Amplified Bible
Haggai 2:13
13Then Haggai said, “If one who is [ceremonially] unclean because of [contact with] a corpse touches any of these [articles of food], will it be unclean?” And the priests answered, “It will be unclean.” [Ceremonial uncleanness, like sin, is infectious.]
Haggai 2:13 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Then said Haggai, If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean.
- New International Version (NIV)Then Haggai said, “If a person defiled by contact with a dead body touches one of these things, does it become defiled?” “Yes,” the priests replied, “it becomes defiled.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)Then Haggai said, "If someone who is unclean by contact with a dead body touches any of these, does it become unclean?" The priests answered and said, "It does become unclean."
- New King James Version (NKJV)And Haggai said, “If one who is unclean because of a dead body touches any of these, will it be unclean?” So the priests answered and said, “It shall be unclean.”
Context of Haggai 2:13
11“Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Ask the priests for a ruling: 12If a man carries meat that is holy [because it has been offered in sacrifice to God] in the fold of his garment, and he touches bread, or cooked food, or wine, or oil, or any [kind of] food with this fold, does what he touches become holy [dedicated exclusively to God’s service]?’ ” And the priests answered, “No!” [Holiness is not transferrable.] Then Haggai said, “If one who is [ceremonially] unclean because of [contact with] a corpse touches any of these [articles of food], will it be unclean?” And the priests answered, “It will be unclean.” [Ceremonial uncleanness, like sin, is infectious.] 14Then Haggai answered, “ ‘So is this people. And so is this nation before Me,’ declares the Lord, ‘and so is every work of their hands; and what they offer there [on the altar] is unclean [because they who offer it are unclean]. 15But now, do consider [what will happen] from this day forward: before one stone was placed on another in the temple of the Lord,
Read all of Haggai 2Haggai 2:13 word by word
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר חַגַּ֔י אִם־יִגַּ֧ע טְמֵא־נֶ֛פֶשׁ בְּכָל־אֵ֖לֶּה הֲיִטְמָ֑א וַיַּעֲנ֧וּ הַכֹּהֲנִ֛ים וַיֹּאמְר֖וּ יִטְמָֽא׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Then saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- Haggaiחַגַּיchaggay · HaggaiH2292
- uncleanטָמֵאţâmê' · uncleanH2931
- by a dead bodyנֶ֫פֶשׁnephesh · soul: deadH5315
- touchנָגַעnâga‛ · to touchH5060
- any of these, shall it be uncleanטָמֵאţâmê' · to defileH2930
- And the priestsכֹּהֵןkôhên · priestH3548
- answeredעָנָה‛ânâh · to answerH6030
Cross-references for Haggai 2:13
- Numbers 5:2“Command the Israelites to send away from the camp every leper and everyone who has a discharge, and whoever is defiled [that is, ceremonially unclean] by [coming in contact with] the dead.
- Numbers 9:6But there were certain men who were [ceremonially] unclean because of [touching] the dead body of a man, so they could not observe the Passover on that day; so they came before Moses and Aaron that same day.
- Numbers 19:11‘The one who touches the dead body of any person shall be unclean for seven days.
Commentaries on Haggai 2:13
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 11-14Verses 11-14 Ask now the priests concerning the law - The priests answer rightly, that, by the law, insulated unholiness spread further than insulated holiness. The flesh of the sacrifice hallowed whatever it should touch, but not further; but the human being, who was defiled by touching a dead body, defiled all he might touch Numbers 19:22. Haggai does not apply the first part; namely, that the worship on the altar which they reared, while they neglected…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 10-19Verses 10-19 Many spoiled this good work, by going about it with unholy hearts and hands, and were likely to gain no advantage by it. The sum of these two rules of the law is, that sin is more easily learned from others than holiness. The impurity of their hearts and lives shall make the work of their hands, and all their offerings, unclean before God. The case is the same with us. When employed in any good work, we should watch over ourselves, lest we…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 13Ceremonial uncleanness spreads more easily than ceremonial purity. Anyone touching a dead body became defiled and thus unclean. Anything touched by an unclean person also becomes impure (see Numbers 19:11–13, 22). Haggai discusses this in Haggai 2:14.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1313. On the other hand, a legally "unclean" person imparts his uncleanness to any thing, whereas a legally holy thing cannot confer its sanctity on an "unclean" person (Nu 19:11, 13, 22). Legal sanctity is not so readily communicated as legal impurity. So the paths to sin are manifold: the paths to holiness one, and that one of difficult access [Grotius]. One drop of filth will defile a vase of water: many drops of water will not purity a vase of filth…Read the comment
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Haggai 2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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