Haggai 2:17-The Lord Struck the Agricultural Production of the Remnant of Judah Because of their Selfish Interests

Haggai 2:10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month of Darius’ second year, the Lord spoke again to the prophet Haggai: 2:11 “The Lord who rules over all says, ‘Ask the priests about the law. 2:12 If someone carries holy meat in a fold of his garment and that fold touches bread, a boiled dish, wine, olive oil, or any other food, will that item become holy?’ ” The priests answered, “It will not.” 2:13 Then Haggai asked, “If a person who is ritually unclean because of touching a dead body comes in contact with one of these items, will it become unclean?” The priests answered, “It will be unclean.” 2:14 Then Haggai responded, “ ‘The people of this nation are unclean in my sight,’ says the Lord. ‘And so is all their effort; everything they offer is also unclean. 2:15 Now therefore reflect carefully on the recent past, before one stone was laid on another in the Lord’s temple. 2:16 From that time when one came expecting a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten; when one came to the wine vat to draw out fifty measures from it, there were only twenty. 2:17 I struck all the products of your labor with blight, disease, and hail, and yet you brought nothing to me,’ says the Lord. 2:18 ‘Think carefully about the past: from today, the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, to the day work on the temple of the Lord was resumed, think about it. 2:19 The seed is still in the storehouse, isn’t it? And the vine, fig tree, pomegranate, and olive tree have not produced. Nevertheless, from today on I will bless you.’” (NET)

Haggai 2:17 contains two emphatic declarations which are addressed to the citizens of the remnant of Judah and originate from the Lord, the God of Israel.

The first asserts that the Lord caused each one of the citizens of this remnant to be struck with blight, mildew, hail, and every kind of work produced by their hands.

They were struck by the Lord in the sense that He adversely affected their agricultural production.

The second statement stands in contrast to the first and asserts that absolutely nothing was brought to the Lord by the citizens of this remnant.

These assertions are describing this remnant prior to obeying the Lord’s command in Haggai 1:8 to resume the rebuilding of the Lord’s temple and completing this task, which is indicated by the contents of Haggai 2:15-16.

In Haggai 2:15, the Lord through the prophet Haggai issues the remnant of Judah a command, which demanded that each and every one of them were to immediately thoughtfully reflect within their hearts upon the recent past.

This is identified as the period of time before a stone was place upon a stone in the Lord’s temple or in other words, each of the citizens of Judah were to thoughtfully reflect in their hearts upon the period of time prior to laying the foundation of the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem which was in 536 B.C.

Haggai 2:16 asserts that during that particular period of time a citizen of the remnant of Judah came to expect a heap of twenty measures, however, there was ten.

Furthermore, it asserts that when a citizen of the remnant of Judah arrived at the wine vat to draw fifty measures, there was twenty.

In this verse, the prepositional phrase mihĕyôtām (מִֽהְיוֹתָ֥ם), “from that time” refers to the period or the duration in which the Lord was disciplining the remnant of Judah before the laid the foundation of the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem.

Therefore, it parallels the two prepositional phrases in Haggai 2:15.

Therefore, Haggai 2:16 is asserting that during that particular period of time before the foundation of the temple was laid, a citizen of the remnant of Judah came to expect a heap of twenty measures, however, there was ten and when they arrived at the wine vat to draw fifty measures, there was twenty.

Haggai 2:16 describes the manner in which the Lord disciplined the remnant of Judah prior to the laying of the foundation of His temple in Jerusalem.

The remnant of Judah was an agricultural economy and the Lord was keeping them from prospering agriculturally.

So therefore, the Lord is reminding the remnant of Judah that before they began to resume the rebuilding of His temple, they had been disobedient to the Mosaic Law (cf. Hag. 1:5-11).

Consequently, the Lord disciplined the nation as He said He would in the Mosaic Law by greatly reducing their harvests.

Haggai 2:16 asserts that prior to the laying of the foundation of the temple, the citizens of the remnant of Judah expected twenty measures of grain but instead they produced only ten, thus, their grain harvests were down fifty percent.

It also asserts that they expected to draw fifty measures of wine from the wine vat but instead drew only twenty.

Therefore, the wine production was down forty percent from what they expected to produce or in other words, Haggai 2:16 asserts that their grain harvests during this period had decreased by fifty percent and their grape harvest by sixty percent.

The striking of crops by the Lord in Haggai 2:17 echoes Amos 4:9.

