Prophet Haggai – Life Account In Biblical Sources

(Cite: Hamdani, Mufti Shah Rafi Uddin & Khan, Dr. (Mufti) Imran. (2018), Prophet Haggai , Encyclopedia of Muhammad , Seerat Research Center, Karachi, Pakistan, Vol. 1, Pg. 315-316.)

Aggeus, the tenth among the minor prophets of the Old Testament, is called in the Hebrew text, Hággáy, and in the Septuagint Haggaios, whence the Latin form Aggeus. The exact meaning of his name is uncertain. Many scholars consider it as an adjective signifying "the festive one" (born on feast-day).¹ It is said that he was the first of three post-exile prophets from the Neo-Babylonian Exile of the House of Judah (with Zechariah , his contemporary, and Malachi , who lived about one hundred years later). He belonged to the period of Jewish history that began after the return from captivity in Babylon. Scarcely anything is known of his personal history. He may have been one of the captives taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. The work of rebuilding the temple was put to a stop through the intrigues of the Samaritans. After having been suspended for eighteen years, the work was resumed through the efforts of Haggai and Zechariah . As the Bible says:

١٤ وَكَانَ شُيُوخُ ٱلْيَهُودِ يَبْنُونَ وَيَنْجَحُونَ حَسَبَ نُبُوَّةِ حَجَّيِ ٱلنَّبِيِّ وَزَكَرِيَّا بْنِ عِدُّو. فَبَنَوْا وَأَكْمَلُوا حَسَبَ أَمْرِ إِلَهِ إِسْرَائِيلَ وَأَمْرِ كُورَشَ وَدَارِيُوسَ وَأَرْتَحْشَشْتَا مَلِكِ فَارِسَ. ²

The Jewish leaders made good progress with the building of the Temple, encouraged by the prophets Haggai and Zechariah. They completed the Temple as they had been commanded by the God of Israel and by Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, emperors of Persia.

Haggai supported the officials of his time, specifically Zerubbabel, the governor, and Joshua , the High Priest. In the Book of Haggai , God refers to Zerubbabel as "My servant", and said that He will make him a "signet ring". As The Bible says:

٢٣ فِي ذَلِكَ ٱلْيَوْمِ، يَقُولُ رَبُّ ٱلْجُنُودِ، آخُذُكَ يَا زَرُبَّابِلُ عَبْدِي ٱبْنُ شَأَلْتِيئِيلَ، يَقُولُ ٱلرَّبُّ، وَأَجْعَلُكَ كَخَاتِمٍ، لِأَنِّي قَدِ ٱخْتَرْتُكَ، يَقُولُ رَبُّ ٱلْجُنُودِ» ³

On that day I will take you, Zerubbabel, my servant, and I will appoint you to rule in my name. You are the one I have chosen.” The Lord Almighty has spoken.

The signet ring symbolised a ring worn on the hand of Yahweh, ⁴ showing that a king held divine favor. Thus, Haggai is, implicitly, but not explicitly, saying that Zerubbabel would preside over a restored David’s kingdom. ⁵

Demise & Tomb

The exact date of his death is not certain. However, according to a medieval Jewish tradition (also adopted by Christians), the catacomb ⁶ is believed to be the burial place of Haggai , Zechariah and Malachi , the last three Hebrew Bible prophets who are believed to have lived during the 6th-5th centuries BC. Archaeologists have dated the three earliest burial chambers to the 1st century B.C., thus contradicting the tradition. ⁷

• ¹  Gigot, F. (1907). The Catholic Encyclopedia (Online Version): http://www.newad vent.org/cathen/01209d.htm: Retrieved: 12-07-17
• ²  The Bible, Ezra 6: 14
• ³  The Bible, Haggai 2: 23
• ⁴  The view that the ring was worn on the hand of God is baseless and false in its entirety since Allah Almighty is free from these dependent features.
• ⁵  Michael D. Coogan (2009), A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament, Oxford University Press, Oxford, U.K, Pg. 346.
• ⁶  An underground cemetery consisting of a subterranean gallery with recesses for tombs, as constructed by the ancient Romans
• ⁷  Jerome Murphy-O'Connor (2008) (5th edition), The Holy Land: An Oxford Archaeological Guide from Earliest Times to 1700, Oxford University Press, Oxford, U.K.