哈该

Haggai was a post-exilic prophet who ministered in Jerusalem in 520 BC, sixteen years after Cyrus's edict permitted Jews to return from Babylon. His four brief oracles are precisely dated and address the returned exiles who had prioritized rebuilding their own homes while leaving the temple in ruins. He rebuked the community for expecting prosperity while God's house lay desolate: 'Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies in ruins?' (Haggai 1:4). His message galvanized the governor Zerubbabel and the high priest Joshua, who resumed temple construction (Haggai 1:12–15; Ezra 5:1–2). Haggai also looked forward to the eschatological glory of the new temple and a messianic future centered on Zerubbabel (Haggai 2:6–9, 20–23).