Haggai 2:12

Hag 2:12 If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, No.

Ver. 12. If one bear holy flesh in the skirt, &c.] Problems and parables are notable helps to the bolting out of the truth, and conviction of the gainsayers. For problems see Mat 13:10-15; Mat 21:25; Mat 22:42. For parables see Jdg 9:7-15, that of Jotham, of Nathan, 2Sa 12:1-4, of the woman of Tekoah, 2Sa 14:5-7, of our Saviour concerning the two brethren sent into the vineyard, the wedding of the king’s son, the sower. {See Trapp on "Hag 2:10"}

And the priests answered and said, No] Roundly and readily; without hacking and hewing, without doubling and dissembling; as those perverse priests, those self-condemned hierophants, {a} Mat 21:27, that, against their consciences, "answered Jesus and said, We cannot tell." The wit of graceless persons will better serve them to falter and fumble, deny, or devise a thousand shifts to evade and elude the truth, than their malice will suffer them to yield to it, or profess it. This is to detain the truth in unrighteousness, Rom 1:18, as Plato, who had the knowledge of one God, yet he dared not to communicate it to the common people; and as some of the chief champions of Popery, who held justification by faith alone, but refused to say so, lest their Dagon should down, their Diana be despised. Let every spiritual man (but especially ministers) be ready, as to every good work, so to this of comparing spiritual things with spiritual, that he may judge or discern of all things, 1Co 2:13; 1Co 2:15, according to the analogy of faith, Rom 12:6, the tenor of the Scriptures, his sure cynosura; and laying up all in his heart, Luk 2:18, he may have a treasure there of new and old, a word of wisdom and a word of knowledge too, 1Co 12:8, both as a teacher and as a pastor, to bring forth for common benefit.

{a} Antiq. An official expounder of sacred mysteries or religious ceremonies, esp. in ancient Greece; an initiating or presiding priest. ŒD

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2:12 will it also become holy? This question refers to meat from a holy sacrifice and the way in which ceremonial purity and impurity could be transferred (see “Clean, Unclean, and Holy” Theme Note). Carrying the holy sacrifice—the meat set aside and prepared for the offering—rendered one’s robe holy (cp. Lev 6:18). This holiness, however, could not be transmitted to a third object.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

"Holy flesh" (that is, the flesh of a sacrifice, Jer 11:15), indeed, makes holy the "skirt" in which it is carried; but that "skirt" cannot impart its sanctity to any thing beyond, as "bread," &c. (Lev 6:27). This is cited to illustrate the principle, that a sacrifice, holy, as enveloping divine things (just as the "skirt" is "holy" which envelops "holy" flesh), cannot by its inherent or opus operatum efficacy make holy a person whose disobedience, as that of the Jew while neglecting God's house, made him unholy.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

(12) Holy flesh.—The flesh of the sacrifice hallowed the person who touched it (Lev_6:27), but this sanctification was not conveyed to anything he might afterwards touch. On the other hand (Hag_2:13), he who was defiled by such a pollution as contact with a dead body, conveyed defilement even to the tabernacle. (See Num_19:13 : “Whosoever toucheth the dead body of any man that is dead, and purifieth not himself, defileth the tabernacle of the Lord.”) Even so, according to Haggai, the guilt of impiety incurred by the Jews in neglecting the Temple had tainted the labour of their hands, and caused famine. And what merit they might claim for restoring the altar-worship and keeping the prescribed feasts (Ezr_3:2-6) was not conveyed further. It was cancelled by their neglect of an equally important duty. This latter point, however, is not brought out, but is left to be supplied by the prophet’s hearers.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

12. If one bear] Lit. Lo! one bears. “See, there is a man bearing—what will happen?” An emphatic Oriental way of saying, “suppose, put the case, that one bears.” So in Jer_3:1 we have, “Lo! a man puts away his wife.” And in 2Ch_7:13, where “if” occurs three times in A. V. the Hebrew has “lo” the first and second time, and “if” the third time.

holy flesh] i.e. flesh which has been offered in sacrifice to God. Comp. Jer_11:15.

