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  • From: Harold Holmyard <hholmyard AT ont.com>
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] "Desire of Women" in Heb. Text of Dan. 11:37
  • Date: Tue, 14 Nov 2006 22:25:09 -0600

Steve Miller wrote:
Steve Miller wrote:
Re. Hag 2:7. I believe it should be translated "the desire of all
thenations shall come", not "the desirable things of the nations shall
come"because "desire" is singular. The verb "come" is plural, which I
thinkindicates that the desire of all the nations is actually God
Himself.

HH: This seems like an ad hoc explanation of the grammatical
phenomenon. J. Alec Motyer ( _Haggai_ in _The Minor Prophets_, ed.
Thomas Edward McComisky, 3:991) finds the plural verb a real hindrance
to the Messianic interpretation since the verb requires a plural
subject. He thinks we could say with GKC #145b, d that the plural verb
points to "chemdath" being taken as a collective: "treasures." Or he
thinks with GKC #124r we can suppose that, since "chemdath" is in
construction with "goyim," the whole phrase can be taken as a plural. He
does not feel that it is necessary to emend the first noun "chemdath" to
a plural as BHS suggests. Both of his suggestions are well-attested
grammatical phenomena and give better solutions to Hag 2:7 than the one
offered by Steve.

Harold,
[Steve Miller] Harold,
Could you give me 3 examples of this well-attested phenomena so that I can
judge for myself whether it really applies here?

HH: Gen 30:38; Judges 1:22f.; Mic 4:3; 2 Kgs 25:5; Prov 11:26 for the first one, and Ex 6:14; Num 1:2, 4; 2 Kgs 17:29; 23:19; and 1 Sam 31:9 for the second.
The singular subject "God" taking a plural verb or pronoun is well-attested
in Scripture also. (Gen 1:26; 11:7; 3:22; Isa 6:8; 41:22) Why do you say it
is ad-hoc?

HH: Because "God" taking a plural verb is a grammatical phenomenon due to the plurality in the word "God." There is no such phenomenon with the singular word "desire."
In Hag. 2:7, habayith hazeh, "this very house", must refer to the 2nd
temple. How do you understand that the treasures of the nations came to the
2nd temple after the time of Haggai's prophecy?

HH: The word "very" is not in the Hebrew. There is one temple in view in the phrase "this house," and that is God's temple, whether it is the second or third physical building ever built to embody God's house.

Also, shouldn't treasures "be brought", not "come" to the temple?

HH: Are you claiming that the verb "come" can't work if the subject is treasure?

NRSV Hag. 2:7 and I will shake all the nations, so that the treasure of all nations shall come, and I will fill this house with splendor, says the LORD of hosts.

HH: If you shake a mountain, it can set boulders rolling so that what is far from you comes near. Haggai is speaking in figures of speech:

Hag. 2:6 “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land.

HH: Here is a somewhat comparable verse:

Is. 60:5 Then you shall see and be radiant;
your heart shall thrill and rejoice,
because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you,
the wealth of the nations shall come to you.

HH: Here is a note from the NET Bible on Haggai 2:7:

Though the subject here is singular (khemdah; “desire”), the preceding plural predicate mandates a collective subject, “desired (things)” or, better, an emendation to a plural form, (khamudot, “desirable [things],” hence “treasures”). Cf. ASV “the precious things”; NASB “the wealth”; NRSV “the treasure.” In the OT context this has no direct reference to the coming of the Messiah.

Yours,
Harold Holmyard
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