I. Historical, Political, and Leadership Terms:;xNLx;;xNLx;Darius the king (Haggai 1:1, 15; 2:10): Darius I (Darius the Great), king of Persia, who reigned from 522 to 486 BC. His reign provided a period of relative stability that allowed for the resumption and completion of the Temple rebuilding in Jerusalem.;xNLx;Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah (Haggai 1:1, 12, 14; 2:2, 4, 21, 23): A grandson of King Jehoiachin (a descendant of David) who was a key political leader of the Jewish community that returned from Babylonian exile. He served as the Persian-appointed governor of Judah and, alongside Joshua the high priest, was a primary figure in overseeing the rebuilding of the Temple.;xNLx;Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest (Haggai 1:1, 12, 14; 2:2, 4): The high priest of the returned exiles, who worked closely with Zerubbabel in leading the people to rebuild the Temple and restore proper worship.;xNLx;Remnant of the people (Haggai 1:12, 14; 2:2): The portion of the Jewish people who had returned to Judah from the Babylonian exile. They were the community tasked with rebuilding the Temple and restoring the nation.;xNLx;The word of the LORD by the prophet Haggai / by Haggai the prophet (Haggai 1:1, 3; 2:1, 10, 20): The standard formula indicating that the messages delivered by Haggai were divine revelations from Yahweh, the God of Israel, and carried His authority.;xNLx;II. Temple and Religious Terms:;xNLx;;xNLx;This house / The LORD's house / The house of the LORD of hosts / Temple (Haggai 1:2, 4, 8-9, 14; 2:3, 7-9, 15, 18): Refers to the Temple in Jerusalem, the central place of worship for Israel, which had been destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC and which the returned exiles were now being urged to rebuild.;xNLx;Foundation (of the LORD's temple) (Haggai 2:18): The base structure upon which the Temple was built. The laying of the foundation had occurred some years before Haggai's ministry, but work had stalled. Haggai calls them to consider the time from when the foundation was re-laid (or when work recommenced seriously).;xNLx;Glory (of this house) (Haggai 2:3, 7, 9): The splendor, magnificence, honor, and manifest presence of God. Haggai prophesies that the glory of the latter house (the rebuilt Temple) will be greater than that of the former (Solomon's Temple), partly because the "desired of all nations" (or "precious things of all nations," ESV) will come, and God will fill it with glory and give peace.;xNLx;Defiled / Unclean (Haggai 2:10-14): A state of ritual impurity according to the Mosaic Law, which would make a person or object unfit to come into contact with holy things or to participate in sacred rituals. Haggai uses a priestly ruling about ritual uncleanness to illustrate how the people's neglect of the Temple and their self-centeredness had rendered their efforts and offerings unclean or unacceptable in God's sight.;xNLx;Holy flesh / Consecrated meat (Haggai 2:12): Meat that has been set apart as sacred, usually from a sacrifice, and which had the power to consecrate (make holy) what it touched under certain conditions, but not to make something inherently unclean become clean by mere contact.;xNLx;Consider your ways / Give careful thought (Haggai 1:5, 7; 2:15, 18): A repeated call from Haggai for the people to reflect seriously on their priorities, their actions (or inaction regarding the Temple), and the consequences they were experiencing (poor harvests, lack of prosperity) as a result of their disobedience.;xNLx;III. Agricultural, Economic, and General Terms:;xNLx;;xNLx;Paneled houses (Haggai 1:4): Houses finished with wooden panels, indicating a degree of comfort and perhaps even luxury, which the people were building for themselves while the Temple lay in ruins. This highlighted their misplaced priorities.;xNLx;Sow much, and harvest little / Eat, but not be satisfied / Drink, but not be filled / Clothe yourselves, but no one is warm / Earns wages to put them into a bag with holes (Haggai 1:6): Descriptions of the frustrating and unproductive results of the people's labor, which Haggai attributes to God withholding His blessing because they had neglected His house. These are manifestations of a curse or divine displeasure.;xNLx;Drought / Blow upon it (Haggai 1:9, 11): A prolonged period of little or no rainfall, leading to poor harvests and scarcity. Haggai states that God had "called for a drought" or "blown upon" their harvests (causing them to fail or diminish) because of their neglect of the Temple.;xNLx;Grain / New wine / Oil / Herds / Flocks (Haggai 1:11; 2:12, 16, 19): Key agricultural products of ancient Israel, representing the basis of their economy and sustenance. Their scarcity was a sign of God's disfavor.;xNLx;Seed in the barn (Haggai 2:19): Refers to grain stored for future sowing. If the seed was still in the barn and not yet producing a harvest, or if harvests were poor, it indicated ongoing agricultural hardship.;xNLx;Heap / Pile (of grain) (Haggai 2:16): A mound of threshed grain. When they came to a heap expecting a certain amount and found less, it signified diminished returns.;xNLx;Wine vat (Haggai 2:16): A container or press where grapes were crushed to extract juice for wine. Drawing a certain amount and finding less indicated a poor vintage.;xNLx;Blight / Mildew / Hail (Haggai 2:17): Agricultural diseases or weather phenomena that destroy crops, sent by God as a judgment or disciplinary measure.;xNLx;IV. Eschatological and Messianic Hope Terms:;xNLx;;xNLx;Shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land (Haggai 2:6-7, 21): Apocalyptic imagery referring to a future, powerful divine intervention that will disrupt the existing world order and affect all nations. This shaking precedes the coming of the "desired of all nations" and the filling of the Temple with glory.;xNLx;The desired of all nations / The precious things of all nations (Haggai 2:7): A phrase whose precise meaning is debated:;xNLx;It could refer to the choicest treasures or wealth of the nations being brought to adorn the Temple.;xNLx;Some interpret it messianically, referring to the Messiah whom all nations will desire or who will bring salvation to the nations. The ESV main text has "the treasures of all nations.";xNLx;Signet ring (Haggai 2:23): A ring with a seal, used to make an official impression, symbolizing authority, value, and a close, personal relationship. God declares He will make Zerubbabel (a descendant of David) like a signet ring, signifying that He has chosen him and will use him for His special purposes, hinting at the restoration of the Davidic line and messianic hopes.;xNLx;Chosen one (Haggai 2:23 "for I have chosen you"): God's declaration concerning Zerubbabel, emphasizing his special selection for a significant role in God's plans, which carried messianic overtones for the post-exilic community.;xNLx;This list aims to provide clarity on some of the key terms encountered in the Book of Haggai (ESV), helping the reader to better understand its urgent call to rebuild the Temple and its enduring message of God's presence with His people and His sovereign plans for the future.