the skirt] Lit. the wing. So πτέρυξ, πτερύγιον are used for the skirts or flaps of a cloak or dress.

meat] i.e. food, or eatables. LXX. βρῶμα.

the priests answered and said, No] In Lev_6:27 we read of the sin-offering, “Whatsoever shall touch the flesh thereof shall be holy.” The garment therefore in which the flesh was carried would be holy, but the holiness would not extend, so the priests ruled it, to anything which the garment touched.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Then said Haggai,.... To the priests; having nothing to object to their answer; but being satisfied with it, he puts another question:

if one that is unclean by a dead body; by the touch of it, Num 19:11,

touch any of these, shall it be unclean? that is, if such an impure person, who was so in a ceremonial sense, should touch any of the above things, bread, pottage, wine, or oil, or any meat, would not they become unclean thereby, and so not fit for use?

and the priests answered and said, it shall be unclean; which was rightly answered; for whatsoever such an unclean person touched was unclean, according to the law, Lev 19:22. Pollution is more easily and more extensively conveyed than holiness.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

The law. "He who knows it not, shews himself to be no priest of the Lord," Deuteronomy xvii. (St. Jerome)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

If one, any one, bear, carry away from the altar, or the priest’s hands,

holy flesh, part of the sacrifice, legally and ceremonially sanctified, or made holy by the altar on which the whole was sanctified, of which a part is supposed to be carried away

in the skirt of his garment, in the lap of his garment, or in any other cloth or napkin, and this cloth touch any common thing,

as bread, & c., shall that common thing by such contact become legally or ceremonially holy?

The priests answered: who these priests were is not mentioned, but it is likely that there were some among the people who did by the prophet’s persuasion go and propose the case, and they received the answer as here in the negative, for neither mediate nor yet immediate touch of holy things could make common things or unholy persons holy.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

12, 13. Two questions are propounded to the priests: (1) Whether or not a garment made holy through contact with holy flesh (compare Lev_6:27) transmits this holiness to other articles which might come in contact with it.

Holy flesh — Flesh of an animal slain for sacrificial purposes (Jer_11:15).

Skirt — Literally, wing. A corner of the large outer garment (see on Amo_2:8) could be turned in so as to form a convenient place in which to carry articles of various kinds. The articles named are common articles of food. The specific case laid before the priests is not provided for in the ceremonial law. To this question the priests give a negative answer. (2) When one who is made unclean by contact with something that is unclean touches the same articles of food, do they become unclean? In this case the answer is in the affirmative, in accordance with Num_19:22.

Unclean by a dead body — By coming in contact with a dead body (compare Num_9:10; Lev_21:11). This was the most dreaded kind of uncleanness.

In Hag_2:14 the prophet applies the priestly decisions to the case of the people.

So — Refers to the substance of the priestly decisions, more especially to the second.

This people — The people gathered about him (see on Hag_1:2).

Before me — In my estimate.

Every work of their hands — Their life and conduct permeated with selfishness (Hag_1:4).

That which they offer — All their offerings and sacrifices.

There — Upon the altar mentioned in Ezr_3:3; near it the prophet probably stood when he delivered the address. All the offerings offered there are an abomination to Jehovah. Why? The answer must be supplied from the context. The people offering sacrifice are like the man carrying the holy flesh; but in neglecting Jehovah and looking only after their own interests they are like the man made unclean through contact with an unclean body. Since the powers of infection of an unclean thing are greater than those of a clean thing, their unclean conduct exerts greater influence than their clean sacrifices and makes unclean their otherwise clean offerings. Haggai does not carry the application further; by implication, however, his words contain an exhortation to change their conduct; in this case, to carry on more earnestly the building operations. After Hag_2:14, LXX. has a lengthy addition which is, however, in all probability, not an original part of the prophecy.

In Hag_2:15-19 the prophet refers once more to the calamities present and past and urges the people to bear in mind that they are the direct result of their indifference, and that any change in their condition depends entirely upon their zeal in building the temple.

