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Isaiah 60 promises that foreign nations will bring their wealth and gold and incense to Jerusalem. Haggai echoes this image, declaring that God will shake the nations so the treasures of all nations come to fill the rebuilt temple.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Isaiah 60:5
Hebrew Bible
4 Look all around you! They all gather and come to you—your sons come from far away, and your daughters are escorted by guardians. 5 Then you will look and smile, you will be excited and your heart will swell with pride. For the riches of distant lands will belong to you, and the wealth of nations will come to you. 6 Camel caravans will cover your roads, young camels from Midian and Ephah. All the merchants of Sheba will come, bringing gold and incense and singing praises to the Lord. 7 All the sheep of Kedar will be gathered to you; the rams of Nebaioth will be available to you as sacrifices. They will go up on my altar acceptably, and I will bestow honor on my majestic temple. 8 Who are these who float along like a cloud, who fly like doves to their shelters? 9 Indeed, the coastlands look eagerly for me; the large ships are in the lead, bringing your sons from far away, along with their silver and gold, to honor the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has bestowed honor on you. 10 Foreigners will rebuild your walls; their kings will serve you. Even though I struck you down in my anger, I will restore my favor and have compassion on you. 11 Your gates will remain open at all times; they will not be shut during the day or at night so that the wealth of nations may be delivered, with their kings leading the way. 12 Indeed, nations or kingdoms that do not serve you will perish; such nations will definitely be destroyed.
Haggai 2:7
Hebrew Bible
6 Moreover, this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has said: “In just a little while I will once again shake the sky and the earth, the sea and the dry ground. 7 I will also shake up all the nations, and they will offer their treasures; then I will fill this temple with glory.” So the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has said. 8 “The silver and gold will be mine,” decrees the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
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Notes and References
“... Fifth, in Haggai 2:7–9 Yahweh declares that the temple built by the returning exiles, though inferior to Solomon’s, will one day surpass it in glory, in part because the חמדת כל־הגוים (‘treasures of all the nations’) will come (בוא, a common word but one which develops the motif of pilgrimage and tribute in Isaiah 60). The passage appears to describe King Yahweh’s peaceful kingdom in the eschaton (Haggai 2:9) and the influx of the wealth of the nations, which will augment the glory of the temple. Of course, Yahweh’s sovereignty over the earth means that the nations bring him nothing more than what is already his (Haggai 2:8). While specific language of tribute is lacking here, it may be inferred from Haggai 2:7, ‘I will shake (רעש) all nations,’ which is repeated and explained in Haggai 2:21–22 as military victory. Thus, Haggai 2:7–9 may be suggestive of an intertextual relationship with ‘wealth of the nations’ ...”
Cruise, Charles E.
The “Wealth of the Nations”: A Study in the Intertextuality of Isaiah 60:5, 11
(p. 291) Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, 2015
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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