Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Steve Miller" <smille10 AT sbcglobal.net>]

Jim,
This verse was discussed exhaustively in Nov - Dec, '06. I thought it was
very informative. The discussion began under the subject of Dan 11:37
"desire of women" and changed to Hag 2:7. 

The problem with the Hag 2:7 is that "desire" (chemdath) is singular, and
the verb "come" is plural. 
Your translation is a worthy attempt to address this problem, and should be
considered. I think your translation has less technical problems than the
one preferred by most modern translations, "the desirable things of the
nations shall come". 

However, I do not think yours could be the correct translation because the
temple is not the desire of all nations. It is "the joy of the whole earth"
because God is there, but the temple is not what all nations desire. 
Also I think it would be very bad writing on the part of God to say, "All
the nations will come to the desire of all the nations", and have that mean
the temple, and expect the people to understand it. 

I believe the context is that the people were discouraged with the smallness
of this temple that they had suffered much to build (2:3). God told them
that the "desire of all the nations", the Messiah, would come to this very
house that they built, and thus its glory would exceed Solomon's temple. I
think any meaning given to this verse should have been fulfilled in this 2nd
temple.

I think the verb "come" is plural because the Messiah is God Himself, who
can take a plural verb (Gen 1:26; 11:7; 3:22; Isa 6:8; 41:22). 

The phrase "desire of all the nations" has a witness deep within 
every human conscience that only God can fill the void within them:
 "What else does this craving, and this helplessness, proclaim but that 
 there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now remains 
 is the empty print and trace? This he tries in vain to fill with 
 everything around him, seeking in things that are not there the help 
 he cannot find in those that are, though none can help, since this 
 infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable 
 object; in other words by God himself." [Blaise Pascal, Pensees #425]


Sincerely,
-Steve Miller
www.voiceInWilderness.info
I will cause you to understand
this way you will go through. 
I'll direct you and counsel you. 
My eye is upon you. (Psalm 32:8)

> -----Original Message-----
> From Jim Courter Sent: Friday, January 16, 2009 4:54 AM
> 
> I have had to deal with this passage quite a number of times with
> translations I am checking. Never has anyone I know suggested this
> translation, and most translations are quite different from this. It seems
> at least possible to translate the way I think may be valid:  "I will
> shake
> all nations and they will come (to) the delight(ful place) of all the
> nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,' says YHWH of hosts.".
> With
> this rendering, the "delight of the nations" refers to the temple, so
> would
> then be parallel to 'this house' in the second part of the verse. To come
> or
> enter without the prepositions 'to' or 'in' following the verb ba' is not
> at
> all unusual in the Tanakh. I would appreciate any input and discussion on
> this.
> 
> Jim Courter
> 
> Jerusalem
> _______________________________________________
> b-hebrew mailing list
> b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew
> No virus found in this incoming message.
> Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com
> Version: 8.0.176 / Virus Database: 270.10.8/1899 - Release Date: 1/19/2009
> 9:37 AM