2. Reference is also made to the "great resemblance between this prophecy, and those which are acknowledged to relate to Antiochus Epiphanes;" and from this it is argued, that the subject of the prophecy before us must be the same. Hofmann (p. 97) and Wieseler (p. 74) rely chiefly upon this. But the resemblance is, for the most part, caused by a misinterpretation. If we look, first of all, to the substance of the prophecies; the similarity is nothing more than this, that in both cases a foreign prince brings destruction upon the covenant-nation in consequence of its sins, and the sacrificial worship is suspended. This is really all. In the one case, the city and temple are irremediably destroyed; in the other, they are merely subjected to a severe visitation. According to one announcement the nation as such entirely perishes; according to the other, it is restored after a brief interval. The announcement, as to the anointed one the prince, and the glorious blessings to be brought by him, is peculiar to this prophecy. The most important point is supposed to be the perfect similarity in the chronological statements. The two thousand three hundred days, in chap. viii. 14, are said to correspond to the last week of years mentioned here; and the twelve hundred and ninety, and thirteen hundred and fifty-five days, to the half-week in chap. xii. 11, 12. But it is still a disputed point, whether the 2300 eveningmornings are to be understood as so many half-days (as Hitzig supposes), or whole days. If we suppose the latter, we shall then have six years and a quarter, not seven years; and whereas the one week mentioned here is described as the period, in which the covenant is to be confirmed, the two thousand three hundred evening-mornings represent the length of time, during which the visitation of the covenant-nation by the heathen tyrant continued. There is nothing about a half-week here, but only about the middle of the week.-So far as the expressions are concerned, the only point, which merits any attention, is the agreement be .in chap שמם in ver. 27, and על כנף שקוצים משמם tween .in שמם in chap. xi. 31, and in chap. in chap. xi. 31, viii. 13, opwp ypw xii. 11. a distinct reference. And, according to our view, such a reference is very appropriate here. There was an intimate connection between the Syrian destruction and the Roman, both in the guilt (p), and the judgment (). (For the correct exposition of chap. viii. 13, xi. 31, xii. 11 see p. 108 sqq. and 133.) 3. "There is no other prophecy in the Book of Daniel, which goes beyond the death of Antiochus Epiphanes." This is an assertion without foundation. If the fourth universal monarchy in chap. ii. and vii. is the Roman, we have here the link of connection with the prophecy before us. The announcement of the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven, in chap. vii. 13, leads us at once to expect, that we shall find, somewhere else, a prediction of the first coming of Christ; especially when we consider the great prominence given to this announcement in the prophecies of Zechariah, who was nearly contemporaneous, and in whom we discover so many points of resemblance. 4. Wieseler says (p. 83), "the Messianic interpretation is evidently impossible, from the simple fact that there would in that case be no reference whatever in this passage to the oppression by Antiochus Epiphanes, which happened at this very time, and which is so prominent throughout the rest of the book.” But enough has been said on this subject elsewhere; and there was no necessity to allude to it here. The point, from which this prophecy starts, is the aspect of the ruins of Jerusalem. Its leading subject is the rebuilding of the city; and after that its destruction again, along with the circumstances, which occasioned the latter. THE PROPHET HAGGAI. Haggai means the festal one. This is a good name for a prophet. The distinguishing characteristic of the festivals was an elevation of the religious consciousness. A festal man was one who was always in this state of mental elevation. The circumstances, under which Haggai first appeared, were the same as those which attended the appearance of Zechariah, and will be discussed more fully in connection with that prophet. His prophecies have all one design, viz., to expedite the building of the temple. It was not without a purpose, that the first discourse (chap. i.) was delivered on the first day of the month, that is, the feast of the new moon (cf. Num. xxviii. 