--- title: "Clarke" description: "NOTES ON CHAP. I Verse Haggai 1:1. In the sixth month — Called Elul by the Hebrews. It was the sixth month of the ecclesiastical year, and the last of the" image: "/images/missing.jpg" url: "https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/haggai/1" --- NOTES ON CHAP. I Verse [Haggai 1:1](../../../kjv/haggai/1/1). ***In the sixth month*** — Called *Elul* by the Hebrews. It was the *sixth* month of the ecclesiastical year, and the *last* of the *civil* year, and answered to a part of our *September*. ***Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel*** — Who was son of *Jeconiah*, king of Judah, and of the family of David, and exercised the post of a governor *among* the people, but not *over* them, for both he and they were under the Persian government; but they were permitted to have *Zerubbabel* for their own governor, and *Joshua* for their high priest; and these regulated all matters relative to their peculiar political and ecclesiastical government. But it appears from Ezra, [Ezra 5:3](../../../kjv/ezra/5/3), that *Tatnai*, the governor on this side the river, had them under his cognizance. None of their own governors was absolute. The Persians permitted them to live under their own laws and civil regulations; but they always considered them as a colony, over which they had a continual superintendence. ***Joshua the son of Josedech*** — And son of Seraiah, who was high priest in the time of Zedekiah, and was carried into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar, [1 Chronicles 6:15](../../../kjv/1-chronicles/6/15). But Seraiah was slain at Riblah, by order of Nebuchadnezzar, [2 Kings 25:18-21](../../../kjv/2-kings/25/18-21). Verse [Haggai 1:2](../../../kjv/haggai/1/2). ***The time is not come*** — They thought that the *seventy* *years* spoken of by Jeremiah were not yet completed, and it would be useless to attempt to rebuild until that period had arrived. But Abp. *Usher* has shown that from the commencement of the last siege of Jerusalem unto this time, precisely *sixty-nine* years had been completed. Verse 4. **Is it*****time for you*** — If the *time be not come* to rebuild the *temple*, it cannot be come for you to *build yourselves* *comfortable houses*: but ye are rebuilding your houses; why then do ye not rebuild the house of the Lord? The foundation of the temple had been laid *fourteen* years before, and some considerable progress made in the building; and it had been *lying waste* in that unfinished state to the present time. Verse 5. ***Consider your ways*** — Is it fit that you should be building yourselves *elegant houses*, and neglect a *place* for the *worship* of that God who has restored you from captivity? Verse 6. ***Ye have sown much*** — God will not bless you in any labour of your hands, unless you rebuild his temple and restore his worship. This verse contains a series of *proverbs*; no less than *five* in the compass of a few lines. Verse 8. ***Go up to the mountain, and bring wood*** — Go to Lebanon, and get timber. In the second year of the return from the captivity, they had procured cedar trees from Lebanon, and brought them to Joppa, and had hired masons and carpenters from the Tyrians and Sidonians; but that labour had been nearly lost by the long suspension of the building. [Ezra 3:7](../../../kjv/ezra/3/7). Verse 9. ***Ye looked for much*** — Ye made great pretensions at first; but they are come to nothing. Ye did a little in the beginning; but so scantily and unwillingly that I could not but reject it. ***Ye run every man unto his own house.*** — To rebuild and adorn it; and God's house is neglected! Verse [Haggai 1:10](../../../kjv/haggai/1/10). ***Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew*** — It appears from the following verse that God had sent a drought upon the land, which threatened them with scarcity and famine. Verse [Haggai 1:12](../../../kjv/haggai/1/12). ***Then Zerubbabel*** — The threatening of Haggai had its proper effect. - The civil governor, the high priest, and the whole of the people, united together to do the work. When the authority of God is acknowledged, his words will be carefully obeyed. Verse [Haggai 1:13](../../../kjv/haggai/1/13). ***Then spake Haggai*** — He was the *Lord's messenger*, and he came with the *Lord's message*, and consequently he came with *authority*. He is called מלאך יהוה *malach Yehovah, the angel of* *Jehovah*, just as the *pastors* of the seven Asiatic churches are called *ANGELS of the Churches*, [Revelation 1:20](../../../kjv/revelation/1/20). ***I*****am*****with you, saith the Lord.*** — Here was high encouragement. What may not a man do when God is his helper? Verse [Haggai 1:14](../../../kjv/haggai/1/14). ***And the Lord stirred up the spirit*** — It is not only necessary that the *judgment* should be enlightened, but the *soul* must be *invigorated* by the Spirit of God, before any good work can be effectually done. Verse [Haggai 1:15](../../../kjv/haggai/1/15). ***In the four and twentieth day*** — Haggai received his commission on the *first* day of this month and by the *twenty-fourth* day he had so completely succeeded that he had the satisfaction to see the whole people engaged heartily in the Lord's work; they left their own houses to build that of the Lord. Here was a *faithful reprover*, and he found *obedient ears*; and the Lord's work was done, for *the people had a mind to work*. ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com","name":"Real Bible Believers","description":"RBB","publisher":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/search?q={search_term_string}","query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/haggai/1#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/images/missing.jpg","contentUrl":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/images/missing.jpg","width":640,"height":370,"caption":"Clarke's Commentary - Haggai 1"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/haggai/1#webpage","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/haggai/1","name":"Clarke's Commentary - Haggai 1","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/haggai/1#primaryimage"},"datePublished":null,"dateModified":null,"author":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"description":"NOTES ON CHAP. I Verse Haggai 1:1. In the sixth month — Called Elul by the Hebrews. It was the sixth month of the ecclesiastical year, and the last of the","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/haggai/1#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/haggai/1"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/haggai/1#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/","name":"Home"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries","name":"Commentaries"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary","name":"Clarke's Commentary"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/haggai","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/haggai","name":"Haggai"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/haggai/1","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/haggai/1","name":"1"}}]},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#personlogo","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/android-chrome-512x512.png","contentUrl":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/android-chrome-512x512.png","width":512,"height":512},"logo":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#personlogo"},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/RBiblebeliever","https://www.facebook.com/RBibleBelievers"]}]} ```