Haggai 1:1

The margin of Zephaniah 3:20 bears a seder mark, which also appears in the margin of Haggai 2:23. This indicates that in the Palestinian tradition, all of Haggai was one of the 452 sederim or lessons. Chapter divisions did not begin to be made until the fourteenth century, but a careful reading of the Masorah Parva – such as the second Mp note for Haggai 1:8 – make it clear that verse divisions were already being made in very ancient times. (Verse numbering, on the other hand, is a relatively recent development).
               A Call to Build the House of the Lord

1 In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest:

The date was August 29, 520 BC – the first day of the sixth month, according to the Jewish sacred calendar. The month of Elul was the time for stomping grapes, pressing olives and gathering figs – it was a time when vats and wineskins should have filling up and being stored. It was one of the times when material wealth should have been easiest to see, as shelves and baskets were really beginning to brim over – but there was a problem. The vats and wineskins were not exactly brimming over. The harvest was bad again this year. Amos had prophesied exactly this (Amos 4:6ff). And so had Moses (Leviticus 26, Deuteronomy 28).

In just a few weeks, the early autumn rains would come. It was time to look forward for the biggest festivals of the year: Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles, which were just weeks away in the month of Tishri.

It was also significant that it was the yom echad lehodesh, the first day of the month. Big festivals coming up or not, people were in Jerusalem just because it was the new moon (cp. Numbers 10:10; 28:11). The calends of the month was a good time to get things going. Haggai, Mr. Festival himself (Haggai means "festival") would have ears to hear him.

It was at this time that God spoke through the prophet Haggai to two men: the political leader and the religious leader of the people. What God said through Haggai was not only important; it was going to touch the lives of everyone in Judah. More than that – God was about to take Judah and shake it, like a man rapping a flashlight to firm up a poor connection.

“There came” (haya) recalls the many “and evening came and morning came” statements in Genesis 1, reflecting the cycle of time. The word of God came to Haggai, and by the hand of Haggai (beyad haggai). This wasn’t Haggai’s invention to stir up or inspire the people. It was God’s. Although the Septuagint adds “saying: ‘Say…’” (λεγων ειπoν), there is no other evidence for this reading. The general rule is to take the Masoretic text at face value unless several versions or Hebrew manuscripts are lined up against it.

Zerubbabel (zerubbabal ben shealtiel) was from the line of David, and he was in the line of the Messiah both legally through Joseph (Matthew 1:13) and by blood through Mary (Luke 3:27). Note that 1 Chronicles 3:19 says Zerubbabel was actually the son of Pedaiah, a younger brother of Shealtiel. In his Targum, Ibn Ezra suggests that Zerubbabel was raised by his uncle.

The word pechath is related to an Assyrian title, pahâti ‘satrap.’ It was brought into use in both Aramaic (pechi) and Hebrew.

For Joshua the cohen hagedolah, High Priest, what was there to do with no temple and no Most Holy Place? God sent the answer through Haggai. In his Soncino commentary on Haggai, Eli Cashdan put it very simply: ‘No Haggai – no Temple.’