Zephaniah
Verse 13. Their goods (in which they trust) shall become a booty] To the Chaldeans. They shall have wrath, a day of trouble and
and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness.
1 6 A day of " the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.
17 And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall ^ walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord: and s their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh '' as the dung.
18 ' Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath; but the whole land shall be '' devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for ' he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
no profit of all their labours. The houses they have built they shall not inhabit; of the wine of the vineyards they have planted, they shall not drink. See Amos V. 11, where we find the same evils threatened.
Verse 1 4. The great day of the Lord is near] It commenced with the death of the good king Josiah, who was slain by Pharaoh-necho at Megiddo, and continued to the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar.
Verse 15. That day is a day of wrath] See the parallel passages in the margin, and the notes there. From the fourteenth to the sixteenth verse inclusive there is a mo.st beautiful amplification of the disasters that were coming on Jcrsusalem; the invasion, incursion, attach, carnage, confusion, horrible din occasioned by the sound of the trumpet, the cries of the people, and the shrieis and groans of the dying, are pointed out with great force and mighty effect.
Verse 17. They shall ivalk like blind men] Be in the most perplexing doubt and uncertainty; and while in this state, have their blood poured out by the sword of their enemies, and their flesh trodden under foot.
Verse 18. Their silver nor their gold] In which thev trusted, and from which they expected happi ncss; these shall not profit them in this awful day. And God will bring this about speedily; and a speedy riddance — a universal desolation, shall in a short time take place in every part of the land.
The prophet, having declared the judgments lohich were ready to fall on his people, earnestly exhorts them to repentance, that these judgments may he averted, 1—3. He then foretells the fate of other neighbouring and hostile nations: the Philistines, 4-7; Moabites and Ammonites, 8—11; Ethiopians, 18; and Assynans, 1 3. In the close of the chapter we have a prophecy against Nineveh. These predictions were accomplished chiefly by the conquests of Nebuchadnezzar.
thee, that there shall be no in
before the day pass " as the chaff, before "^ the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you, before the day of the Lord's anger come upon
3 » Seek ye the Lord, *■ all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment, seek righteousness, seek meekness: ^ it may be ye shall be nid in the day of the Lord's anger.
4 Foi ^ Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall drive out Ashdod ' at the noonday, and Ekron shall be rooted up.
5 Wo unto the inhabitants of '' the seacoasts, the nation of the Cherethites; the word of the Lord is against you; 0 ^ Canaan, the land of the Philistines, I will even destroy
Veise 1. Gather yourselves'] Others, sift yourselves. Separate the chaff from the wheat, before the judgments of God fall upon you. O nation not desired— unlovely, not delighted in; hated because of your sin. The Israelites are addressed.
Verse 3. Ye meek of the earth] 'Ui? anavey, ye oppressed and humbled of the land.
It may he ye shall be hid] The sword has not a commission against you. Ask God, and he will be a refuge to you from the storm and from the tempest.
Verse 4. G«ra shall be forsaken] This prophecy is against the Philistines. They had been greatly harassed by the kings of Egypt; but were completely ruined by Nebuchadnezzar, who took all PhcEnicia from the Egyptians; and about the time of his taking Tyre, devastated all the seignories of the Philistines. This ruin we have seen foretold by the other prophets, and have already remarked its exact fulfilment.
Verse 5. The sea-coasts, the nation of the Cherethites] The sea-coasts mean all the country lying on the Mediterranean coast from Egypt to Joppa and Gaza. The Cherethites — the Cretans, who were pro-
6 And the sea-coasts shall be dwellings and cottages for shepherds, " and folds for flocks.
7 And the coast. shall be for "the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall feed thereupon: in the houses of Ashkelon shall tliey lie down in the evening: ° for the Lord their God shall ' visit them, and i turn away their captivity.
8 ' I have heard the reproach of Moab, and ^ the revilings of the children of Amnion, whereby they have reproached my people, and ' magnified themselves against their border.
9 Therefore as I live, saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely ° Moab shall be as Sodom, and ^ the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, '" even the breeding of nettles, and salt-pits, and a perpetual desolation: ^ the
bably a colony of the Phoenicians. See on 1 Sam. XXX. 14, and Amos ix. 7.
