Haggai 2 — Hebrew and Greek compared
Disparate in this chapter: 2:9, 2:14
Each card keeps the independently rendered source readings above their shared comparison and reception notes. The badge records the source’s governing classification; disparate readings are marked in red. Each reading retains its original reference.
Chapter 2
The house’s glory, purity, blessing and the chosen signet
Verse 2:1 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:1 In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of YHWH came through Haggai the prophet, saying:
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:1 In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the Lord spoke through Haggai the prophet, saying:
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: The date, prophetic mediation and speech correspond.
Verse 2:2 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:2 “Speak now to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, saying:
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:2 “Speak now to Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, from the tribe of Judah, to Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, saying:
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew governor and Greek tribe repeat the distinction at 1:1,14; Greek explicitly adds “all” to the remnant.
Verse 2:3 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:3 Who remains among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes?
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:3 Who among you saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? As though it did not exist before you.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Both contrast former glory with present insignificance. Hebrew explicitly asks about those who remain; Greek omits that descriptor and makes the final assessment a phrase rather than a question.
Verse 2:4 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:4 But now be strong, Zerubbabel, declares YHWH; be strong, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest; be strong, all the people of the land, declares YHWH, and work, for I am with you, declares YHWH of hosts.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:4 But now be strong, Zerubbabel, says the Lord; be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; let all the people of the land be strong, says the Lord, and work, for I am with you, says the Lord Almighty,
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: The repeated strengthening commands, call to work and divine presence agree, with natural grammatical adaptation for the collective people.
Verse 2:5 Divergent
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:5 The word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, and My Spirit standing among you—do not fear.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:5 and My Spirit stands in your midst. Take courage.
Classification & Notes
Divergent. Text: Greek lacks the Hebrew covenant-word and exodus clause, while retaining the Spirit's presence. The difficult Hebrew sentence is kept as an elliptical recollection rather than supplied with an unexpressed promise verb. Rabbinic: Rashi on 2:5 connects the covenant word with Torah observance and the Spirit with prophetic inspiration; this interpretation is not inserted into the verse [RASHI-HAG2].
Verse 2:6 Divergent
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:6 For thus says YHWH of hosts: Once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:6 For thus says the Lord Almighty: Once more I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and the dry land.
Classification & Notes
Divergent. Text: Greek lacks Hebrew's short-time phrase meʿaṭ hîʾ; the fourfold cosmic scope agrees. Rabbinic: Rashi on 2:6 reads the shaking through the rise of Greek rule and the Hasmonean miracles, an attributed historical interpretation [RASHI-HAG2]. Saints: Hebrews 12:26–28 explicitly reuses the once-more shaking promise and interprets it as removal of what can be shaken so an unshakable kingdom remains; the New Testament quotation is not used to rewrite Haggai [HEB12]. Hebrews names earth and heaven in its own contrasting construction, whereas Haggai retains its fourfold list. Augustine, City of God XVIII.35, applies the shaking in 2:6–7 to Christ’s incarnation and proclamation among the nations [AUG18]; this is later interpretation.
Verse 2:7 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:7 I will shake all the nations, and the precious things of all the nations will come; I will fill this house with glory, says YHWH of hosts.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:7 I will shake all the nations together, and the choice things of all the nations will come; I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord Almighty.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Hebrew ḥemdaṯ is a collective with a plural verb; Greek ta eklekta is explicitly plural “choice things.” Both are rendered as valued things, in context with silver and gold in 2:8; a later personal messianic identification is not inserted into either column. Saints: Augustine, City of God XVIII.45, reads the chosen things as people constituting the Church, Christ’s body, while associating the desired One wording with Christ its head. In XVIII.35 he relates the awaited coming to Christ’s last coming [AUG18]. These are attributed interpretations read in the NPNF English (City of God XVIII.45: the house built “with living stones”, the chosen things of all nations, and the desired One reading applied “to the Church than to Christ”, body and Head); his Latin wording was not collated.
