Haggai 2:12
What does Haggai 2:12 mean?
A plain-English look at Haggai 2:12 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Haggai 2:12 means
Haggai asks: if a garment carries consecrated meat, and that garment touches other food, does holiness transfer? The priests answer correctly: no. Holiness does not spread by indirect contact. A thing set apart to God does not automatically sanctify whatever it brushes. This lesson challenges any assumption that proximity to sacred things—like living near the temple or handling holy objects—automatically makes a person or activity holy. True holiness comes by direct consecration to God in accord with His word. The question readies the people to see that their temple work and offerings could not, by themselves, make an otherwise disobedient life clean.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any food, shall it become holy? And the priests answered and said, No.
KJV
King James Version · 1611If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, No.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any food, shall it become holy? And the priests answered and said, No.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949If anyone has some holy flesh folded in the skirt of his robe, will bread or soup or wine or oil or any other food be made holy if touched by his skirt? And the priests answering said, No.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862Lo, one doth carry holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and he hath come with his skirt against the bread, or against the pottage, or against the wine, or against the oil, or against any food--is it holy?' And the priests answer and say, `No.'
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752Thus saith the Lord of hosts: Ask the priests the law, saying:
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any food — shall it become holy? And the priests answered and said, No.
Context
This is the first of two legal questions. Its negative answer establishes a principle: holiness is not contagious. That principle will contrast with the next question about uncleanness. The flow aims to show that outward association with sacred things does not fix an inward problem. Verse 13 will demonstrate that defilement spreads more easily. With both answers in place, verse 14 will apply the logic to the whole nation, explaining why their offerings had been unacceptable and why their labor had not yielded blessing despite temple-related activity.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Leviticus 6:29
Every male among the priests shall eat thereof: it is most holy.
- Leviticus 6:27
Whatsoever shall touch the flesh thereof shall be holy; and when there is sprinkled of the blood thereof upon any garment, thou shalt wash that whereon it was sprinkled in a holy place.
- Leviticus 7:6
Every male among the priests shall eat thereof: it shall be eaten in a holy place: it is most holy.
- Exodus 29:37
Seven days thou shalt make atonement for the altar, and sanctify it: and the altar shall be most holy; whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy.
- Ezekiel 44:19
And when they go forth into the outer court, even into the outer court to the people, they shall put off their garments wherein they minister, and lay them in the holy chambers; and they shall put on other garments, that they sanctify not the people with their garments.
- Matthew 23:19
Ye blind: for which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?
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