Verse 6. And the sea-coasts shall be dwellings] Newcome considers HID keroth as a proper name, not cottages or folds. The Septuagint have KpjiTrj, Crete, and so has the Si/riac. Abp. Seeker notes, Alibi non extat n"l3, et forte notat patriam tuv!:3"mD. " The word n"iD is not found elsewhere, and probably it is the name of the country of the Cherethim."
Verse 7. The coast shall he for the remnant] Several devastations fell on the Philistines. Gaza was ruined by the army of Alexander the Great, and the Maccabees finally accomplished all that was predicted by the prophets against this invariably wicked people. They lost their polity, and were at last obliged to receive circumcision.
Verse 8. I have heard the reproach of Moah] God punished them for the cruel part they had taken in the persecutions of the Jews; for when they lay under the displeasure of God, these nations insulted them in the most provoking manner. See on Amos i. 13, and the parallel texts in the margin.
Verse 9. The breeding of nettles] That is, their land shall become desolate, and be a place for nettles, thorns, &c., to flourish in, for want of cultivation.
T}ie prophet foretells the fate of CHAP. III.
10 This shall they have ^for
the neighbouring hostile nations.
their pride, because they have reproached and magnified themselves against the people of the
1 1 The Lord will be terrible unto them: for he will '' famish all the gods of the earth; ^ and?nen shall worship him, every one from his place, even all *> the isles of the heathen.
12 "^ Ye Ethiopians also, ye shall be slain by ^ my sword.
1 3 And he will stretch out his hand against the north, and " destroy Assyria; and will make
Verse 1 1. He will famish all the gods of the earth] They shall have no more sacrifices; their worship shall be entirely destroyed. ■ Idolaters supposed that their gods actually fed on the femes and spirituous exhalations that arose from the burnt-offerings which they made unto their idols. It is in reference to this opinion that the Lord says, " He will famish all the gods of the land."
Verse 13. He will — destroy Assyria] He will overthrow the empire, and Nineveh, their metropolitan city. See on Jonah and Nahum.
Verse 14. And flocks shall lie doicn in the midst of her] Nineveh was so completely destroyed, that its situation is not at present even known. The present city of Mossoid is supposed to be in the vicinity of the place where this ancient city stood.
The cormorant jINp kaath; and the bittern, ^3p kippod. These Newcome translates, " The pelican and the porcupine."
in the midst of her, all ^ the beasts of the nations: both the ^ cormorant ' and the bittern shall lodge in the '' upper Hntels of it; their voice shall sing in the windows; desolation shall be in the thresh olds: ' for he shall uncover the " cedar work 15 This is the rejoicing city "that dwelt carelessly, " that said in her heart, I am, and there is none beside me: how is she become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in. every one that passeth by her '* shall hiss and 1 was his hand.
Their voice shall sing in the ivindoivs] The windows shall be all demolished; wild fowl shall build their nests in them, and shall be seen coming from their sills; and the fine cedar ceilings shall be exposed to the weather, and by and by crumble to dust. See the note on Isa. xxxiv. 11, 14, where nearly the same terms are used.
I have in another place introduced a remarkable couplet quoted by Sir W. Jones from a Persian poet, which speaks of desolation in nearly the same terms.
" The spider holds the veil in the palace of Caesar: The o%vl stands sentinel in the watchtower of Afrasiab."
Verse 15. This is the rejoicing city] The city in which mirth, jocularity, and pleasure, reigned without interruption.
And wag his hand] Will point her out as a mark and monument of Divine displeasure
The prophet reproves Jerusalem, and all her guides and rulers, for their obstinate perseverance in impiety, notwithstanding all the learnings and corrections which Ihey had received from God, 1-7. They are encouraged, however, after they shall have been chastised for their idolatry, and cured of it, to look for mercy and restoration, 8-13; and excited to hymns of joy at the glorious prospect, 14-17. After which the prophet concludes ivith large promises of favour and prosperity in the days of the Messiah, 18-20. We take this extensive view of the concluding verses of this chapter, because an apostle has expressly assured us that in everv prophetical book of the Old Testament Scriptures are contained predictions relative to ike Gospel dispensation. See Acts iii. 24.
A. M. cir. 3374. -TTT-Q to lier '' that is filthy and
Olymp. polluted, to the oppressing
'''*• 2 She " obeyed not the voice;
she "^ received not " correction; she trusted not in the Lord; she drew not near to her God.
3 f Her princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are s evening wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow.
