Haggai 1 · Verse 2

Haggai 1:2

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.

Haggai 1:2, King James Version

Haggai 1:2 in other translations

BSB	that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the LORD.’”
WEB	“This is what the LORD of Armies says: These people say, ‘The time hasn’t yet come, the time for the LORD’s house to be built.’”
ASV	Thus speaketh Jehovah of hosts, saying, This people say, It is not the time for us to come, the time for Jehovah’s house to be built.
YLT	Thus spake Jehovah of Hosts, saying: This people! --they have said, ‘The time hath not come, The time the house of Jehovah is to be built.'
DARBY	Thus speaketh Jehovah of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that Jehovah's house should be built.
BBE	These are the words of the Lord of armies: These people say, The time has not come for building the Lord's house.
Webster	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.

What does Haggai 1:2 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

2. the Lord of hosts--Jehovah, Lord of the powers of heaven and earth, and therefore requiring implicit obedience. This people--"This" sluggish and selfish "people." He does not say, My people, since they had neglected the service of God. The time--the proper time for building the temple. Two out of the seventy predicted years of captivity (dating from the destruction of the temple, 558 B.C., 2Ki 25:9) were yet unexpired; this they make their plea for delay [Henderson]. The seventy years of captivity were completed long ago in the first year of Cyrus, 536 B.C. (Jr 29:10); dating from 606 B.C., Jehoiakim's captivity (2Ch 36:6). The seventy years to the completion of the temple (Jr 25:12) were completed this very year, the second of Darius [Vatablus]. Ingenious in excuses, they pretended that the interruption in the work caused by their enemies proved it was not yet the proper time; whereas their real motive was selfish dislike of the trouble, expense, and danger from enemies. "God," say they, "hath interposed many difficulties to punish our rash haste" [Calvin]. Smerdis' interdict was no longer in force, now that Darius the rightful king was on the throne; therefore they had no real excuse for not beginning at once to build. Auberlen denies that by "Artaxerxes" in Ezr 4:7-22 is meant Smerdis. Whether Smerdis or Artaxerxes Longimanus be meant, the interdict referred only to the rebuilding of the city, which the Persian kings feared might, if rebuilt, cause them trouble to subdue; not to the rebuilding of the temple. But the Jews were easily turned aside from the work. Spiritually, like the Jews, men do not say they will never be religious, but, It is not time yet. So the great work of life is left undone.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

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 the last siege of Jerusalem unto this time, precisely sixty-nine years had been completed.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Haggai 1:1-11

Observe the sin of the Jews, after their return from captivity in Babylon. Those employed for God may be driven from their work by a storm, yet they must go back to it. They did not say that they would not build a temple, but, Not yet. Thus men do not say they will never repent and reform, and be religious, but, Not yet. And so the great business we were sent into the world to do, is not done. There is a proneness…

Read the full comment on Haggai 1:1-11 →

Haggai 1:2 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

כֹּ֥הkohthusH3541

אָמַ֛ר'a.Marhe saysH559

יְהוָ֥הYah.wehYahwehH3068

צְבָא֖וֹתtze.va.'otof hostsH6635

לֵאמֹ֑רle.Mor<to> sayingH559

הָעָ֤םha.'Amthe peopleH5971

הַזֶּה֙ha.Zeh<the> thisH2088

אָֽמְר֔וּ'a.me.Ruthey have saidH559

לֹ֥אlo'notH3808

עֶת\־'et-a timeH6256

בֹּ֛אbo'to comeH935

עֶת\־'et-[the] time ofH6256

בֵּ֥יתbeit[the] house ofH1004

יְהוָ֖הYah.wehYahwehH3068

לְהִבָּנֽוֹת\׃\ \פle.hi.ba.Notto be rebuiltH1129

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Haggai 1:2

Ezra 4:23-5:2
Now when the copy of king Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem unto the Jews, and made them to cease by force and power. Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem. So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia. Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, even unto them. Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem: and with them were the prophets of God helping them.
Nehemiah 4:10
And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall.
Ecclesiastes 9:10
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.
Ecclesiastes 11:4
He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.
Song of Solomon 5:2-3
I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night. I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?
Numbers 13:31
But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.
Proverbs 26:13-16
The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets. As the door turneth upon his hinges, so doth the slothful upon his bed. The slothful hideth his hand in his bosom; it grieveth him to bring it again to his mouth. The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason.
Proverbs 29:25
The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

This.
Nu 13:31; Ezr 4:23,24; 5:1,2; Ne 4:10; Pr 22:13; 26:13-16; 29:25
Ec 9:10; 11:4; So 5:2,3

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Haggai 1:1
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,
Haggai 1:2
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.
Haggai 1:3
Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying,

Read all of Haggai 1

Haggai 1:2 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Jehová de los ejércitos habla así, diciendo: Este pueblo dice: No es aún venido el tiempo, el tiempo de que la casa de Jehová sea reedificada.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Ainsi parle l’ Éternel des armées, disant: Ce peuple dit: Le temps n’est pas venu, le temps de la maison de l’ Éternel, pour la bâtir.
German Elberfelder 1871	So spricht Jehova der Heerscharen und sagt: Dieses Volk spricht: Die Zeit ist nicht gekommen, die Zeit, daß das Haus Jehovas gebaut werde.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Hæc ait Dominus exercituum, dicens: Populus iste dicit: Nondum venit tempus domus Domini ædificandæ.