Haggai 2 16

Haggai 2:16 kjv

Since those days were, when one came to an heap of twenty measures, there were but ten: when one came to the pressfat for to draw out fifty vessels out of the press, there were but twenty.

Haggai 2:16 nkjv

since those days, when one came to a heap of twenty ephahs, there were but ten; when one came to the wine vat to draw out fifty baths from the press, there were but twenty.

Haggai 2:16 niv

When anyone came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty.

Haggai 2:16 esv

how did you fare? When one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten. When one came to the wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were but twenty.

Haggai 2:16 nlt

When you hoped for a twenty-bushel crop, you harvested only ten. When you expected to draw fifty gallons from the winepress, you found only twenty.

Haggai 2 verses

Haggai 2 16 Meaning

Haggai 2:16 describes the dire economic situation the returned exiles faced before they recommenced work on the temple. It illustrates how God intentionally diminished the returns on their agricultural labors and wine production. Instead of expected plentiful yields (twenty measures of grain, fifty measures from the winepress), they received meager amounts (ten measures of grain, twenty measures of wine). This scarcity was a direct divine consequence, clearly stated to be due to their neglect of the Lord's house, even while they busied themselves building their own homes. The rhetorical question, "what was it like?" emphasizes the futility of their efforts and the severe hardship experienced when God withheld His blessing.

Haggai 2 16 Context

Haggai 2:16 is spoken by the prophet Haggai to the Jewish exiles who had returned to Jerusalem from Babylon in 538 BC, under the decree of Cyrus the Great. Though they initially laid the temple's foundation (Ezra 3:8-13), opposition and apathy soon led them to abandon the project for approximately 16 years. During this period, which stretches from the first return until the 2nd year of Darius I (520 BC), the people prioritized rebuilding their own homes, which they found relatively comfortable and furnished with paneling, while God's house lay in ruins (Hag 1:4).

Chapter 1 of Haggai serves as a preamble, where the Lord confronts their misplaced priorities and links their ongoing economic hardship – meager harvests, drought, lack of satisfaction despite earning wages – directly to their neglect of the temple (Hag 1:5-11). Haggai 2, starting with a renewed call, elaborates on the blessings and curses associated with the temple's reconstruction. Verse 16 specifically reiterates and illustrates the prior period of famine and diminished returns, reinforcing the cause-and-effect relationship between their spiritual disobedience (neglecting the temple) and their material poverty. It contrasts this past barrenness with the future blessings God promises once the temple work resumed.

Haggai 2 16 Word analysis

• "Since those days were" (מיום היותם, `miyom heyotam`): This phrase explicitly points to a defined period in the past, specifically the approximately 16 years when the temple construction was halted. It emphasizes a consistent state of affairs over time, not an isolated incident.
• "before stone was laid upon stone" (באින් שום אבן על אבן, `b'ayin shum even al even`): This is a vivid, concrete image depicting the total cessation of construction work on the temple. It refers to the period before they restarted building, implying a complete lack of progress and dedication to God's house. It highlights the neglect of foundational, significant work.
• "in the temple of the LORD" (בהיכל יהוה, `beheykal YHWH`): Specifies the object of neglect. It wasn't just any building project, but the designated dwelling place for the Name of the God of Israel. This brings gravity to their procrastination and implies disrespect to the divine.
• "through all that work" (`bechāl hā-maʿăśeh`): Refers to all their agricultural and domestic labor during that period. Despite their hard work on their own fields and homes, their efforts were largely unfruitful, indicating divine frustration of their labor.
• "what was it like?" (מה היה לכם, `mah hayah lakhem`): A rhetorical question designed to elicit agreement from the audience, highlighting their firsthand experience of severe hardship and disappointment. It underscores the undeniable reality of their suffering and God's sovereign control over their circumstances.
• "You would come to a heap of twenty measures, and there were but ten": This illustrates a literal halving of expected grain harvest. "Measures" (`medidot`) here refer to dry measures, often for grain. The stark discrepancy (20 becoming 10) vividly portrays God's direct intervention in diminishing their produce. It represents disappointment, waste of effort, and barely subsistence living.
• "you would go to the winepress to draw fifty measures, and there were but twenty": This example refers to grape production, and the winepress (`yekev`) is where grapes were trodden for wine. Instead of receiving fifty measures of grape juice/wine, they received only twenty, which is less than half. This reinforces the pattern of severe loss and God's active role in withholding the full fruit of their labor, affecting both primary staple (grain) and secondary produce (wine).

Haggai 2 16 Bonus section

The rhetorical question, "what was it like?" in this verse is a potent pastoral tool used by Haggai. It compels the hearers to acknowledge their recent history and the bitter reality of their unproductive toil. This approach cuts through potential excuses or denial, leveraging their own painful experiences as undeniable proof of divine dissatisfaction. The vivid, numerical examples (20 becoming 10, 50 becoming 20) are extremely specific and relatable to an agrarian society, making the divine judgment tangible and undeniable. The principle revealed here extends beyond agricultural produce; it suggests that any endeavor not aligned with God's priorities may ultimately be fruitless, regardless of the effort expended.

Haggai 2 16 Commentary

Haggai 2:16 serves as a divine object lesson. It powerfully articulates God's disciplinary hand on His people through economic hardship. Before they re-engaged in temple building, their lives were characterized by frustrating efforts and meager results. The verse is not merely descriptive but explanatory: the tangible lack (half the expected harvest, less than half the expected wine) was a direct consequence of their misplaced priorities. They invested time and effort into their personal comforts, while the dwelling place of God's Name remained desolate. This specific period of reduced yield was a deliberate divine intervention, aimed at calling them to repentance and reorienting their focus back to God and His house. It reveals the principle that honoring God through obedience, especially in areas He specifies, precedes and influences material blessing, and conversely, neglect of His priorities can lead to economic scarcity. This serves as a potent reminder for all generations that true prosperity is linked to God's favor, which is granted to those who honor Him above self.