“Thus says Yahweh of hosts.
‘Old men,
Old women,
Shall again sit
In the streets of Jerusalem.
Each of them
Will have a staff
In hand,
Because of their great age.
The streets of the city
Shall be full
Of boys,
Of girls,
Playing in its streets.’”
Yahweh said that both the old men and the old women would again sit in the streets of Jerusalem with their walking canes due to their old age. Meanwhile, the young boys and the young girls would fill the city by playing in the streets.
“‘Thus,
The treasures
Of all the nations
Shall come.
I will fill this house
With splendor.’
Says Yahweh of hosts.
‘The silver is mine.
The gold is mine.’
Says Yahweh of hosts.
‘The latter splendor
Of this house
Shall be greater
Than the former.’
Says Yahweh of hosts.
‘In this place,
I will give prosperity.’
Says Yahweh of hosts.’”
These are 4 short quick sayings of Yahweh of hosts, via Haggai. First, Yahweh said that the treasures of the various countries would come to him, as he was gong to fill his new house with splendor. Secondly, the silver and gold already belonged to him. Thirdly, Yahweh of hosts said that the splendor of the new house of Yahweh would be greater than the Temple built by David and Solomon. Finally, there would be prosperity for all people around the Temple.
“The glory of Yahweh
Entered the temple
By the gate facing east.
Then the Spirit
Lifted me up.
He brought me
Into the inner court.
The glory of Yahweh
Filled the temple.”
Just as the glory of Yahweh had exited the Temple via the east gate, he also returned through the east gate, where Ezekiel and the bronze man were standing. Furthermore, the Spirit of Yahweh lifted up Ezekiel. This Holy Spirit brought him into the inner court of the Temple. This time, he saw the glory of Yahweh fill the whole Temple.
“I will make
Mount Seir
A waste.
I will make it
A desolation.
I will cut off
From it
All who come,
All who go.
I will fill
Its mountains
With the slain.
On your hills,
In your valleys,
In all your water streams,
Those killed
With the sword
Shall fall.
I will make you
A perpetual desolation.
Your cities
Shall never be inhabited.
Then you will know
That I am Yahweh.”
Yahweh, via Ezekiel, said that he was going to make Mount Seir a wasteland and a desolation. He was going to cut it off from all other countries, so that no one would be able to come or go into it. He was going to fill its mountains with all their fallen dead bodies, whether in the hills, in the valleys, or in the water streams. Mount Seir was going to become a perpetual desolation. Its cities would never be inhabited again. However, they would finally know that Yahweh was God.
“Thus says Yahweh God!
‘I will put an end
To the hordes
Of Egypt,
By the hand
Of King Nebuchadnezzar
Of Babylon.
He,
With his people
With him,
The most terrible
Of the nations,
Shall be brought in
To destroy the land.
They shall draw
Their swords
Against Egypt.
They shall fill
The land with the slain.
I will dry up
the channels
Of the Nile.
I will sell
The land into the hand
Of evildoers.
I will bring desolation
Upon the land
With everything in it,
By the hand
Of foreigners.’
I,
Yahweh,
Have spoken.”
Yahweh, via Ezekiel, said that he was going to put an end to Egypt, through the hand of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, the most terrible of all the nations. This king was coming to destroy the land with drawn swords against the Egyptians so that he would fill the land with dead bodies. Yahweh was going to dry up the river channels of the Nile also. Then Yahweh was somehow going to sell the land to some evildoers, whoever they were. Yahweh, with the hand of foreigners, was going to bring desolation to the land of Egypt with everything in it. Yahweh had clearly spoken.
“Then I looked.
Above the dome,
Over the heads
Of the cherubim,
There appeared above them
Something like a sapphire,
In form
Resembling a throne.
Yahweh said to the man
Clothed in linen.
‘Go within the whirling wheels
Underneath the cherubim.
Fill your hands
With burning coals
From among the cherubim.
Scatter them
Over the city.’
He went in
As I looked on.”
Much like in chapter 1, Ezekiel saw something like a sapphire throne above the dome over the cherubim. Apparently, Ezekiel was still in the Temple sanctuary. Then Yahweh told the man with the linen cloth and the writing case at his side to go underneath the cherubim. He was to fill his hands with burning coals from among the cherubim. Then he was to go into the city and scatter them all over the place. Ezekiel looked on, as this man did what Yahweh wanted him to do.
“They shall fling
Their silver
Into the streets.
Their gold
Shall be treated
As unclean.
Their silver
With their gold
Cannot save them
On the day
Of the wrath
Of Yahweh.
They shall not satisfy
Their hunger.
They shall not
Fill their stomachs
With it.
It was the stumbling block
Of their iniquity.”
Anyone left standing in Israel would fling their silver into the streets. Their gold would be treated as if it were unclean, not to be touched. Their silver and gold could not save them on the day of the wrath of Yahweh. This gold and silver would not satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs. In fact, their gold and silver would be a stumbling block that indicated their iniquity.
“Yahweh is at your right hand.
He will shatter kings
On the day of his wrath.
He will execute judgment
Among the nations.
He will fill them with corpses.
He will shatter heads
Over the wide earth.
He will drink
From the stream by the path.
Therefore he will lift up his head.”
This short psalm ends with Yahweh giving this king, probably David, the power to judge. Thus the Christian interpretation of the Messiah as king, priest, and judge would be based on this psalm. Here there is a role reversal from the first verse as Yahweh is at the king’s right hand. Now this is a king who shatters other kings on the day of wrath. He too will execute judgment on the other nations as well. He will fill their countries with corpses. He will shatter their heads on the earth. He will drink from the streams along the pathway so that he will lift up his head. Yes, this is a difficult psalm to understand, so that the Davidic Christian messianic interpretation is certainly possible.
“Hear!
O my people!,
I will admonish you!
O Israel!
If you would but listen to me!
There shall be no strange god among you.
You shall not bow down to a foreign god.
I am Yahweh!
Your God!
I brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
Open your mouth wide!
Then I will fill it.”
Yahweh speaks, probably through the Temple prophet. He wanted to admonish his people, Israel. If only they would listen to him. Very clearly he says that there should not be any strange gods among them. They were not to bow down to foreign gods. He was Yahweh, their God. He brought them out of Egypt. He wanted them to open their mouths wide so that he could fill them.
“Rise up!
Yahweh!
Confront them!
Overthrow them!
By your sword
Deliver my life from the wicked!
Deliver me from mortals!
By your hand!
Yahweh!
Deliver me from those mortals
Whose portion in life is in this world!
May their bellies be filled
With what you have stored up for them!
May their children have more than enough!
May they leave something over to their little ones.”
It was not good enough to pray to Yahweh, the psalmist wanted action. He wanted Yahweh to rise up and fight on his behalf. He wanted Yahweh to confront and overthrow them. He wanted his life protected from the wicked with a sword. He wanted Yahweh to deliver him from the hands of mortals. On top of that he wanted Yahweh to fill their bellies with what Yahweh had stored up for them. Not only his enemies, but their children and their little ones should be filled with the terrible things that Yahweh had in store for them.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 