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Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ask now the priests concerning the law, saying,
Haggai 2:11 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB “Yahweh of Armies says: Ask now the priests concerning the law, saying,
  • BSB “This is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Ask the priests for a ruling.
  • NKJV “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Now, ask the priests concerning the law, saying,
  • NASB “The Lord of armies says this: ‘Now ask the priests for a ruling:
  • NLT “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says. Ask the priests this question about the law:

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

God instructs Haggai to pose questions of law to the priests. Their authoritative answers will illustrate a vital spiritual principle.

Overview

The priests were the recognized teachers of God's law (Malachi 2:7), so their rulings carry weight. Haggai uses a question-and-answer method to lead the people to a clear conclusion. This sets up the contrast between holiness and uncleanness in the verses that follow.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 6

  • Lev 10:10–11And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean;
  • Mal 2:7For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.
  • Deut 33:10They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law: they shall put incense before thee, and whole burnt sacrifice upon thine altar.
  • Deut 17:8–11If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates: then shalt thou arise, and get thee up into the place which the LORD thy God shall choose;
  • Ezek 44:23–24And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.
  • Titus 1:9Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Haggai videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Haggai 2:11YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on HaggaiMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

The promise that the latter glory of the temple will exceed the former, and that God will shake the nations and bring 'the desire of all nations,' is fulfilled when Christ enters his temple.

How Haggai 2:11 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.