Verse 2:8 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:8 The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine, declares YHWH of hosts.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:8 The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine, says the Lord Almighty.
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: Divine ownership of both precious materials corresponds.
Verse 2:9 Disparate
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:9 The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former, says YHWH of hosts, and in this place I will give peace, declares YHWH of hosts.”
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:9 For the latter glory of this house will be greater than the former, says the Lord Almighty; in this place I will give peace, says the Lord Almighty, and peace of soul as a possession for everyone building to raise this sanctuary.”
Classification & Notes
Disparate. Text: Greek adds an express promise of peace of soul to every builder; Hebrew concludes with peace in the place. This addition materially expands the promise's recipient and inward consequence. Rabbinic: Rashi on 2:9 transmits Rav and Samuel's alternatives, greater physical construction or longer duration, without deciding the verse by a single school [RASHI-HAG2]. Saints: Augustine, City of God XVIII.45, interprets the greater house through the new testament’s community of chosen people, linked to 2:7 [AUG18]. This concerns the house’s glory, not a separate exposition of the Greek peace-of-soul addition.
Verse 2:10 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of YHWH came to Haggai the prophet, saying:
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year under Darius, the word of the Lord came to Haggai the prophet, saying:
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: The chronology and recipient correspond.
Verse 2:11 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:11 “Thus says YHWH of hosts: Ask the priests for instruction, saying:
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:11 “Thus says the Lord Almighty: Ask the priests about the law, saying:
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: Hebrew tôrâ and Greek nomos concern a priestly ruling on holiness and impurity in the following questions. “Instruction/law” preserves the contextual nuance.
Verse 2:12 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:12 If someone carries holy meat in the fold of his garment, and with his fold touches bread, stew, wine, oil or any food, will it become holy?” The priests answered, “No.”
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:12 If someone takes holy meat in the edge of his garment and the edge of his garment touches bread, cooked food, wine, oil or any food, will it become holy?” The priests answered, “No.”
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: Both ask whether contact with the garment's edge transmits the meat's holiness and give the same negative ruling. Neither says the holy meat itself directly touched the other food.
Verse 2:13 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:13 Haggai said, “If one who is unclean through a dead body touches any of these, will it become unclean?” The priests answered, “It will become unclean.”
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:13 Haggai said, “If one defiled through a dead person touches any of these, will it be defiled?” The priests answered, “It will be defiled.”
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: Both identify corpse-related impurity and affirm its transmission. Nepeš/psychē is understood in this ritual context as a dead person, not an assertion that a living soul is itself defiling.
Verse 2:14 Disparate
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:14 Haggai answered, “So is this people, and so is this nation before Me, declares YHWH; so is all the work of their hands, and what they offer there is unclean.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:14 Haggai answered, “So is this people, and so is this nation before Me, says the Lord; so are all the works of their hands, and whoever approaches there will be defiled because of their morning gains. They will suffer because of their labors, and you hated those who rebuked at the gates.
Classification & Notes
Disparate. Text: Hebrew declares their offerings unclean; Greek declares a person approaching defiled and adds difficult morning-gains, suffering and gate-rebuke clauses. The ritual subject and the charge's scope change materially. Greek lēmmata orthrena is rendered provisionally as “morning gains”; no conjectural replacement is made.
Verse 2:15 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:15 And now, set your hearts, please, from this day backward, before stone was laid upon stone in the temple of YHWH:
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:15 And now, set your hearts, please, from this day backward, before stone was placed upon stone in the sanctuary of the Lord,
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Both direct attention to the time before construction. Hebrew wā-māʿlâ and Greek hyperanō are spatial expressions used for temporal reckoning; “backward” is the contextual choice here because “before” introduces the ensuing recollection.
