The Meaning of Haggai 2:12 Explained

Haggai 2:12

KJV: If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, No.

YLT: Lo, one doth carry holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and he hath come with his skirt against the bread, or against the pottage, or against the wine, or against the oil, or against any food -- is it holy?' And the priests answer and say, 'No.'

Darby: If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any food shall it become holy? And the priests answered and said, No.

ASV: If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any food, shall it become holy? And the priests answered and said, No.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

If one  bear  holy  flesh  in the skirt  of his garment,  and with his skirt  do touch  bread,  or pottage,  or wine,  or oil,  or any meat,  shall it be holy?  And the priests  answered  and said,  No. 

What does Haggai 2:12 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The question was, if someone carries consecrated food in his garment and touches other food of any kind with the garment, will that food become holy? Holy meat was meat set apart for a particular sacrificial purpose (cf. Leviticus 6:25; Numbers 6:20). The answer was, no it would not become holy. The meat carried in the garment would make the garment holy, but the holiness would not be communicated beyond the garment to anything else (cf. Exodus 29:37; Leviticus 6:27; Ezekiel 44:19; Matthew 23:19). The people were apparently thinking that since they were working on the holy temple all that they contacted and did became holy. Another view is that the Lord sought to discourage His people from taking gifts from pagan rulers and using them to build the temple (cf. Ezra 6:8-10). [1]

Context Summary

Haggai 2:10-23 - God's Judgment Upon The Nations
Two months after the foregoing prophecy, the prophet again remonstrated with the people for still neglecting the Temple, though they appear to have maintained religious rites. As the holy flesh did not sanctify what it touched, so religious observance did not compensate for neglecting the Temple; such neglect would make their service unclean, Haggai 2:14. The earnest toils of the people had met with persistent unsuccess because God was against them, but from the moment of their repentance He would bless them, Haggai 2:18-19. Amid all the upheavals described in Haggai 2:7 the Jews would be preserved, and their safety guaranteed. Disturbances preceded the Savior's first advent, as they will the second; but amid the shaking and overthrowing that are ushering in the new era, let us not fear. All that cannot be shaken will remain; and as God remembered Noah amid the tossings of the deluge, He will care for us, not because of our deserts, but because of His grace. We did not choose Him, but He us [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 2:12 mean?

if carries one meat holy in the fold of his garment and he touches with the edge to bread or stew and wine oil any food will it become holy and answered the priests and said No
הֵ֣ן ׀ יִשָּׂא־ אִ֨ישׁ בְּשַׂר־ קֹ֜דֶשׁ בִּכְנַ֣ף בִּגְד֗וֹ וְנָגַ֣ע בִּ֠כְנָפוֹ אֶל־ הַלֶּ֨חֶם וְאֶל־ הַנָּזִ֜יד וְאֶל־ הַיַּ֧יִן שֶׁ֛מֶן כָּל־ מַאֲכָ֖ל ؟ הֲיִקְדָּ֑שׁ וַיַּעֲנ֧וּ הַכֹּהֲנִ֛ים וַיֹּאמְר֖וּ לֹֽא

יִשָּׂא־  carries 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נָשָׂא  
Sense: to lift, bear up, carry, take.
אִ֨ישׁ  one 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
בְּשַׂר־  meat 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בָּשָׂר  
Sense: flesh.
קֹ֜דֶשׁ  holy 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: קֹדֶשׁ  
Sense: apartness, holiness, sacredness, separateness.
בִּכְנַ֣ף  in  the  fold 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: כָּנָף  
Sense: wing, extremity, edge, winged, border, corner, shirt.
בִּגְד֗וֹ  of  his  garment 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: בֶּגֶד 
Sense: treachery, deceit.
וְנָגַ֣ע  and  he  touches 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נָגַע  
Sense: to touch, reach, strike.
בִּ֠כְנָפוֹ  with  the  edge 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: כָּנָף  
Sense: wing, extremity, edge, winged, border, corner, shirt.
הַלֶּ֨חֶם  bread 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: לֶחֶם  
Sense: bread, food, grain.
הַנָּזִ֜יד  stew 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: נָזִיד  
Sense: boiled food, soup, pottage, thing sodden or boiled.
הַיַּ֧יִן  wine 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יַיִן  
Sense: wine.
שֶׁ֛מֶן  oil 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שֶׁמֶן  
Sense: fat, oil.
כָּל־  any 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
מַאֲכָ֖ל  food 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: מַאֲכָל  
Sense: food, fruit, meat.
؟ הֲיִקְדָּ֑שׁ  will  it  become  holy 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: קָדַשׁ  
Sense: to consecrate, sanctify, prepare, dedicate, be hallowed, be holy, be sanctified, be separate.
וַיַּעֲנ֧וּ  and  answered 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: לְעַנּׄות 
Sense: to answer, respond, testify, speak, shout.
הַכֹּהֲנִ֛ים  the  priests 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: כֹּהֵן  
Sense: priest, principal officer or chief ruler.
וַיֹּאמְר֖וּ  and  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
לֹֽא  No 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.