Haggai 2 21

Haggai 2:21 kjv

Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth;

Haggai 2:21 nkjv

"Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying: 'I will shake heaven and earth.

Haggai 2:21 niv

"Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I am going to shake the heavens and the earth.

Haggai 2:21 esv

"Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I am about to shake the heavens and the earth,

Haggai 2:21 nlt

"Tell Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, that I am about to shake the heavens and the earth.

Haggai 2 verses

Haggai 2 21 Meaning

Haggai 2:21 is a divine oracle delivered through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah. It declares God's imminent, profound intervention in the world by proclaiming a universal, cosmic shaking of both the heavens and the earth. This signifies God's absolute sovereignty over all creation, nations, and earthly powers, asserting His intent to disrupt and overturn existing structures to accomplish His ultimate redemptive purposes. It reassures Zerubbabel, and through him, the faithful remnant, that God is actively working to establish His kingdom despite current limitations.

Haggai 2 21 Context

Haggai 2:21 is part of the third and final oracle given by the prophet Haggai to the post-exilic Jewish community, specifically addressed to Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah. This message was delivered on the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, Chislev (approx. December), in the second year of King Darius Hystaspes (520 BC).

The broader context of Haggai's prophecy is the rebuilding of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, which had stalled for many years. The people, demoralized and facing economic hardships, had prioritized their own homes over God's house. Haggai's first two messages (Hag 1 and Hag 2:1-9) focused on urging the people and leaders to recommence the work, assuring them of God's presence and future glory for the Temple, greater than that of the first. The second oracle (Hag 2:1-9), spoken two months prior to this verse, promised the shaking of "all nations" and their treasures coming to fill the Temple, pointing to a glorious, yet distant, future.

Haggai 2:10-19 deals with the concept of ceremonial purity and its spiritual implications. Finally, the third oracle (Hag 2:20-23), which includes verse 21, transitions from the temple's glory to the personal assurance and significant role of Zerubbabel in God's unfolding plan. Zerubbabel, a descendant of David and the leading civil authority, felt the immense pressure of their weak political position and the threat from surrounding nations. God's message of shaking "the heavens and the earth" is given to specifically strengthen Zerubbabel's resolve, assuring him that ultimate control rests with God, not with powerful empires. This cosmic shaking anticipates God's decisive intervention against all opposing forces, leading to the secure establishment of His purposes and kingdom, through the line of David.

Haggai 2 21 Word analysis

• Speak (דַּבֵּר - dabber): An imperative verb, emphasizing the divine command for Haggai to deliver this specific message. It underscores the authority and certainty of the following declaration.
• to Zerubbabel (אֶל-זְרֻבָּבֶל - ʾel-Zĕrubābel): Zerubbabel was the Jewish governor, appointed by Persia, and a direct descendant of King David. His significance lies in his connection to the Davidic covenant and the future Messianic line. God singles him out, granting him a position of profound assurance and strategic importance in His plans.
• governor (פַּחַת - paḥat): A Persian loanword for a provincial governor. This highlights Zerubbabel's contemporary political role under the Persian Empire, while the subsequent message reveals God's ultimate authority transcends earthly governments.
• of Judah (יְהוּדָה - Yəhūdāh): The remnant of the southern kingdom, a continuation of the tribal inheritance of Judah, from whom the Messiah would come. This firmly roots the prophecy in the covenant people and land.
• saying (לֵאמֹר - lēʾmor): A standard introductory particle, indicating the direct words of God.
• I will shake (מַרְעִישׁ - marʿiysh): Hiphil participle of the root רָעַשׁ (ra'ash), meaning "to quake," "tremble," "shake." The Hiphil intensive aspect suggests an active, causing-to-shake action, a powerful, disruptive intervention. This shaking implies not just physical tremors but a profound, fundamental disturbance of order, an overturning of established human powers and structures.
• the heavens (הַשָּׁמַיִם - haššāmáyim): Refers to the sky, the celestial realm, and by extension, all spiritual or cosmic powers that may seem to hold sway, or even the ordered expanse of the universe. When "heavens and earth" are combined, it signifies the totality of creation.
• and the earth (וְהָאָרֶץ - wəhāʾāreṣ): Refers to the physical ground, the earthly realm, nations, kingdoms, and human systems.
• "I will shake the heavens and the earth" (מַרְעִישׁ הַשָּׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ): This phrase signifies a comprehensive, universal upheaval. It implies God's complete control over both the natural and political orders. The "shaking" is a prelude to judgment on opposing forces and the establishment of God's unshakeable kingdom. This statement powerfully declares that no human or spiritual power can withstand God's ultimate sovereign will. The shaking is not for destruction's sake, but for the removal of temporary obstacles and the bringing forth of that which is permanent, as expounded in Hebrews 12:26-27. It highlights God's ongoing, active presence in world affairs, not just Israel's.

Haggai 2 21 Bonus section

The motif of God shaking the heavens and the earth is a powerful theme found throughout biblical prophecy. It emphasizes not only divine judgment but also the prelude to God's establishment of new orders. While the initial fulfillment in Haggai's time involved God providentially orchestrating the rise and fall of empires to allow Israel's return and Temple rebuilding, its ultimate and fullest realization points directly to the end times and the coming of the Messiah's Kingdom. The New Testament writers, especially in Hebrews, definitively interpret this prophecy as applying to the work of Christ – the removal of the old covenant order (shaken things) to make way for the unshakable new covenant Kingdom inaugurated by Christ. This also carries implications for the final consummation of all things, where God will fully establish new heavens and a new earth, removing all vestiges of the present, corrupt order. The stability promised in the context of this shaking is not of human structures, but of God's eternal covenant with His chosen One and His people.

Haggai 2 21 Commentary

Haggai 2:21 is a foundational declaration of God's universal sovereignty and active intervention in history. Coming at a time when the returned exiles felt insignificant and powerless under the vast Persian Empire, this oracle assures Zerubbabel that God Himself will dramatically "shake the heavens and the earth." This "shaking" goes far beyond physical earthquakes; it represents a profound upheaval of all cosmic, political, and societal orders. God declares His intent to destabilize nations, overturn earthly kingdoms, and disrupt all human systems that oppose His divine will or stand in the way of His purposes. It speaks to a divinely initiated historical process that began with God's covenant with Israel, continued through various empires, and will culminate in the final establishment of His unshakable Kingdom through the Messiah.

The message empowers Zerubbabel by showing him that his personal effort in rebuilding the Temple is not a futile act in a small corner of the world, but an integral part of a vast, divine cosmic plan. The ultimate purpose of this shaking is to clear away everything perishable and created, so that what cannot be shaken – God's eternal kingdom and the everlasting covenant – may remain (Hebrews 12:26-27). This shaking has a double effect: bringing judgment on the ungodly and establishing God's chosen servant (Zerubbabel, as a type of the Messiah) as His "signet ring," signifying authority and a prized possession, preparing the way for Christ's ultimate rule. It provides comfort that God is in control even amidst perceived chaos and offers hope for future glory, far surpassing the present circumstances.