Haggai 2 19

Haggai 2:19 kjv

Is the seed yet in the barn? yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you.

Haggai 2:19 nkjv

Is the seed still in the barn? As yet the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yielded fruit. But from this day I will bless you.' "

Haggai 2:19 niv

Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit. "?'From this day on I will bless you.'?"

Haggai 2:19 esv

Is the seed yet in the barn? Indeed, the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have yielded nothing. But from this day on I will bless you."

Haggai 2:19 nlt

I am giving you a promise now while the seed is still in the barn. You have not yet harvested your grain, and your grapevines, fig trees, pomegranates, and olive trees have not yet produced their crops. But from this day onward I will bless you."

Haggai 2 verses

Haggai 2 19 Meaning

Haggai 2:19 marks a pivotal declaration from the Lord concerning His people who had recommitted to rebuilding the Temple. Despite the prevailing lack of agricultural produce and reserves—signifying years of economic hardship and divine discipline—God proclaims an immediate and definitive change. From this specific day forward, He promises to reverse their fortunes, bestowing His blessing directly upon them, transforming their barrenness into fruitfulness and prosperity as a consequence of their renewed obedience and prioritization of His house.

Haggai 2 19 Context

Haggai 2:19 comes within Haggai's second main sermon, delivered on the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, roughly three months after the rebuilding of the Temple resumed. The people of Judah, having returned from exile in Babylon, had neglected the reconstruction of the Lord's house, prioritizing their own dwellings. This disobedience resulted in a period of economic hardship, including crop failure and scarcity, which Haggai 1 details as a direct divine judgment ("You looked for much, and behold, it came to little," Hag 1:9). Prior to verse 19, Haggai addresses the concept of uncleanness, explaining that their delay in building the Temple made them, their efforts, and their offerings ritually unclean. Despite their ongoing struggle with unproductive land, symbolized by empty barns and barren fruit trees, their repentance and renewed labor on the Temple initiated a profound shift. This verse is the Lord's assurance that the period of cursing and withholding has ended; divine blessing would now begin, not in the future, but "from this day."

Haggai 2 19 Word analysis

• Is the seed yet in the barn?: (Hebrew: הֲעוֹד הַזֶּרַע בַּמֶּגּוּרָה - ha'od hazzera' bammeḡurāh).

  • ha'od (הֲעוֹד): "Is there yet?", "Is still?". Rhetorical question, implying a negative answer, emphasizing the complete depletion or absence of agricultural reserves from past harvests.
  • hazzera' (הַזֶּרַע): "The seed". Refers to seed grain, crucial for future planting seasons. Its absence from the "barn" or "storehouse" signifies the utter destitution and lack of future agricultural prospects if current conditions persisted.
  • bammegurah (בַּמֶּגּוּרָה): "in the barn/storehouse". A place for storing grain. The question highlights the reality of continued agricultural failure where even the seed needed for the next sowing was depleted, signifying deep and ongoing poverty. This portrays the bleak economic reality immediately prior to God's promise.

• yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: (Hebrew: וְעַד עַתָּה הַגֶּפֶן וְהַתְּאֵנָה וְהָרִמּוֹן וְעֵץ הַזַּיִת לֹא נָשָׂא - wə‘aḏ ‘attāh haggefen wəhattə’ēnāh wəhārīmmōwn wə‘ēṣ hazzayiṯ lō’ nāśā’).

  • wə‘aḏ ‘attāh (וְעַד עַתָּה): "And until now", "and yet". Reinforces the current, continuous state of unfruitfulness right up to the moment of God's declaration.
  • haggefen (הַגֶּפֶן), hə'ēnāh (הַתְּאֵנָה), hārīmmōwn (וְהָרִמּוֹן), ‘ēṣ hazzayiṯ (וְעֵץ הַזַּיִת): "the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree." These are four of the most vital agricultural products and symbols of prosperity for Israel (often listed among the "seven species" of the land). Their widespread barrenness signifies pervasive and comprehensive economic distress throughout the land, reflecting a divine judgment.
  • lō’ nāśā’ (לֹא נָשָׂא): "has not borne (fruit)". Nasa' means "to lift," "to bear," or "to carry forth," implying to yield or produce. The negation lo' emphasizes their absolute lack of productivity, confirming the curse mentioned in Haggai 1.

• from this day: (Hebrew: מִן־הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה - min-hayyōwm hazzeh).

  • min-hayyōwm hazzeh (מִן־הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה): "from this very day", "henceforth". This precise phrase marks a crucial, divinely ordained turning point. It emphasizes the immediacy and certainty of God's action. The previous condition of curse and lack is definitively ended, and a new era of blessing is initiated on this specific date. It underscores God's timing and sovereign intervention.

• will I bless you: (Hebrew: אֲבָרֵךְ - ’ăvārēḵ).

  • ’ăvārēḵ (אֲבָרֵךְ): "I will bless". This is the first person singular imperfect verb of the root barak (בָּרַךְ), meaning "to bless." The use of the first person "I" emphasizes that the blessing comes directly and personally from God. It's not a natural progression or a result of human effort alone, but a supernatural intervention. It denotes favor, prosperity, fruitfulness, and well-being directly bestowed by God Himself, countering the previous withholding.

• Words-group by words-group analysis:

  • "Is the seed yet in the barn?...hath not brought forth": This initial clause functions as a rhetorical question followed by an affirmative statement. It powerfully establishes the dire economic reality the people were facing, marked by agricultural desolation and depleted resources, confirming the continuation of God's curse up until that moment. It paints a vivid picture of sustained famine and struggle.
  • "from this day will I bless you": This concise and potent declaration serves as the abrupt and hopeful climax of the verse. It signals a complete reversal of their fortunes through direct divine intervention. The promise is definite, immediate, and comes from God Himself, promising an end to the barrenness and the commencement of prosperity linked to their obedience. It transforms a state of past and present judgment into one of certain future favor.

Haggai 2 19 Bonus section

The specific date mentioned for this sermon, the "twenty-fourth day of the ninth month," is significant. It marks the precise moment God initiates His new course of blessing, contrasting with the previous months and years of divine judgment and scarcity. This temporal specificity underscores the faithfulness and deliberate action of God in response to their obedient decision to build His house. The promise is not vague but has a distinct beginning, indicating that while full fruitfulness might take time to materialize (e.g., waiting for trees to bear new fruit), the promise and the start of the blessing were immediate and guaranteed. It provides a foundational assurance for future endeavors, confirming that walking in God's will immediately invites His favor, even when current circumstances appear bleak. This emphasizes the immediate nature of God's favor once obedience commences, distinct from merely the outcome of the work.

Haggai 2 19 Commentary

Haggai 2:19 encapsulates a profound theological truth: God responds to His people's obedience with divine blessing. For years, the post-exilic community faced drought and meager harvests, a direct consequence of their neglect of the Temple's rebuilding, as declared in Haggai 1. The imagery of empty barns and barren fruit trees vividly depicts the lingering effects of this judgment, highlighting their continued hardship right up to the sermon's delivery. However, the turning point is precisely tied to their obedience; on the 24th day of the ninth month, they had recommitted to the work. The Lord's emphatic "from this day will I bless you" declares an immediate, certain, and sovereign reversal. This isn't a promise of future blessing after the Temple is completed, but the very commencement of blessing from the moment they truly started to honor God's priorities. It demonstrates that spiritual alignment with God’s will has direct, tangible implications in the material world, assuring them that despite their past failures and present poverty, God’s faithful grace will now bring fruitfulness where there was barrenness. It is a promise of restoration that starts with a renewed commitment to God's house.