Meaning of the Name Haggai
Haggai is usually linked to the Hebrew word-field for feast or festival. Accordingly, it is often explained as "festive," "festival-born," or something similar. This derivation is widely accepted, though the exact nuance of the name's usage cannot be demonstrated with certainty.
Origin
The name Haggai is of Hebrew origin.
Who is Haggai in the Bible?
Haggai is the prophet who urged the post-exilic community to rebuild the temple. Addressing Zerubbabel and Joshua, he calls the people away from neglect; although the name appears elsewhere, this prophet is the central figure.
The story of Haggai in the Bible
Haggai speaks among the people who have returned from exile, and his messages are carefully dated to the second year of the Persian king Darius. By then the returnees have built their own houses while the temple of the LORD still lies in ruins. Haggai addresses the governor Zerubbabel, the high priest Joshua, and all the people: to those who say the time has not yet come, he asks whether it is right to live in paneled houses while this house lies waste, and he links their meager harvests and vanishing wages to this neglect. His word takes effect: the LORD stirs the spirits of Zerubbabel, Joshua, and the remnant of the people, and the building work begins again. To those who remember the former temple's splendor and belittle the new one, Haggai brings courage: the LORD is with them, the latter glory of this house will surpass the former, and in this place God will give peace. The book closes with a personal promise to Zerubbabel, the prophet's final word of hope.
Is Haggai mentioned in the Quran?
The name Haggai does not appear in the Quran; he is remembered in the Old Testament as the prophet who urged the returned exiles to rebuild the temple.
Verses where Haggai appears
- Haggai 1:1 —
In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, Yahweh’s word came by Haggai, the prophet, to Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua, the son of…
- Haggai 1:14 —
Yahweh stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and…
- Haggai 2:9 —
‘The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former,’ says Yahweh of Armies; ‘and in this place will I give peace,’ says Yahweh of Armies.”