Haggai 2 14

Haggai 2:14 kjv

Then answered Haggai, and said, So is this people, and so is this nation before me, saith the LORD; and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean.

Haggai 2:14 nkjv

Then Haggai answered and said, " 'So is this people, and so is this nation before Me,' says the LORD, 'and so is every work of their hands; and what they offer there is unclean.

Haggai 2:14 niv

Then Haggai said, "?'So it is with this people and this nation in my sight,' declares the LORD. 'Whatever they do and whatever they offer there is defiled.

Haggai 2:14 esv

Then Haggai answered and said, "So is it with this people, and with this nation before me, declares the LORD, and so with every work of their hands. And what they offer there is unclean.

Haggai 2:14 nlt

Then Haggai responded, "That is how it is with this people and this nation, says the LORD. Everything they do and everything they offer is defiled by their sin.

Haggai 2 verses

Haggai 2 14 Meaning

Haggai 2:14 declares that the people of Judah, their collective being as a nation, their daily labor, and their religious offerings were all considered ritually impure and defiled in God’s sight. This impurity was not primarily due to specific ceremonial breaches, but stemmed from their persistent negligence and disobedience in prioritizing their own comfort over rebuilding the Lord’s Temple, thus violating God’s established covenant. The verse encapsulates God's judgment that their self-centered actions rendered their very existence and worship unacceptable.

Haggai 2 14 Context

Haggai 2:14 is nestled within a discourse given by the prophet Haggai to the post-exilic community in Judah, specifically in the second year of King Darius's reign (around 520 BC). The historical context is that the Jewish people, after returning from Babylonian captivity, had begun to rebuild the Temple but quickly stopped due to opposition and personal apathy, prioritizing their own homes and fields. For sixteen years, the Temple lay unfinished (Hag 1:4). Haggai's message challenges their spiritual sluggishness and promises a new era of blessing if they recommence the Temple work.

Immediately preceding verse 14, Haggai engages the priests in a ritual purity discussion (Hag 2:10-13). He asks them if holiness can be transferred by contact (e.g., consecrated meat touching common food), to which they correctly answer no. Then he asks if defilement can be transferred (e.g., touching a dead body), and they correctly answer yes. This established the principle that uncleanness spreads easily, but holiness does not. Verse 14 applies this ritual principle directly to the people's spiritual condition, revealing that their disobedience, like an uncleanness, had defiled all aspects of their lives and work in God’s eyes.

Haggai 2 14 Word analysis

• Then Haggai answered and said: Indicates the conclusion or application of the preceding dialogue and a definitive prophetic declaration from the Lord.
• ‘So is this people: The particle "so" (כֵּן - kēn) links directly to the principles just established regarding purity and impurity. It indicates that the spiritual state of the people directly mirrors the ritual defilement concept. "This people" (הָעָם הַזֶּה - ha-ʻam ha-zeh) points specifically to the Israelite community, implying corporate accountability.
• and so is this nation: (וְכֵן הַגּוֹי הַזֶּה - wə·khen ha·goi ha·zeh) "Nation" (goy) sometimes refers to Gentiles, but here it applies to Judah, possibly highlighting how their disobedient state made them like other nations in their spiritual standing, or emphasizing their collective entity before God, underscoring their corporate defilement, not just individual.
• before Me,’ says the LORD: This phrase emphasizes that it is God's divine assessment and judgment. It’s not just a human opinion or observation but an authoritative divine declaration. God directly observes their state.
• ‘and so is every work of their hands: This extends the defilement beyond their spiritual state to all their daily efforts, their livelihoods, agricultural endeavors, and economic activities. Just as defilement spread through touch in ritual law, their disobedience contaminated everything they undertook, explaining the previous lack of blessing (Hag 1:6, 9-11).
• and what they offer there is unclean.’: This refers to their religious sacrifices or offerings made on the existing altar (which likely survived the destruction of the Temple). Despite outward ritual, these offerings were unacceptable because the people themselves were "unclean" due to their greater disobedience regarding the Temple. "Unclean" (טָמֵא - ṭāmēʾ) signifies ritual impurity, making something unfit for sacred use or God's presence. Their physical proximity to the altar and their religious activities did not consecrate them, but rather their inward defilement made their outward actions polluted in God's eyes.

Haggai 2 14 Bonus section

This verse powerfully conveys a polemic against superficial religiosity, where outward observances are divorced from inward obedience. The Judahites had the altar and continued sacrifices, but their foundational sin of negligence nullified these efforts. It highlights the Old Testament principle that a disobedient or impure heart nullifies religious ritual and service. The defilement described here is not merely ceremonial but has a moral dimension, rooted in their apathy and self-preference. This passage underscores that corporate sin can affect the entire community's relationship with God, bringing judgment upon their collective efforts and worship. It also prepares the ground for the immediate blessings that are promised from "this day forward" (Hag 2:18-19), once the people had, indeed, resumed rebuilding the Temple. The people's actions of returning to the work symbolized their repentance, allowing God's future blessing to flow.

Haggai 2 14 Commentary

Haggai 2:14 serves as a pivot point in the prophet's message. It clarifies that God's displeasure was not simply about a building, but about the heart attitude reflected by the neglect of that building. The principles of purity laws (easily spread impurity vs. limited spread of holiness) are applied by God to the moral and spiritual condition of His people. Because of their protracted disobedience—choosing to neglect God’s house while enriching their own—they themselves, and everything they did, were considered ritually contaminated in God’s sight. Their work bore no fruit (Hag 1:6, 9-11) and even their religious offerings were unacceptable, not because of flawed ritual, but because the worshippers themselves were tainted by their unrepentant priorities. This demonstrates that external religious performance cannot compensate for fundamental spiritual rebellion. True holiness begins within and is reflected in obedience, impacting all areas of life and rendering service to God acceptable.

Practical usage examples:

• A person attending church faithfully but neglecting a clear command of God in another area of their life might find their worship is 'unclean' in God's eyes.
• Professional or academic endeavors pursued purely for selfish gain, while neglecting God's call to righteousness or service, can be unproductive or unblessed because of the underlying self-centeredness.
• Charitable acts performed out of obligation rather than a pure heart, reflecting unaddressed sin, might be viewed as defiled despite outward appearance.