The big picture
Haggai 1 opens in verse 1 with “In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the…”, reaches its middle movement near verse 8 with “Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in…”, and closes in verse 15 with “In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.” Repeated or prominent terms include LORD, house, hosts, people, Haggai. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Haggai · King James Version · 15Haggai 1:1-8
1–8: In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first…
Haggai 1:1–8 opens with “In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came…” and reaches “Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Paneled private houses contrasted with the neglected temple and failed harvest; Zerubbabel, Joshua, and the remnant returning to the temple work with gathered timber, with particular weight carried by LORD, hosts, house.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“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…” Naming Darius and Haggai keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
Haggai 1:1-8
King James Version1In 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,
2Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD’s house should be built.
3Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying,
4Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste?
5Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.
6Ye 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.
7Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.
8Go 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 .
Haggai 1:9-15
9–15: Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it…
Haggai 1:9–15 opens with “Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it…” and reaches “In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Paneled private houses contrasted with the neglected temple and failed harvest; Zerubbabel, Joshua, and the remnant returning to the temple work with gathered timber, with particular weight carried by LORD, people, house.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“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…” The question slows the passage down. Notice who is being pressed to answer, what the question assumes, and whether the next lines provide a response.
“Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit.” This line supplies a reason, result, or conclusion. It should stay attached to the claim or action that gives it meaning.
“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 line’s distinctive content terms include bringeth, cattle, corn. Its relationship to verses 10 and 12 shows what work it does in this passage.
Haggai 1:9-15
King James Version9Ye 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.
10Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit.
11And 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.
12Then 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 .
13Then spake Haggai the LORD’s messenger in the LORD’s message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the LORD .
14And 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,
15In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Haggai 1:1 begins with “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…”
Where the chapter turns
Haggai 1:9 forms a natural hinge: “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…”
The final note
Haggai 1:15 leaves the reader with “In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.”
A word trail through the chapter
The words LORD, house, hosts, people, Haggai, high help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
Who receives the image and the blessing?
Both male and female in verses 27-28. Human worth precedes achievement.
What limits human dominion?
The world belongs to its Creator and is already declared good. Compare the charge to tend and keep in 2:15.
KJV words made clear
- unto
- to
- spake
- spoke
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.