Verse 2:16 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:16 When things were so, one came to a heap of twenty, and there were ten; one came to the wine vat to draw fifty measures, and there were twenty.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:16 what you were: when you put twenty sata of barley into a bin, there were ten sata of barley; when you went to the wine vat to draw fifty metretai, there were twenty.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Greek specifies barley, a bin, sata and metretai; Hebrew has a heap and wine vat. Hebrew mihyôtām is an elliptical temporal expression, provisionally rendered When things were so; Greek explicitly asks what you were. Hebrew pûrāh names a press and is rendered contextually as measures here: BDB reports the customary interpretation as a quantity of juice from one press filling [BDB-PURAH]. This is not an identified standard capacity or a bare number with no corresponding noun. Neither Greek measure nor any modern volume is imposed on the Hebrew.
Verse 2:17 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:17 I struck you with blight, mildew and hail—all the work of your hands—yet you did not turn toward Me, declares YHWH.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:17 I struck you with barrenness, damage from wind and hail—all the works of your hands—and you did not turn to Me, says the Lord.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew šiddāfôn and yērāqôn name blight and yellowing/mildew; Greek aphoria and anemophthoria name barrenness and wind damage. Both preserve hail and the failure to turn. Hebrew has an elliptical expression of not being toward Me; did not turn is supplied contextually without adding passive agency. Greek explicitly has epestrepsate.
Verse 2:18 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:18 Set your hearts, please, from this day onward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day the temple of YHWH was founded—set your hearts:
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:18 Direct your hearts, please, from this day onward; from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month and from the day the sanctuary of the Lord was founded, put it in your hearts:
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: Both repeat the call to consider and the foundation date. The forward orientation follows the blessing announced in 2:19; temporal language is recorded separately from the backward recollection at 2:15. The repeated Hebrew wā-māʿlâ also permits a retrospective construal, found in Rashi’s presentation; onward is a contextual choice, not a settled lexical distinction [RASHI-HAG2].
Verse 2:19 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:19 Is the seed still in the storehouse? Until now the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit. From this day I will bless.”
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:19 whether it will yet be recognized on the threshing floor, and whether the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive trees still bear no fruit. From this day I will bless.”
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew explicitly asks about seed in a storehouse; Greek refers to recognition on a threshing floor without naming a subject. Both list the same fruit crops and announce blessing. The elliptical Greek remains provisional and has not been supplied with Hebrew's seed or storehouse.
Verse 2:20 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:20 The word of YHWH came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month, saying:
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:20 The word of the Lord came a second time to Haggai the prophet on the twenty-fourth day of the month, saying:
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: Both identify a second message on the same day; Greek repeats Haggai's prophetic title.
Verse 2:21 Divergent
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:21 “Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying: I am shaking the heavens and the earth.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:21 “Speak to Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, from the tribe of Judah, saying: I am shaking heaven and earth, the sea and the dry land,
Classification & Notes
Divergent. Text: Greek adds Shealtiel and the sea/dry-land pair, and substitutes tribal identification for Hebrew governorship. Both retain the promise of cosmic shaking, but the additional wording is fully preserved.
Verse 2:22 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:22 I will overturn the throne of kingdoms and destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations. I will overturn chariot and riders; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:22 and I will overturn the thrones of kings and destroy the strength of the kings of the nations. I will overturn chariots and riders; horses and their riders will fall, each with a sword against his brother.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew has a singular throne of kingdoms; Greek has plural thrones of kings. The final Hebrew phrase says each falls by his brother's sword; Greek says each with a sword against his brother. Both depict the overthrow of ruling and military power, with agency in the last clash expressed differently.
Verse 2:23 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:23 On that day, declares YHWH of hosts, I will take you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, My servant, declares YHWH, and make you like a signet, for I have chosen you, declares YHWH of hosts.”
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:23 On that day, says the Lord Almighty, I will take you, Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, My servant, says the Lord, and make you like a signet, for I have chosen you, says the Lord Almighty.”
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: Both address the same chosen servant, preserve the signet simile and repeat divine declarations. The sentence does not explicitly name a later descendant or confer an English royal title absent from the source.