4 Her ^ prophets are light and treacherous persons: her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done ' violence to the law.
5 ^ The just Lord ' is in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity: "^ every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not: but ° the unjust knoweth no shame.
6 I have cut off the nations: their ° towers
Verse 1. Wo to her thai is Jilthy] This is a denunciation of Divine judgment against Jerusalem.
She received not correction] Did not profit by his chastisements; was uneasy and ill-tempered under her afflictions, and derived no manner of good from these chastisements.
She trusted not in the Lor-d] Did not consider him as the Fountain whence all help and salvation should come; and rather sought for support from man and herself, than from God.
She drew not near to her God.] Did not worship him; did not walk in his ways; did not make prayer and supplication to him.
Verse 3. Her princes — nje roaring lions] Tearing all to pieces without shadow of law, except their own despotic power.
Her judges are evening toolves] Being a little afraid of the lion-like princes, they practise their unjust dealings from evening to morning, and take the day to find their rest.
They gnaw not the bones till the morrow.] They devour the flesh in the night, and gnaw the bones and extract the marrow afterwards. They use all violence and predatory oppression, like wild beasts; they shun the light, and turn day into night by their revellings.
Verse 4. Her prophets are light and treacherous persons] They have no seriousness, no deep conviction of the awful nature of their office, no concern for the immortal souls of the people. Treacherous persons — they betray the souls of the people for the sake of worldly honour, pleasure, and profit. Even in our own enlightened country we find prophets who prefer hunting the hare or the fox, and pursuing the partridge and pheasant, to visiting the sick, and going after the strayed, lost sheep of the house of Israel. Poor souls!
waste, that none passeth bv: Olymp.
their cities are destroyed, so that a. r. c. cir. there is no man, that there is ^'''*'
7 '' I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction; so their dwelling should not be cut off, howsoever I punished them; but they rose early, and 'corrupted all their doings.
8 Therefore ^ wait ye upon me, saith the Lord, until the day that I rise up to the prey for my determination is to * gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth ' shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.
9 For then will I turn to the people " a pure
They know neither God nor themselves; and if they did visit the sick, they could not speak to them to exhortation, edification, or comfort. God never called them to his work; therefore they know nothing of it. But O, what an account have these pleasure-taking false prophets to render to the Shepherd of souls!
They have done violence to the law.] They have forced wrong constructions on it in order to excuse themselves, and lull the people into spiritual slumber. So we find that it was an ancient practice for men to wrest the Scriptures to their own destruction.
Verse 5. The just Lord is in the midst thereof] He sees, marks down, and will punish all these wickednesses.
Every morning doth he bring his judgment to hght] The sense is, says Bp. Neivcome, " Not a day passes but we see instances of his goodness to righteous men, and of his vengeance on the wicked."
Verse 7. Surely thou wilt fear }ne] After so many displays of my sovereign power and judgments.
But they rose early] And instead of returning to God, they practised every abomination. They were diligent to find out times and places for their iniquity. This is the worst state of man.
Verse 8. Wait ye upon me] Expect the fulfilment of all my promises and threatenings: I am God, and change not.
For all the earth] AH the land of Judah.
Verse 9. Will I turn to the people] This promise must refer to the conversion of the Jews under the Gospel.
That they may all call] That the whole nation may invoke God by Christ, and serve him with one consent; not one unbeliever being found among them.
The pure language, 711113 T\2U saphah herurah, may here mean the form of religious worship. They had been before idolaters: now God promises to restora oiymp. call upon tlie name of the Lord,
10 '^ From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, even the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering.
1 1 In that day shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings, wherein thou hast transgressed against me: for then I will take away out of the midst of thee them that ^ rejoice in thy pride, and thou shalt no more be haughty ' because of my holy mountain.
1 2 I will also leave in the midst of thee " an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord.
his pure worship among tliem. The word has certainly this meaning in Psa. Ixxxi. 6; where, as God is the speaker, the words should not be rendered, " I heard a language which I understood not;" but, " I heard a religious confession, which I approved not." See Isa. xix. 18; Hos. xiv. 3; and see Joel ii. 28, where a similar promise is found.
A'erse 10. From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia] This may denote both Africa and the southern Arabia. Bochart thinks that Arabia Chiister is meant; and that the rivers are Besor, which flows into the Mediterranean; Rhinocorura, whieh flows into the Lake <Sirbonis; Trajanus Amnis, which flows into the Red Sea; and the river Cori/s. Calmet thinks that these rivers mean the Nile, which by seven mouths falls into the Mediterranean. The Nile comes from Ethiopia, properly so called; and runs through all Egypt, and falls into the sea at that part of Arabia which the Scripture calls Cush or Ethiopia.
My dispersed] The Jews, scattered through different parts of the world. Shall bring mine offering. Shall acknowledge my mercy in sending them the Messiah to bless them, by turning every one of them away from their iniquities.
Verse 11. Shalt thou not be ashamed] Thy punishment shall cease, for God shall pardon thy sin.
For then I tvill take aivay out of the midst of thee] The wicked Jewish priests and scribes who blasphemed Christ, and would not come under his yoke.
Because of my holy mountain.] Thou wilt no more boast in my temple, but become meeh and lowly in following him who is meek and lowly in heart, that ye may obtain rest to your souls.
Verse 12. An afflicted and poor people] In such a state will the Jews be found when they shall hear the universal call, and believe in Christ Jesus. Indeed, this is the general state of the Jews in the present day; except a few that are called Jews, who are very rich;
tlier shall a deceitful tongue be oiymn.
found in their mouth: for " they a, m'. c. cir. shall feed and lie down, and none ''^'*'
14 ''Sing, 0 daughter of Zion: shout, 0 Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, 0 daughter of Jerusalem.
1 5 The Lord hath taken away thy judgments he hath cast out thine enemy: s the King of Israel, even the Lord, '■ is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more.
16 In that day ' it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, •' Let not thine hand be ' slack.
17 The Lord thy God " in the midst of thee
and who believe just as much in the God of Jacob, as they do in Jesus Christ.
Verse 13. The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity] O what a change! And then, how different shall they be from their present selves! Iniquity, lying, and deceit shall not be found among them! A Jew once said to me, " Tere are shome of you Christians who are making wonderful efforts to convert the Tshews (Jews.) Ah, dere ish none but Gott Almighty dat can convert a Tsheio.^^ Truly 1 believe him. Only God can convert any man; and if there be a peculiar difficulty to convert any soul, that difliculty must lie in the conversion of the Jew.
Verse 14. Sing, O daughter of Zion^ Here is not only a gracious prophetic promise of their restoration from captivity, but of their conversion to God through
Verse 15. The King of Israel, even the Lord, ism the midst of thee] They have never had a king since the death of Zedekiah, and never shall have one till they have the King Messiah to reign among them; and this promise refers to that event.
Verse 16. Fear thou not] Thou shalt have no more captivities nor national afflictions.
Let not thine hands be slack.] This may refer, first, to the rebuilding of the temple of God, after the return from Babylon; and, secondly, to their diligence and zeal in the Christian Church.
Verse 17. The Lord thy God] ynSs niH" Yehovah Eloheycha, " The self-existent and eternal Being, whc is in covenant with you;" the character of God in reference to the Jews when standing in the nearest relation to them.
Is mighty] "lOJ gibbor, is the prevailing One, the all-conquering Hero. The character vvhicli is given to Christ, Isa. ix. 6: " His name shall be called 112^ '7N El gibbor, the prevailing Almighty God."
He will save] Deliver thee from all the power,
Promises of favour and prosperity ZEPHANIAH.
in the days of the Messiah
Olymp. rejoice over thee with joy; ° he
A. U C. cir. Will rest in his love, he will joy '^' over thee with singing.
18 I will gather them that ^ are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, who are of thee, to whom 1 the reproach of it was a burden.
19 Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that "■ halteth,
from all the guilt, and from all the pollution of thy sins; and when thus saved, " he will rejoice over thee with joy," with peculiar gladness. " He will rest in his love," — he will renew his love. He will show the same love to you that he did of old to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
He will joy over thee with singing.] The conversion of the Jews will be a subject of peculiar delight and exultation to God himself! There will be a more than ordinary joy in heaven, when the Jews return to God through Christ. This event cannot be at a great distance; they are as wretched and as ungodly as they can well be. The arms of Christians are open to receive them; and all things are noio ready!
Verse 18. 7 will gather — sorrowful] This may refer to those who, during the captivity, mourned for their former religious assemblies; and who were reproached by their enemies, because they could not enjoy their religious solemnities. See Psa. cxixvii.: " By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down; yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song," &c. This very circumstance may be the reference here.
Verse 19. I will undo all that afflict thee] They who have persecuted you shall be punished for it. It shows much malignity and baseness of mind, to afflict or reproach those who are lying under the chastising hand of God. This was the conduct of the Edomites, Moabites, and Ammonites, when the Jews were in adversity; and how severely did the Lord punish them for it! And he gave this as the reason for the severity of the punishment.
and gather her that was driven ^- M- cir. 3374.
out; and ^ 1 will get them praise oiymp. and fame in every land ' where "^'a.'ij. C. cir'. they have been put to shame. '"*'
20 At that time " will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the Lord.
The first clause here is translated thus by Abp. Newcome: " Behold I will work with thee for thy sake at that time." The original is obscure; and it may bear the above sense.
I will save her that halteth] See Micah iv. 6, where there is a parallel place.
And gather her that teas driven out] By captivity. The reference may be to renewing the covenant with the Jews, who were considered as an unfaithful spouse divorced by her husband. 1 will bring her back to my house.
I will get them praise and fame in every land] They shall become a great, a good, and a useful people. And as they are now a proverb of reproach, fuU of base wiles and degrading selfishness, they shall lose this character, and be totally changed; and they shall be as eminent for excellence, as they were before for baseness, in those countries where they had sojourned.
Verse 20. At that time] First, when the seventy years of the Babylonish captivity shall terminate. " I will bring you again" to your own land; and this restoration shall be a type of their redemption from sin and iniquity; and at this time, and at this only, will they have a name and praise among all the people of the earth, not only among the Jews, but the Gentiles.
Before your eyes] Some read before their eyes; that is, the eyes of all people. On their conversion to Christianity, they shall become as eminent as they ever were in the most Ulustrious days of their history Lord, hasten the conversion of Israel! Amen
Chronological Notes relative to this hook year from the Creation, according to Archbishop Usher, 3484. — Year of the Julian Period, 4194. — Year since the Flood, 1828. — Year from the vocation of Abram, 1301. — Year since the first celebration of the Olympic games in Elis by the Idaei Dactyli, 934. — Year since the foundation of the monarchy of the Israelites by the Divine appointment of Saul to the regal dignity, 576. — Year from the foundation of the temple, 492. — Year from the division of Solomon's monarchy into the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, 456. — Year since the re-establishment of the Olympic games at Elis by Lycurgus, Iphitus, and Cleosthenes, 365. — Year since the conquest of Corcebus at Olj-mpia, usually called the first Olympiad, 257. — First year of the sixty-fifth Olympiad. — Year from the building of Rome, accordmg to the Varronian or generally received computation, 234. — Year from the building of Rome, according to Cato and the Fasti Consulares, 233. — Year from the building of Rome, according to Polybius the historian, 232. — Year from the building of Rome, according to Fabius Pictor, 228. — Year of the era of Nabonassar, 228. — Year since the destruction of the kingdom of Israel by Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, 202. — Year since the destruction of the kingdom of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, 68.-^ Year since the destruction of the Chaldean empire by the Persians, 18. — Year before the birth of Christ, 516. — Year before the vulgar era of Christ's nativity, 520. — Cycle of the Sun, 22. — Cycle of the Moon, 14. — Second year of Darius I., king of Persia. — Twenty-eighth year of Amyntas, king of Macedon. — Seventh year of Demaratus, king of Lacedaemon, of the family of the Proclida;. — Eleventh year of Cleomenes, kmg of Lacedaemon, of the family of the Eurysthenidae. — Fifteenth year of Tarquinius Superbus, the last king of the Romans. — This was about twelve years before the abolition of the regal government of the Romans by the expulsion of the Tarquins. — Confucius, the celebrated Chinese philosopher, is supposed to have flourished about this time.
The prophet reproves the people, and particularly their ruler and high pnest, for negligence and delay in rebuilding the temple; and tells them that their neglect was the cause of their having been visited with unfruitful seasons, and other marks of the Divine displeasure, 1—11. He encourages them to set about the work, and on their doing so, promises that God will be with them, 12-15.
TN " 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
We know nothing of the parentage of Haggai. He was probably born in Babylon during the captivity, and appears to have been the first prophet sent to the Jews after their return to their own land. He was sent particularly to encourage the Jews to proceed with the building of the temple, which had been interrupted for about fourteen years. Cyrus, who had published an edict empowering the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their city and temple, revoked this edict in the second year of his reign, through the evil advice of his courtiers and other enemies of the Jews. After his death Cambyses renewed the prohibition; but after the death of Cambyses, Darius, the son of Hystaspes, renewed the permissim j
The prophet reproves the people
HAGGAI. jor delay in rebuilding the temple
3 Then came the word of the Lord ^ by Haggai tlie prophet, saying,
4 *" /s it time for you, 0 ye, to dwell in your ceiled 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 Avarm; and " he that earneth wages, earneth wages to put it into a bag " with holes.
and Haggai was sent to encourage his countrymen to proceed with the work. Darius came to the throne about the year B. C. 521, and published his edict of permission for the Jews to rebuild the city and temple in the second year of his reign, which was the sixteenth of their return from Babylon.
Verse 1. In the sixth month'] Called Elul by the Hebrews. It was the sixth month of the ecclesiastical year, and the last of the civil year, and answered to a part of our September.
Zerubbahcl the son of Shealtiel] Who was son of Jeconiah, king of Judah, and of the family of David, and exercised the post of a governor among the people, but not over them, for both he and they were under the Persian government; but they were permitted to have Zerubbahel for their own governor, and Joshua for their high priest; and these regulated all matters relative to their peculiar political and ecclesiastical government. But it appears from Ezra, V. 3, that Tatnai, the governor on this side the river, had them under his cognizance. None of their own governors was absolute. The Persians permitted them to live under their own laws and civil regulations; but they always considered them as a colony, over which they had a continual superintendence.
Joshua the son of Josedech] And son of Seraiah, who was high priest in the time of Zedekiah, and was carried into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar, 1 Chron. vi. 15. But Seraiah was slain at Riblah, by order of Nebuchadnezzar, 2 Kings xxv. 18-21.
Verse 2. The time is not come] They thought that the seventy years spoken of by Jeremiah were not yet completed, and it would be useless to attempt to rebuild until that period had arrived. But Abp. Usher has shown that from the commencement of
8 uo up to the mountain, and Superbi, 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, p I did 1 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/rom her fruit.
1 1 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
the last siege of Jerusalem unto this time, precisely sixty-nine years had been completed.
Verse 4. Is it time for you] If the time be not come to rebuild the temple, it cannot be come for you to build yourselves comfortable houses: but ye are rebuilding your houses; why then do ye not rebuild the house of the Lord 1 The foundation of the temple had been laid fourteen years before, and some considerable progress made in the building; and it had been lying waste in that unfinished state to the present time.
Verse 5. Consider your ways] Is it fit that you should be building yourselves elegant houses, and neglect a place for the worship of that God who has restored you from captivity 1
Verse 6. Ye have sown much] God will not bless you in any labour of your hands, unless you rebuild his temple and restore his worship. This verse contains a series of proverbs; no less than five in the compass of a few lines.
Verse 8. Go up to the mountain, and bring ivood] Go to Lebanon, and get timber. In the second year of the return from the captivity, they had procured cedar trees from Lebanon, and brought them to Joppa, and had hired masons and carpenters from the Tyrians and Sidonians; but that labour had been nearly lost by the long suspension of the building. Ezra iii. 7.
Verse 9. Ye looked for much] Ye made great pretensions at first; but they are come to nothing. Ye did a little in the beginning; but so scantily and unwillingly that I could not but reject it.
Ye run every man unto hts own house.] To rebuild and adorn it; and God's house is neglected!
Verse 10. Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew] It appears from the following verse that God had sent a drought upon the land, which threatened them with scarcity and famine.
God's assistance in the work.
Ol. Lxv. 1. t upon all the labour of the hands.
Superbi, 12 " Ihen Zcrubbabcl the son
_^ of Shealticl, 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
13 Then spake Haggai the Lord's messenger in the Lord's message unto the people.
Verse 12. Then Zenthbabcl] The threatening of Haggai had its proper effect. The civil governor, the high priest, and the whole of the people, united together to do the work. When the authority of God is acknowledged, his words will be carefully obeyed.
Verse 13. Then spake Haggai] He was the Lord's messenger, and he came with the Lord's message, and consequently he came with authority. He is called nin" "IxS'D malach Ychovah, the angel of Jehovah, ]ust as the pastors of the seven Asiatic Churches are called ANGELS of the Churches, Rev. i. 2.
/ am tcith you, saith the Lord.] Here was high encouragement. What may not a man do when God is his helper?
14 And '" the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealticl, "^ governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of tlie people: y and they came and did work in the house of the Lord of hosts, tlieir God.
15 In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in tiie second year of Darius the king.
Verse 14. And the Lord stirred up the spirit] It is not only necessary that the judgment should be enlightened, but the soul must be invigorated by the Spirit of God, before any good work can be effectually done.
Verse 15. In the four and twentieth day] Haggai received his commission on the Jirst day of this month; and by the txoenty-fourth day he had so completely succeeded that he had the satisfaction to see the whole people engaged heartily in the Lord's work; they left their own houses to build that of the Lord. Here was a faithful reprover, and he found obedient ears; and the Lord's work was done, for the people had a mind to work.
When this prophecy was uttered, about four years before the temple icas finished, and sixty-eight after the former one was destroyed, it appears that some old men among the Jews were greatly dispirited on account of its being so much inferior in magnificence to that of Solomon. Compare Ezra iii. 12. To raise the spirits of the people, and encourage them to proceed with the work, the prophet assures them that the glory of the second temple should be greater than that of the first, alluding perhaps to the glorious doctrines which should be preached in it by Jesus Christ and his apostles, 1—9. He then shows the people that the oblations brought by their priests could not sanctify them while they were unclean by their neglect of the temple; and to convince them that the difficult times they had experienced during that neglect proceeded from this cause, he ■promises J'ruitful seasons from that day forward, 10—19. The concluding verses contain a prediction of the mighty revolutions that should take place by the setting up of the kingdom of Christ under the type of Zerubbabel, 30—23. As the time which elapsed between the date of the prophecy and the dreadful concussion of nations is termed in ver. 6, a little while, the ivords may likewise have reference to some temporal revolutions then near, such as the commotions of Babylon in the reign of Darius, the Macedonian conquests in Persia, and the ivars between the successors of Alexander; but the aspect of the prophecy is more directly to the amazing victories of the Romans, who, in the time of Haggai and Zechariah, tcere on the verv eve of their successful career, and in the lapse of a few centuries subjugated the whole habitable globe; and therefore, in a very good sense, God may be said by these people to have shaken " the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;" and thus to have prepared the way for the opening of the Gospel dispensation. See Heb. xii. 25—29. Others have referred this prophecy to the period of our Lords second advent, to which there is no doubt it is also applicable; and when it will be in the most signal manner fulfilled. That the convulsion of the nations introducing this most stupendous event will be very great and terrible, is sufficiently plain from Isaiah xxxiv., xxxv., as well as from many other passages of holy writ.
The people encouraged to proceed
01. Lxv. i. one and twentieth day of
SupeTbi",""' the month, came the word of the
2 Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Sheahiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the residue of the people, saying,
3 '' Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? "= is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?
HAGGAI. with the building of the temple, saith the JjOrd, and work: lor 1 Superbi, am with you, saith the Lord of R- R""™- '5. hosts:
5 = According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so ' my Spirit remaineth among you: ^ fear ye not.
6 For thus saith the Lord of hosts: ^ Yet once, it is a little while, and ' I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;
7 And I will shake all nations, ^ and the Desire of all nations shall come; and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts.
Verse 1. In the seventh month] This was a new message, and hitended to prevent discouragement, and excite them to greater diligence in their work.
Verse 3. Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory?] Whoof 5'ou has seen the temple built by Solomon? The foundation of the present house had been laid about fifty-three years after the destruction of the temple built by Solomon; and though this prophecy was uttered fifteen years after the foundation of this second temple, yet there might still survive some of those who had seen the temple of Solomon.
Is it not in your eyes] Most certainly the Jews at this time had neither men nor means to make any such splendid building as that erected by Solomon. The present was as nothing when compared with the former.
Verse 4. Yet noio be strong] Do not let this discourage you. The chief glory of the temple is not its splendid building, but my presence; and as / covenanted to be xcith you when ye came out of Egypt, so I will fulfil my covenant; for my Spirit remaineth among you, fear not; ver. 5. What is the most splendid cathedral, if God be not in it, influencing all by his presence and Spirit 1 But he will not be in it unless there be a messenger of the Lord there, and unless he deliver the Lord's message.