Introduction to the Literature of the Old Testament (1891) |
| כָּבֵד — kāvēd — “be heavy, honor” | Verse 8 — “…that I may be glorified.” | Kāvéd emphasizes weightiness ascribed to God. Haggai connects obedience with honoring the divine presence. The term underscores covenant reverence. — Franz Delitzsch, Commentary on the Prophets (1890) |
| שָׂבַע — sāva‘ — “be satisfied” | Verse 6 — “…ye eat, but ye have not enough.” | Sāva‘ stresses satisfaction withheld due to disobedience. The prophet notes relational consequences to misplaced priorities. The term contrasts divine abundance with human lack. — Heinrich Ewald, The Prophets of the Old Testament (1875) |
| חָסֵר — chāsēr — “lack, be without” | Verse 6 — “…ye drink, but ye are not filled…” | Chāsēr denotes deprivation resulting from divine discipline. Haggai ties physical lack to spiritual misalignment. The term calls for repentance. — A. B. Davidson, Hebrew Lexicon (1898) |
| צָבָא — tsāvā’ — “host, service” | Verse 2 — “…the LORD of hosts…” | Tsāvā’ stresses God’s sovereign command over heavenly armies. The title affirms divine authority backing the prophetic mandate. The term reinforces urgency. — C. F. Keil, Old Testament Theology (1890) |
| יַגִּיעַ — yaggi‘a — “labor, toil” | Verse 11 — “…upon all the labor of the hands.” | Yaggi‘a highlights effort rendered futile apart from obedience. Haggai shows how divine judgment disrupts productivity. The term signals covenant consequences. — Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary (1890) |
| חָרֵב — ḥārēv — “dry up, wither” | Verse 11 — “…I called for a drought…” | Ḥārēv expresses divine restraint of blessing. The prophet connects nature’s barrenness to spiritual negligence. The term heightens urgency for reform. — Samuel Rolles Driver, Minor Prophets Commentary (1888) |
| עֵר — ‘ēr — “stir up, awaken” | Verse 14 — “…the LORD stirred up the spirit…” | ‘Ēr emphasizes divine empowerment toward action. God awakens leaders to renewed commitment. The term signifies spiritual revival. — C. F. Keil, Keil & Delitzsch Commentary (1885) |
Chapter 1
Verse: "Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways!" - Haggai 1:7
Lesson: In this chapter, Haggai rebukes the people for prioritizing their own comfort and neglecting the work of God. He calls them to repent and turn back to God. The lesson we can learn is that it is easy to get caught up in our own desires and forget about God's plans for us. We must be intentional about putting God first and seeking His will in all that we do.
Conclusion: When we neglect our relationship with God, we will never experience true fulfillment and joy. We must be willing to examine our lives and make changes when necessary. God desires to bless us and use us for His purposes, but we must be willing to surrender our own desires to Him.
Prayer Points: Let us pray that God would give us the wisdom and discernment to prioritize His plans over our own. Let us ask Him to help us turn away from anything that is hindering our relationship with Him and to give us the strength to follow Him wholeheartedly.