And now — Perhaps better, but now. These words are really the introduction to Hag_2:18. A change in their conduct has already begun, hence he may place by the side of the warning in Hag_2:14 a message of commendation and promise. Before he utters the latter he refers once more to the past calamity, so as to bring out more strongly the contrast between the calamity of the past and the prosperity of the future.

Consider — As in Hag_1:5-7.

From this day and upward — R.V., “backward.” The R.V. translation has no support (compare 1Sa_16:13); the word points to the future. The mistranslation is due to a misinterpretation of the entire verse. The meaning becomes clear if a stop is made after upward; “Consider from this day and upward!” — that is, consider or bear in mind continually, from this moment on, what I am about to say: on the one hand, that your past neglectfulness brought disaster (15-17); on the other, that zeal and faithfulness will bring prosperity (18, 19).

After this summons to consider, a new beginning should be made: “Before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of Jehovah; since those days were, (it happened that) when one came.… “

Before a stone was laid — Before building operations were commenced.

Since those days were — R.V., “Through all that time.” An obscure expression. The reading of R.V. gives good enough sense, though the words seem superfluous after 15a, but the Hebrew hardly warrants the translation. LXX. reads, “who were ye,” which may represent an original “how were ye.” These might be the closing words of a question which has its beginning in Hag_2:15, “Before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of Jehovah, how did ye fare?” The temporal clause is placed first, because the emphasis rests upon it.

How they did fare is stated in the rest of Hag_2:16 and in Hag_2:17. The thought is similar to that expressed in Hag_1:6; Hag_1:9-11; disappointment and disaster on every hand.

Heap of twenty — That is, a heap of sheaves estimated to give twenty measures; but when it was threshed it yielded ten, only one half of what was expected.

Pressfat — R.V., “winevat.” The receptacle in which wine juice is kept after the grapes are pressed out. The grapes, instead of yielding fifty measures of wine, yielded only twenty.

Out of the press — Omitted in R.V. The noun occurs elsewhere in the sense of winepress (so A.V.; compare Isa_63:3). Some think that it is used in the more general sense of measure (so R.V.), or that it is the name of a measure, equivalent to bath (Isa_5:10), which is of the same size as the ephah (see on Amo_8:5). This is not likely. If the text is correct the translation of A.V. is to be preferred; otherwise the word must be omitted as an explanatory gloss to the preceding “winevat.”

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

If one bear; literally, behold, one beareth, which is equivalent to "suppose a man bears." Perowne compares Jer_3:1, "Lo, a man puts away his wife;" and 2Ch_7:13. Holy flesh. The flesh of animals sacrificed to God, which was set apart from profane uses, and might be eaten only by the priests or persons ritually pure (Lev_6:26 Lev_7:15-20 Lev_10:13; comp. Jer_11:15) The skirt of his garment; literally, wing of his garment , as Deu_22:12; 1Sa_15:27. Any meat; pantomatov: anything eatable. And said, No. The priests answered correctly according to Lev_6:27. Whatever touched the hallowed flesh became itself holy, but it could not communicate this holiness to anything else.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Holy flesh - Part of the sacrifice, legally sanctified, or made holy by the altar on which the whole was sanctified. In the skirt - In the lap of his garment, or in any other cloth, and if this cloth touch any common thing as bread, &c., shall that become legally holy?

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

holy flesh (See Scofield "Jer 11:15") .

The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

contaminated flesh flesh of contamination of a carcass as a creeping thing.

and the pottage a cooked food

“No.” It [the food] will [not] become contaminated. Rav and Shmuel disagree over this matter. One [Rav] says that the priests erred, for he [Haggai] asked them concerning a fourth degree contamination in reference to hallowed things, and they replied that it [the food] is ritually pure. One [Shmuel] says that the priests did not err, that he [Haggai] asked them concerning a fifth degree contamination in reference to hallowed things.

if it touches in his skirt It did not touch the creeping thing itself but the garment, which is the first degree of contamination.

will it become contaminated? Heb. הֲיִקְדָּשׁ

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.