Haggai 2:13

Hag 2:13 Then said Haggai, If [one that is] unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean.

Ver. 13. If one that is unclean by a dead body] With a ceremonial uncleanness. The Hebrew hath it thus, If one that is unclean in soul, that is, in his whole person, as every wicked man is totus totus pollutus, wholly covered with corruption, a loathsome leper from head to foot, wholly set upon sin, as Exo 32:22, lying down in wickedness, or in that wicked one, 1Jn 5:19, sick of such a disease as the physicians call corruptionem totius substantiae, nay, dead in sins and trespasses, Eph 2:1; and can therefore do no better than dead work at best, Heb 9:14, such as the living God will not be served with. {See Trapp on "Mal 3:16"} doct. 4, use 1. He is unclean, unclean, and impureth all that he toucheth, according to that which followeth.

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.

2:13 Ceremonial uncleanness is transmitted much more easily than ceremonial purity. Anyone touching a corpse became defiled and thus unclean. Anything touched by a ceremonially unclean person was also rendered impure (see Num 19:11-13, 22). Haggai applies this in Hag 2:14.

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

That is, the flesh of the sacrifices, whereby he signifieth that thing which of itself is good, cannot make another thing so: and therefore they ought not to justify themselves by their sacrifices and ceremonies: but contrary he that is unclean and not pure of heart, doth corrupt those things and make them detestable unto God, which else are good and godly.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

On the other hand, a legally "unclean" person imparts his uncleanness to any thing, whereas a legally holy thing cannot confer its sanctity on an "unclean" person (Num 19:11, Num 19:13, Num 19:22). Legal sanctity is not so readily communicated as legal impurity. So the paths to sin are manifold: the paths to holiness one, and that one of difficult access [GROTIUS]. One drop of filth will defile a vase of water: many drops of water will not purity a vase of filth [MOORE].

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

(13) Unclean.—The defilement incurred by contact with a dead body was one of the deepest. (See Num_19:11-16.) On the force of the term tmê nephesh, compare the passages Lev_21:11; Lev_22:4; Num_6:6.

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

13. unclean by a dead body] Lit. unclean by a person. The full phrase, “a dead person, or body,” occurs Lev_21:11; Num_6:6; but the word “dead” is often left to be understood as here and Lev_21:1; Lev_22:4. The law of ceremonial uncleanness as attaching to death (under which there lay, no doubt, the moral idea that death polluted because it was the offspring and the wages of sin) is found in Num_19:11-22.

shall it be unclean?] as clearly laid down in Num_19:22. Compare, for the moral counterpart, Jas_2:10, where Dean Plumptre observes: “This seems at first of the nature of an ethical paradox, but practically it states a deep moral truth. If we wilfully transgress one commandment we shew that in principle we sit loose to all. It is but accident, or fear, or the absence of temptation, that prevents our transgressing them also. Actual transgression in one case involves potential transgression in all.” Camb. Bible for Schools, St James, p. 68.

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 answered Haggai, and said,.... To the priests, and before the people; and made an application of these things to them, which was the thing in view in putting the questions:

So is this people, and so is this nation before me, saith the Lord; not only those people that were present and at work at the temple, but those that were absent, even the whole body of the people; who, though they were pure in their own eyes, yet were not so before the Lord; who knew their hearts, and the spring of all their actions; what were their ends and views in all they did: as a garment carrying in it holy flesh could not sanctify other things touched by it that were common and profane, but left them as they were; so their ritual devotions, and externally holy actions, did not and could not sanctify their impure hearts, but left them as unclean as before; nor did they sanctify their common mercies, their bread, pottage, wine, and oil: and, on the other hand, as an impure person made everything impure he touched; so they, being impure in heart, all their actions, even their religious ones, were impure also, as follows:

and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean; pointing at the altar, which they had built, and offered sacrifice on ever since they came out of Babylon, though the temple was not yet built, Ezr 3:3 but all their outward religious services, and all the sacrifices they offered up, were in the Lord's account impure and abominable, as well as themselves; coming from an unsanctified heart, and offered up with unclean hands, and without repentance towards God, and faith in Christ; and living in other respects in disobedience to God, and especially while they neglected the building of the temple; satisfying themselves with offering sacrifices on the altar, when the house of God lay desolate; which is the principal thing respected, as appears by what follows.

