Haggai 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,

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.

Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying,

Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste?

Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.

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.

Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.

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.

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.

Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit.

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.

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.

Then spake Haggai the Lord’s messenger in the Lord’s message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the Lord.

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,

In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.

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Haggai 1:4

“Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste?”

Study Summary

Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?—the rhetorical question indicts the community's contradiction: they rebuild personal residences while the temple languishes. The contrast between 'paneled houses' (symbol of comfort and prosperity) and the temple 'in ruins' exposes moral inversion. Private interest supersedes covenant obligation. This verse articulates the prophecy's central theological concern: realigned priorities.

Community Reflections

Yuki Tanaka (Test User)9h ago

Living with purpose — Haggai 1

This connects directly to the promise made to Abraham. I love how this passage doesn't shy away from the difficulty of obedience. His timing, His methods, His purposes — all beyond our comprehension, yet perfectly good.. This is one of those passages that reads differently in every season of life. Now I understand why — it's a daily declaration of dependence on God.. The early church would have heard this very differently than we do today. God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. When we read this alongside the surrounding chapters, the narrative arc becomes clear: God is always working redemption, even in the darkest moments.. When we read this alongside the surrounding chapters, the narrative arc becomes clear: God is always working redemption, even in the darkest moments.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. We bring nothing; He provides everything.. His timing, His methods,…

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