What Does Haggai 2:7 Mean?

(7) **And the desire of all nations shall come**.—Better, *and the precious things of all the nations shall come*—*scil.,* shall be brought as offerings. (Comp. Zephaniah 3:10; Zechariah 14:16.) So apparently the LXX., ἥξει τὰ ἐκλεκτὰ πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν*.* The rendering of the Authorised Version, which is based on Jerome’s *et venit desideratus cunctis gentibus,* is grammatically impossible with the present text, for the verb “come” is plural, not singular. Its retention in some of the modern commentaries is mainly attributable to a natural unwillingness to give up a direct Messianic prophecy. Apart, however, from the grammatical difficulty, it must be remarked that the Messiah was not longed for by all nations, and that if He had been there would be no point in mentioning the fact in the present connection. On the other hand, the prediction of Gentile offerings to the Temple is most appropriate. It is the answer to those who sorrowed when they contrasted the mean appearance of this present house with the glories of that built by Solomon (Haggai 2:3). It also explains the otherwise meaningless utterance in Haggai 2:8. Another possible rendering is that adopted by Fürst, and (at one time) by Ewald, “And the pick of the nations shall come,” *scil.,* with offerings to the Temple. The significance of the utterance is the same with either translation—*scil.,* that by agencies not specified the Gentile world is to be converted and induced to offer worship and homage to Jehovah.