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

No, conformably to Leviticus vi. 27. (Menochius) --- What the linen covered could not render other things sacred. The victim must come in immediate contact with them, to have this effect. (Haydock) --- Those who had touched the dead, rendered both holy and common things unclean for others. There were two sorts of sanctified meat: the victims for sin, which the priests on duty alone could eat, (Leviticus vii. 1, 6.) and the peace-offerings, of which all who were clean might partake, Leviticus xix. The former alone sanctified what they touched. Both must be burnt if they touched any thing unclean, while ordinary food in the same predicament might be consumed by people in mourning, &c. (Calmet) --- That which touched a holy things was sanctified, (Leviticus vi. 18.) but that thing did not sanctify others; so the people, by touching the sacrifices, were only legally holy, and therefore their victims were not acceptable to the Lord as long as they did not comply with their duty of building his temple. (Worthington)

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).

Now the second case is proposed for resolution, &c.

If one that is unclean; ceremonially or legally polluted, and unclean.

By a dead body; for such touch, though at unawares, did pollute, Num 19:13.

Touch any of these; bread or pottage, wine, or oil, or meat.

Shall it be unclean? shall that which the unclean (by touch of the dead) doth touch become unclean, or no? Though a mediate touch of what is holy will not make holy, yet will not a mediate touch of what is polluted defile whatsoever it toucheth?

It shall be unclean; it is resolved affirmatively, It shall be polluted.

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

Unclean by a dead body; Septuagint, ajkaqartov ejpi yuch|: Vulgate. pollutus in anima. These versions are closer to the Hebrew, "unclean by a soul," than the Authorized Version, but not so intelligible. "Soul" ( nephesh) is used to mean a person, and, with the attribute "dead" understood, a corpse, as Lev_21:1. The full phrase is found in Num_6:6, Num_6:11. Contact with a dead body produced the gravest ceremonial uncleanness, which lasted seven days, and could be purged only by a double lustration and other rites. (Num_19:11, etc.) This uncleanness was doubtless connected with the idea that death was the result of sin. Any of these. The things mentioned in the preceding verse. It shall be unclean. In accordance with Num_19:22 A polluted human being communicated his pollution to all that he touched. It was owing to the defilement that accompanied contact with the dead that the later Jews used to whiten the sepulchres every year, that they might be seen and avoided. (Mat_23:27, and Lightfoot, "Her. Hebr." in loc. )

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

Said - Now the second case is proposed. These - Bread or pottage, wine or oil, or meat. Unclean - Shall that which the unclean doth touch, become unclean? Though a mediate touch of what is holy will not make holy, yet will not a mediate touch of what is polluted defile?

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

because of death

"because he has touched a dead body"

So Haggai answered and said, "So it is ... is unclean

Haggai answers the priests with the words that Yahweh told Haggai to tell the priests. AT: "So Haggai answered and told them Yahweh's words: 'So it is ... is unclean"

So it is with this people and this nation before me

"I look at this people and this nation the same way." Yahweh reminds the priests that a clean thing that touches an unclean thing becomes unclean. He then reminds them that he thinks of them as unclean because they have been worshiping idols, and so everything they touch and make becomes unclean.

this is Yahweh's declaration

Yahweh speaks of himself by name to express the certainty of what he is declaring. See how you translated this in Haggai 1:9. AT: "this is what Yahweh has declared" or "this is what I, Yahweh, have declared" (See: First, Second, or Third Person)

translationWords

clean

die

people group

nation

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

If the contamination of a dead body The dead body itself.

It will become contaminated For the dead body is the father of the father of contamination. The fifth degree of the contamination of the reptile or rodent is a fourth degree in the contamination of a dead body.

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.