The Meaning of Haggai 2:4 Explained

Haggai 2:4

KJV: Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts:

YLT: And now, be strong, O Zerubbabel, An affirmation of Jehovah, And be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest, And be strong, all ye people of the land, An affirmation of Jehovah, And do ye -- (for I am with you, An affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts) --

Darby: But now be strong, Zerubbabel, saith Jehovah; and be strong, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith Jehovah, and work: for I am with you, saith Jehovah of hosts.

ASV: Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith Jehovah; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith Jehovah, and work: for I am with you, saith Jehovah of hosts,

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Yet now be strong,  O Zerubbabel,  saith  the LORD;  and be strong,  O Joshua,  son  of Josedech,  the high  priest;  and be strong,  all ye people  of the land,  saith  the LORD,  and work:  for I [am] with you, saith  the LORD  of hosts: 

What does Haggai 2:4 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The Lord again encouraged Zerubbabel, Joshua , and the people to work, and He promised again to be with them (cf. Haggai 1:13). David had given the same charge and promise to Solomon regarding the first temple ( 1 Chronicles 28:10; 1 Chronicles 28:20). Comparisons can be discouraging when doing the Lord"s work, so people involved in it need to remind themselves that He is with them (cf. Matthew 28:20; Mark 6:50).
"The key to tackling despondency is found here: stop listening to ourselves and start listening to him and his word of promise." [1]

Context Summary

Haggai 2:1-9 - The True Glory Of God's House
One earnest man can arouse an entire community. Let a fire glow in our hearts, and it will spread. Assured of God's presence and favor, within three weeks the whole land was awake. Note the cooperation of God's Spirit with the message of His servant, "the Lord stirred up." Let us ever seek and rely on His cooperation! "We are witnesses, so also is the Holy Spirit!" Three prophecies occupy the following chapter. In the first, Haggai 1:1-9, the Jews are encouraged to persevere. Although there was no comparison between the glory of Solomon's Temple and the splendor of this, they must not be discouraged. Though they might deplore the absence of the sacred fire of the Shekinah, of the Ark with its cherubim, of the Urim and Thummim, and of the spirit of prophecy, yet the Messiah's presence, which would be associated with the second Temple would more than compensate for their deficiency, since He was the antitype of them all. If we lack many of the advantages and attractions in which others excel, let us be more than satisfied to possess Christ. And be it always remembered that Christian worship seeks to realize the presence of Him who said: "I am in the midst." Without that a cathedral is an empty void; with that, a barn will be heaven. For Haggai 1:6-7 see Hebrews 12:26-28. This little while in God's arithmetic lasted for 517 years. [source]

Chapter Summary: Haggai 2

1  He encourages the people to the work,
4  by promise of greater glory to the second temple than was in the first
10  In the type of holy things and unclean he shows their sins hindered the work
20  God's promise to Zerubbabel

What do the individual words in Haggai 2:4 mean?

and yet now be strong Zerubbabel says Yahweh and be strong Joshua son of Jehozadak the priest high all you people of the land Yahweh and work for I [am] with you says Yahweh of hosts
וְעַתָּ֣ה חֲזַ֣ק זְרֻבָּבֶ֣ל ׀ נְאֻם־ יְהוָ֡ה וַחֲזַ֣ק יְהוֹשֻׁ֣עַ בֶּן־ יְהוֹצָדָק֩ הַכֹּהֵ֨ן הַגָּד֜וֹל כָּל־ עַ֥ם הָאָ֛רֶץ יְהוָ֖ה וַֽעֲשׂ֑וּ כִּֽי־ אֲנִ֣י אִתְּכֶ֔ם נְאֻ֖ם יְהוָ֥ה צְבָאֽוֹת

וְעַתָּ֣ה  and  yet  now 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb
Root: עַתָּה  
Sense: now.
חֲזַ֣ק  be  strong 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: חָזַק  
Sense: to strengthen, prevail, harden, be strong, become strong, be courageous, be firm, grow firm, be resolute, be sore.
זְרֻבָּבֶ֣ל ׀  Zerubbabel 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: זְרֻבָּבֶל  
Sense: the grandson of king Jehoiachin and leader of the first group of returning exiles from Babylon.
נְאֻם־  says 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: נְאֻם  
Sense: (Qal) utterance, declaration (of prophet).
יְהוָ֡ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
וַחֲזַ֣ק  and  be  strong 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: חָזַק  
Sense: to strengthen, prevail, harden, be strong, become strong, be courageous, be firm, grow firm, be resolute, be sore.
יְהוֹשֻׁ֣עַ  Joshua 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהֹושֻׁעַ  
Sense: son of Nun of the tribe of Ephraim and successor to Moses as the leader of the children of Israel; led the conquest of Canaan.
בֶּן־  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
יְהוֹצָדָק֩  of  Jehozadak 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהֹוצָדָק  
Sense: grandson of the high priest Hilkiah; son of the high priest Seraiah; and father of the high priest Joshua; he never attained the office of high priest himself because he was carried captive to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar.
הַכֹּהֵ֨ן  the  priest 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: כֹּהֵן  
Sense: priest, principal officer or chief ruler.
הַגָּד֜וֹל  high 
Parse: Article, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: גָּבֹול 
Sense: great.
עַ֥ם  you  people 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
הָאָ֛רֶץ  of  the  land 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
יְהוָ֖ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
וַֽעֲשׂ֑וּ  and  work 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
אֲנִ֣י  I  [am] 
Parse: Pronoun, first person common singular
Root: אֲנִי  
Sense: I (first pers.
אִתְּכֶ֔ם  with  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine plural
Root: אֵת 
Sense: with, near, together with.
נְאֻ֖ם  says 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: נְאֻם  
Sense: (Qal) utterance, declaration (of prophet).
יְהוָ֥ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
צְבָאֽוֹת  of  hosts 
Parse: Noun, common plural
Root: צָבָא 
Sense: that which goes forth, army, war, warfare, host.