Haggai 2:2-Identification of the Recipients of the Second Message

Haggai 2:1 On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the Lord spoke again through the prophet Haggai: 2 “Ask the following questions to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, and the remnant of the people.” (NET)

As we noted in our introduction to the book of Haggai and in our study of Haggai 2:1, the structure of this book is built around four messages.

Each presents the date and divine origin of the prophecy as well as the recipients.

As we also noted, the first message was delivered by Haggai on the first day of the sixth month of King Darius’ second year, which was Elul 1 according to the Jewish calendar, which in our modern Julian calendar was August 29, 520 B.C. (Hag. 1:1-11).

It was addressed to Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah and Joshua the high priest.

This message accuses the Jewish remnant of abandoning the rebuilding of the Lord’s temple (1:2-6), which is followed by an exhortation for them to rebuild again (1:7-8).

The Lord asserts that this failure to complete this project is the reason why they have been impoverished since their return from exile (1:9-11).

The remnant responds to the message by beginning to work on this rebuilding project (1:12-15).

Now, Haggai 2:3-9 records the second message the Lord communicated to Zerubbabel and Joshua the high priest and the remnant of Judah through the agency of the prophet Haggai, which declares that the glory of this rebuilt temple will be superior to the glory of Solomon’s temple.

Haggai 2:1 asserts that this message was communicated by the Lord on the twenty-first day of the seventh month.

Although the year is not explicitly mentioned, the assumption is that this message was delivered during the second year of Darius’s reign (cf. 2:10).

The seventh month was the Jewish month Tishri, which according to our modern calendar would be October 17, 520 B.C.

The twenty-first day of Tishri marked the seventh and last day of the Feast of Tabernacles (cf. Lev 23:33–36, 39–43; Num 29:12–40; Ezek 45:25).

It also coincided with the date 440 years earlier (960 b.c.) when Solomon finished building his temple (1 Kgs 6:38; 8:2).

October 18, 520 B.C. would mark the anniversary of Solomon dedicating the temple in 959 B.C. (2 Chr. 7:8-10).

In fact, Tishri was a month of celebrations for the Israelites because on the first day of this month, they celebrated the Day of Atonement.

In this message, the Lord through Haggai declares that the glory of this rebuilt temple will be superior to the glory of Solomon’s temple.

Now, Haggai 1:12 asserts that Zerubbabel and Joshua along with the whole remnant of Judah obeyed the Lord’s command in Haggai 1:8 to complete the rebuilding of His temple in Jerusalem.

So therefore, when the remnant of Judah received this second message from the Lord through the prophet Haggai as recorded in Haggai 2:3-9 they had been working on completing the rebuilding of the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem for a month since the first message was communicated to them came on the first day of the previous month.

This second message would encourage this remnant since it asserts that the glory of this rebuilt temple would be superior to Solomon’s.

Haggai 2:2 identifies Zerubbabel, Shealtiel’s son, Judah’s governor as well as Joshua, the high priest, Jehozadak’s son and in addition the remnant of the kingdom of Judah as the recipients of this second message from the Lord.

Zerubbabel is also identified in Haggai 1:1 as Shealtiel’s son as well as the governor of the kingdom of Judah.

He was also the grandson of King Jehoiachin according to the genealogies of Jesus found in Matthew and Luke (Matt. 1:12-13; Luke 3:27).

He is named in Ezra 2:2 as one of the leaders of the Jewish remnant returning from Babylon.

His father is identified as Shealtiel who is identified in Scripture as the son of Jeconiah, the last king of Judah before the final Babylonian deportation in 586 B.C. (1 Chr. 3:17; Ezra 3:8; 3:2; Neh. 12:1; Hag. 1:12, 14; 2:2, 23; Matt. 1:12; Luke 3:27).

Therefore, Zerubbabel was a descendant of king David because he was from Judah and descendant from the kings of Judah (Hag. 1:1).

Now, 1 Chronicles 3:19 appears to contradict Haggai 1:1 since the former reveals that Pedaiah was his father and Shealtiel his uncle.

However, this problem can be resolved with either adoption or levirate law.

This would then indicate that when Pedaiah died, his brother Shealtiel adopted Zerubbabel or Shealtiel adopted him after Pedaiah died.

Joshua is also identified in Haggai 1:1 as the son of Jehozadak as well as the high priest of the remnant of Judah.

He was taken into exile by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C. (1 Chron. 6:15; cf. Ezra 3:2, 8; Neh. 12:1, 8), but then returned to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel in approximately 537 B.C. (Ezra 2:2).

The descendants of his family also returned (Ezra 2:36; cf. 2:40).

He evidently was the grandson of Seraiah, who was the high priest when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem, whom Nebuchadnezzar executed at Riblah (2 Kgs. 25:18-21; Jer. 52:24-27).

Some translations have Jehozadak as the high priest (cf. ASV, NASB, NIV, NRSV.

However, Zechariah 3:1, 8 clearly indicate that Joshua was high priest (see also Ezra 5:1–2; cf. NAB).

The same potential misunderstanding occurs in Haggai 1:12, 14 and 2:2, where the same solution has been employed in the translation.

Together, Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah and Joshua, the high priest of this kingdom represented the political and religious leadership in the nation respectively.

They led the remnant of Judah in rebuilding the altar and restoring sacrifices in Jerusalem (Ezra 3:2-6).

When they began rebuilding the temple they were faced with strong opposition.

They appealed to King Artaxerxes (Ezra 3:8-4:24).

They later corresponded with King Darius in order to recover Cyrus’ proclamation authorizing the rebuilding of the temple.

This was after Joshua followed the instructions of Zechariah and Haggai.

They finally renewed efforts to rebuild the temple (Ezra 5:2-6:15; Hag. 1:1, 12-14; 2:4).

They completed the task in 515 B.C.

In Haggai 2:2, the expression šĕʾērît hāʿām (שְׁאֵרִ֥ית הָעָ֖ם), “the remnant which is a part of this people” refers to those Jews who returned to the land occupied by Judah before the Babylonian invasions in 605, 597 and 586 B.C. as a result of returning from the Babylonian exile.

In other words, it refers to those individuals belonging to the kingdom of Judah who survived these invasions and subsequent deportations and returned to the land which the kingdom of Judah occupied prior to these invasions and deportations.

Haggai 2:3-9 records the content of this second message which the Lord communicated to Zerubbabel, Joshua and the remnant of Judah through the prophet Haggai.

The thrust of this second message is that the glory of this rebuilt temple will be superior to the glory of Solomon’s temple.

Haggai 2:2 “Ask the following questions to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, and the remnant of the people: 2:3 ‘Who among you survivors saw the former splendor of this temple? How does it look to you now? Isn’t it nothing by comparison? 2:4 Even so, take heart, Zerubbabel,’ says the Lord. ‘Take heart, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and all you citizens of the land,’ says the Lord, ‘and begin to work. For I am with you,’ says the Lord who rules over all. 2:5 ‘Do not fear, because I made a promise to your ancestors when they left Egypt, and my spirit even now testifies to you.’ 2:6 Moreover, the Lord who rules over all says: ‘In just a little while I will once again shake the sky and the earth, the sea and the dry ground. 2:7 I will also shake up all the nations, and they will offer their treasures; then I will fill this temple with glory,’ says the Lord who rules over all. 2:8 ‘The silver and gold will be mine,’ says the Lord who rules over all. 2:9 ‘The future splendor of this temple will be greater than that of former times,’ the Lord who rules over all declares, ‘and in this place I will give peace.’” (NET)