Interestingly, in Haggai 2:17, the nouns šid·dā·p̄ôn (שִׁדָּפוֹן), “blight” and yē·rā·qôn (יֵרָקוֹן), “mildew” appear in Deuteronomy 28:22.

Deuteronomy 28:22 along with Leviticus 26:4, 20 and Deuteronomy 11:11-17, Amos 4:6-10 and Psalm 67:6 taught Israel that if they obeyed the Lord, then He would send rain in its season and the ground would yield its crops.

However, if they disobeyed, then He would make the sky like iron and the ground like bronze and the ground as a result would not produce its crops.

The reference to hail in Haggai 2:17 recalls one of the plagues the Lord sent upon the nation of Egypt in the days of Moses (cf. Ex. 9:13-26).

Most of the English translations and expositors interpret this adversative clause in Haggai 2:17 “and yet you brought nothing to me” as a refusal by the remnant of Judah to repent (cf. ESV, TNIV, LEB, HCSB, NRSV).

However, the NET interprets this clause as a reference to the remnant of Judah failing to offer their agricultural products to the Lord because they were busy with their own interests rather than the interests of the Lord.

I am in agreement with the latter since Haggai 1:2-11 asserts that the Lord was disciplining the remnant of Judah for failing to complete the rebuilding of His temple because they were busy with their own homes.

There is nothing in the book of Haggai which would support the interpretation of this remnant’s repentance.

In fact, Haggai 1:3-11 and 2:14-17 describes the attitude and actions of the remnant of Judah repenting by obeying the Lord’s command to resume and complete the rebuilding of His temple in Jerusalem.

However, a failure to repent on the part of the remnant of Judah is implied by the statement that they never brought their agricultural products to the Lord as an act of worship.

The remnant of Judah was demonstrating a lack of repentance by bringing absolutely none of their agricultural products to the Lord as an act of worship.

Haggai 2:16-17 elaborate further on the command in Haggai 2:15 because they describe the dire agricultural and economic situation in Judah prior to the laying of the foundation of this temple sixteen years earlier in 536 B.C. up to the present moment.

Haggai 2:18 contains another command which required that the citizens of the kingdom of Judah reflect thoughtfully upon the past and specifically, they were to thoughtfully reflect upon the period starting from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month to the day the work on the temple of the Lord was resumed.

The latter took place on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month King Darius’ second year (Hag. 1:15).

Haggai 2:19 poses a rhetorical question to the citizens of Judah which asks them if the seed was still in their storehouses, which demands a positive response and it also asserts that the vine, fig tree, pomegranate and olive tree have not produced.

Lastly, this verse asserts that from today, the twenty-fourth day of the ninth moment the Lord would bless the citizens of Judah.

Therefore, Haggai 2:15 begins a section which ends in Haggai 2:19, which stands in contrast to the Lord’s assessment of the citizens of Judah in Haggai 2:14 which asserts that they were unclean in His judgment.

Haggai 2:15-19 stands in contrast with Haggai 2:14 because the former asserts the Lord would bless the kingdom of Judah even though He had been disciplining them before they laid the foundation of the temple and after they He had done so.

The reason why the citizens of Judah were unclean in the Lord’s judgment is not identified in Haggai 2:10-19, however, Haggai 1:9 identifies the reason as they did not complete the rebuilding of His temple in Jerusalem.

Therefore, the reason why the citizens of Judah were unclean is because they failed to complete the rebuilding of the Lord’s temple.

Also, the reason why the Lord decided to bless them rather than continue to discipline them is not given in Haggai 2:10-19.

However, Haggai 1:12-15 makes clear that it was because the citizens of the kingdom of Judah obeyed the command the Lord communicated to them through Haggai to resume rebuilding His temple in Jerusalem.

Again, Haggai 1:15 asserts that this took place on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month during Darius’ second year.

Furthermore, as we noted the Lord issues the citizens of Judah another command in Haggai 2:18, which required that they thoughtfully reflect upon the past.

This period is identified as extending from the day they received this message, the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month to the day work on the temple was resumed, which again Haggai 1:15 identifies as the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month during Darius’ second year of reign.

As we also noted, Haggai 2:19 asserts that the seed was still in the storehouses of the remnant of Judah, however, the vine, fig tree, pomegranate and olive tree had not produced yet.

Lastly, the Lord asserts He would bless from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth.