Haggai 2:10-14
New English Translation
The Promised Blessing
10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month of Darius’ second year,[a] the Lord’s message came to the prophet Haggai:[b] 11 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has said, ‘Ask the priests about the law.[c] 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?’”[d] The priests answered, “It will not.” 13 Then Haggai asked, “If a person who is ritually unclean because of touching a dead body[e] comes in contact with one of these items, will it become unclean?” The priests answered, “It will be unclean.”
14 Then Haggai responded, “‘The people of this nation are unclean in my sight,’[f] decrees the Lord. ‘And so is all their effort; everything they offer is also unclean.[g]
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- Haggai 2:10 sn The twenty-fourth day of the ninth month of Darius’ second year was Kislev 24 or December 18, 520 b.c.
- Haggai 2:10 sn This Hebrew expression is slightly different from the one in 1:1, 3; 2:1.
- Haggai 2:11 tn Heb “Ask the priests a torah, saying”; KJV “concerning the law”; NAB “for a decision”; NCV “for a teaching”; NRSV “for a ruling.”
- Haggai 2:12 sn This is probably not an appeal to the Torah (i.e., the Pentateuch) as such but to a priestly ruling (known in postbiblical Judaism as a pesaq din). There is, however, a Mosaic law that provides the basis for the priestly ruling (Lev 6:27).
- Haggai 2:13 tn Heb “unclean of a person,” a euphemism for “unclean because of a dead person”; see Lev 21:11; Num 6:6. Cf. NAB “unclean from contact with a corpse.”
- Haggai 2:14 tn Heb “so this people, and so this nation before me.” In this context “people” and “nation” refer to the same set of individuals; the repetition is emphatic. Cf. CEV “this entire nation.”
- Haggai 2:14 sn The point here is that the Jews cannot be made holy by unholy fellowship with their pagan neighbors; instead, they and their worship will become corrupted by such associations.
Haggai 2:10-14
Expanded Bible
10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month [C December 18, 520 bc; Kislev 24 on the Hebrew calendar] in the second year Darius was king, the Lord spoke his word to Haggai the prophet, saying, 11 “This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says: ‘Ask the priests ·for a teaching [about the law; for guidance/instruction]. 12 Suppose a person carries in the fold of his clothes some meat made holy for the Lord. If that fold touches bread, ·cooked food [stew], wine, olive oil, or some other food, will that be made holy?’”
The priests answered, “No.”
13 Then Haggai said, “If a person who is ·unclean [C ceremonially] from touching a dead body touches any of these foods, will the food become unclean, too?”
The priests answered, “Yes, it would become unclean.”
14 Then Haggai answered, “The Lord says, ‘This is also true for the people of this nation. They are ·unclean [defiled], and everything they do with their hands is unclean to me. Whatever they offer at the altar is also ·unclean [defiled].
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