Haggai 2:12

The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Contextual Overview

¹⁰On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to Haggai the prophet, saying, ¹¹"This is what the LORD of Hosts says: 'Ask the priests for a ruling. ¹²If a man carries consecrated meat in the fold of his garment, and it touches bread, stew, wine, oil, or any other food, does that item become holy?'" "No," replied the priests.¹³So Haggai asked, "If one who is defiled by contact with a corpse touches any of these, does it become defiled?" "Yes, it becomes defiled," the priests answered. ¹⁴Then Haggai replied: "So is this people, and so is this nation before Me, declares the LORD, and so is every work of their hands; and whatever they offer there is defiled. ¹⁵Now consider carefully from this day forward: Before one stone was placed on another in the temple of the LORD, ¹⁶from that time when one came expecting a heap of twenty ephahs of grain, there were but ten. When one came to the winepress to draw out fifty baths, there were but twenty. ¹⁷I struck you-all the work of your hands-with blight, mildew, and hail, but you did not turn to Me, declares the LORD. ¹⁸Consider carefully from this day forward-from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, the day the foundation of the LORD's temple was laid-consider carefully: ¹⁹Is there still seed in the barn? The vine, the fig, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yet yielded fruit. But from this day on, I will bless you."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Exodus 29:37, Leviticus 6:27, Leviticus 6:29, Leviticus 7:6, Ezekiel 44:19, Matthew 23:19

Reciprocal: Leviticus 6:18 - every one Jeremiah 11:15 - the holy

Cross-References

Exodus 28:20
and in the fourth row a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. Mount these stones in gold filigree settings.

Exodus 39:13
and the fourth row had a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. These stones were mounted in gold filigree settings.

Numbers 11:7
Now the manna resembled coriander seed, and its appearance was like that of gum resin.

Job 28:16
It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx or sapphire.

Ezekiel 28:13
You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every kind of precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald. Your mountings and settings were crafted in gold, prepared on the day of your creation.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment,.... Or, "carry" it q; from one place to another in his pockets or bags, which were in the skirts of his garments. This is to be understood of the flesh of creatures offered in sacrifice, which were sanctified or separated for holy use; part of which belonged to the priests, who might carry it in their pockets to the proper place of eating it:

and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat: which were not holy, and not separated for holy use, but were common meats and drinks: now the question upon this is,

shall it be holy? that is, if either of those common things were touched by the skirt, in the pockets of which the holy flesh were carried, whether they were made holy by such a touch, and no more remained common or profane?

and the priests answered and said, No; they were not sanctified; for though the garment itself was sanctified thereby, and might not be employed in common use till washed, Leviticus 6:27 yet a garment so touched could not convey holiness to whatsoever that touched, or that touched it.

q ישא "portaverit", Munster; "portet", Varenius, Reinbeck.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Ask now the priests concerning the law - The priests answer rightly, that, by the law, insulated unholiness spread further than insulated holiness. The flesh of the sacrifice hallowed whatever it should touch, but not further; but the human being, who was defiled by touching a dead body, defiled all he might touch Numbers 19:22. Haggai does not apply the first part; namely, that the worship on the altar which they reared, while they neglected the building of the temple, did not hallow. The possession of a truly tiring does not counterbalance disobedience. Contrariwise, one defilement defiled the whole man and all which he touched, according to that James 2:10, “whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”

In the application, the two melt into one, for the holy thing, namely, the altar which they raised out of fear on their return, so far from hallowing the land or people by the sacrifices offered thereon, was itself defiled. “This people” and “this nation” (not “My people”) since they in act disowned Him. “Whatever they offer there,” i. e., on that altar, instead of the temple which God commanded, is unclean, offending Him who gave all.