11; 2 Kings iv. 23); inasmuch as the prophet was more likely to attract attention on a feast-day. And as the circumstances of the times were such as to call for repentance, he commences with reproof.1 He contends against the prevailing indifference and selfishness, which had banished the thought of God from the mind, and points out how these bring their own punishment, inasmuch as those who 1 The prophet's rebuke presupposes that, notwithstanding the obstacles which were thrown in the way by the Samaritans (Ezra iv. I—5), no insuperable difficulty had presented itself to the erection of the temple between the first year of Cyrus and the second of Darius Hystaspes. If the erection had been prohibited by edicts of the Persian king, the leaders of the people would have been able to meet the charges brought by the prophet. The issue of any such edicts (which may be shown to be impossible, not only on the ground here stated, but also from the third address) would never have been assumed, had not the fact been overlooked that the paragraph in Ezra iv. 6-23 has no connection whatever with the building of the temple, but is an intercalated section, having reference to the building of the city walls. take away from God what really belongs to Him will have their own taken from them as a just retribution. This address answered its purpose. Four and twenty days after its delivery, on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius, the works connected with the temple were re-commenced with zeal, under the superintendence of Zerubbabel and Joshua the High Priest. But there soon arose a fresh occasion for Haggai's public appearance. When the work had sufficiently advanced for the people to be able to contrast the new temple with the former one, they were plunged in deep distress. The shout of joy, which was raised when the foundation was laid, was mingled with audible weeping, especially on the part of the old men, who had seen the glory of the first temple (see Ezra iii. 12). There appeared to be a glaring contrast between the promise and the reality. How glorious the former; how miserable the latter! According to Isaiah (see especially chap. lx.), Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, the new temple was to be infinitely superior in its glory to the old. And how did it look now? It was a nonentity in their eyes (chap. ii. 3). Gloomy thoughts now arose among the believers. Can this temple be the one which God promised? Are not the miserable circumstances in which we are placed an intimation from him that we are to abstain from the fruitless undertaking? Is it a right thing to build him a hut, instead of a temple? Whether he has entirely cast off his people on account of their sins, and altogether withdrawn his conditional promise, or intends to fulfil his promise, at some time or other in the remote future, for a worthier generation than we are, who still groan beneath his wrath, and are really in Babylon, though outwardly in Canaan,-he has at all events declared us unworthy of so great and holy a work, by the very circumstances in which we are placed. In such a state of mind, comfort was the thing they needed ; and Haggai was called by God to impart it. He discharged his commission, by addressing to them the discourse contained in chap. ii. 1-9, which was delivered on the 21st of the 7th month. He urges the people and their leaders to be of good courage; assuring them of the fact that the Lord is with them, and that the word, which he spoke to them at the very first, "fear not," continues still in force.1 Having thus re-opened the fountain of consolation for every kind of trouble, the prophet addresses himself especially to the immediate cause of the despondency of the nation on this occasion, its want of faith in God and his grace. They were not to allow the small beginnings of the new temple to trouble them. God would remove the obstacles which, so far as an eye of flesh could see, rendered it impossible that the glorious promises of the earlier prophets, respecting the flocking of the Gentiles with all their gifts and possessions, should be fulfilled. He, the Almighty, will shake the strong kingdoms of the earth, and deprive them of the power which has made them, in their proud self-conceit, entirely forgetful of Him (vers. 6 and 7). Thus humbled, the Gentiles will come with their possessions, to do homage to the Lord, whose temple will now rise to lofty glory (ver. 7). It cannot be otherwise, for God is the possessor of all earthly things (ver. 8). And this glory will be so great, that it will far surpass that of the former temple, whilst it will also be accompanied with peace to the people of the Lord (ver. 9). CHAP. II., VER. 6-9. Ver. 6. "For thus saith the Lord of Hosts, there is yet a little, and I shake the heaven and the earth and the dry (land)." כי shows that we have here the reason for the exhortation "fear It is not without a reason that the expression, "thus saith the Lord of Hosts," is repeated five times in these four 1 Ver. 5. "The word, which I concluded with you when ye came out of Egypt and my spirit dwelt in the midst of you: fear not." (Lay this to heart, bear it in mind.) That this explanation (which is the one given by Ewald) is correct, is evident from the fact that the words "fear not" are taken from Ex. xx. 17. This, therefore, must be the word which the Lord pledged to them at the time of their exodus from Egypt. The Spirit of God in this passage (as in Is. lxiii. 11) is the miraculous power of God, which was displayed in the Mosaic age in the midst, and for the good of the nation. By this power the exhortation "fear not" was seconded then; and the same power will give effect to it now. See Zech. iv. 6. |