Zechariah was prophesying for the same purpose during Haggai’s prophetic activity.—Ezra 5:1, 2; 6:14.

MESSAGES OF LASTING BENEFIT

Among other things, the book of Haggai engenders faith in Jehovah, essential to God’s servants. It shows that God is with his people (Hag. 1:13; 2:4, 5), and also urges them to put his interests first in life. (Hag. 1:2-8; Matt. 6:33) The book makes clear the fact that mere formalistic worship does not please Jehovah (Hag. 2:10-17; compare Isaiah 29:13, 14; Matthew 15:7-9), but that faithful actions harmonizing with the divine will result in blessing. (Hag. 2:18, 19; compare Proverbs 10:22.) The writer of the Bible book of Hebrews applies Haggai 2:6 as having a greater fulfillment in connection with God’s kingdom in the hands of Jesus Christ.—Heb. 12:26-29.

OUTLINE OF CONTENTS

I. First message, in second year of Darius Hystaspis, on first day of sixth month (1:1-15)

A. Reproof for failure to rebuild temple (1:1-12)

1. People more interested in own homes, eating and drinking, while God’s house lay waste (1:3-8)

2. God’s blessing on their crops and toil removed (1:9-11)

B. Zerubbabel and Joshua lead; people stirred up to resume rebuilding work on twenty-fourth day of sixth month (1:12-15)

II. Second message, on twenty-first day of seventh month (2:1-9)

A. Those who had seen temple built by Solomon look at rebuilding as insignificant; apparently discourage others (Compare Zechariah 4:10.) (2:1-3)

B. Jehovah reassures them that he is with them, recalling his covenant with Israel; he will fill this house with glory (2:4-9)

1. He will rock heavens, earth, sea and dry ground (2:4-6)

2. Desirable things of all nations will come in, so that glory of this house will be greater than former one (2:7-9)

III. Third message, on twenty-fourth day of ninth month (2:10-19)

A. People unclean in all their work and what they present (2:10-14)

B. Even when struck with scarcity, drought and hail, have not turned to Jehovah (2:15-17)

C. From this day Jehovah will bestow blessing (2:18, 19)

IV. Fourth message, on twenty-fourth day of second month (2:20-23)

A. Jehovah will rock heaven and earth, overthrow kingdoms of the nations (2:20-22)

B. Will set Zerubbabel (a descendant of David and ancestor of the Messiah) as a seal ring, as His chosen one (See 1 Chronicles 3:1-19; Matthew 1:6-16, Luke 3:23-31.) (2:23)

See the book “All Scripture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial,” pp. 166-168.

HAGGI

(Hagʹgi) [festive].

Second-named son of Gad; grandson of Jacob and ancestral head of the Haggites.—Gen. 46:8, 16; Num. 26:4, 15.

HAGGIAH

(Hag·giʹah) [a festival of Jehovah].

Son of Shimea; a Levite of the family of Merari.—1 Chron. 6:16, 29, 30.

HAGGITES

See HAGGI.

HAGGITH

(Hagʹgith) [festive].

A wife of David and the mother of Adonijah, who schemed to get the kingship over Israel.—2 Sam. 3:2, 4; 1 Ki. 1:5, 11; 1 Chron. 3:1, 2.

HAGRI

(Hagʹri).

Father of Mibhar, one of David’s mighty men.—1 Chron. 11:26, 38.

HAGRITE

(Hagʹrite).

Many scholars believe that the Hagrites are probably the same as the A·graiʹoi mentioned by the ancient geographers Strabo, Ptolemy and Pliny. Whether they were descendants of Hagar, as some suppose, cannot be definitely established. The Hagrites apparently were a pastoral people residing in tents E of Gilead. In the days of King Saul the Israelites living E of the Jordan defeated the Hagrites, taking 100,000 captives, as well as thousands of camels, asses and sheep. (1 Chron. 5:10, 18-22) The psalmist listed the Hagrites among other enemies of Israel, such as the Edomites, Moabites, Ammonites and Amalekites. (Ps. 83:2-7) However, during David’s rule, Jaziz the Hagrite was in charge of the royal flocks.—1 Chron. 27:31.

HAIL

A form of precipitation consisting of pellets of ice or frozen rain. The Bible’s references to the destructive nature of hail are confirmed by what has happened in different parts of the earth in more recent years. For example, in the spring of 1888, at Moradabad, India, and vicinity, a hailstorm killed 260 persons. About ten years later hundreds of small animals were killed in a hailstorm in the state of Missouri, U.S.A., the hail even penetrated the roofs of houses. Hail is particularly damaging to crops, with single hailstorms sometimes causing losses amounting to millions of dollars.

USED BY JEHOVAH

Hail is one of the forces Jehovah has used at times to accomplish his word and to demonstrate his great power. (Ps. 148:1, 8; Isa. 30:30) The first recorded instance of this was the seventh plague upon ancient Egypt, a destructive hailstorm that ruined vegetation, shattered trees and killed both men and beasts out in the field, but did not affect the Israelites in Goshen. (Ex. 9:18-26; Ps. 78:47, 48; 105:32, 33) Later, in the Promised Land, when the Israelites, under Joshua, came to the aid of the Gibeonites, who were threatened by an alliance of five kings of the Amorites, Jehovah used great hailstones against the attacking Amorites. On this occasion more died from the hailstones than in battle with Israel.—Josh. 10:3-7, 11.

Symbolic

Jehovah, however, did not spare unfaithful Israel from devastating hail. (Hag. 2:17) Furthermore, through his prophet Isaiah, he foretold the overthrow of the ten-tribe kingdom by the Assyrians, comparing the conquering Assyrian forces to a “thunderous storm of hail.” (Isa. 28:1, 2) Similarly the Babylonians, like hail, were to sweep away Judah’s “refuge of a lie,” that is, Judah’s alliance with Egypt for military help.—Isa. 28:14, 17; 31:1-3.

‘For the day of war’

In speaking to Job out of the windstorm, Jehovah indicated that he had reserved storehouses of hail for “the day of fight and war.” (Job 38:1, 22, 23) Appropriately, therefore, hail is mentioned among the elements to be used against the attacking forces of “Gog.” (Ezek. 38:22) Additionally, in the book of Revelation, reference is made to hail in conjunction with the first of the seven angels with trumpets blowing his trumpet, and in connection with the opening of the heavenly temple sanctuary of God. (Rev. 8:2, 7; 11:19) Then, at the pouring out of the seventh bowl of God’s anger, symbolic hailstones weighing about a talent (c. 75 lbs., avdp.; c. 34 kg.) descend upon wicked men.—Rev. 16:1, 17, 21.

HAIR

Historically, men and women in general have regarded their hair as ornamental, enhancing their attractiveness, and as a sign, in many cases, of strength and youth. Therefore, great care has been given to the hair.

EGYPTIANS

The Egyptians had, probably, the most peculiar