Haggai chapter 1

Haggai is a new prophet for me. I am sure I read him in English a few times in my zealous youth, but I little remember. Now here is chapter 1 in my reading from the Hebrew late in my life. Perhaps the 12 will make a little more sense to me as a unit when I am done them all.

This reads and looks like prose though there are some significant repetitions in it. In this chapter, one of their roles is to ensure we know who is being talked about and what they did. 25 words recur more than twice and in sequence. Many of these are personal names. How personal are we in our relationship to the word that is in us? Can it be said that we heard, considered (vv 5,7), feared, were roused, and then constructed what was required. (Construct is the gloss I have used to underline the role of that verb עשה to do, make, used in Genesis when it speaks of God constructing the temple of the Earth for the one made in his image.)

There is a frame for the chapter - this table is for words recurring twice only in the chapter in verses 1 and 15. One could also include in this the first two words, בִּשְׁנַ֥ת שְׁתַּ֖יִם, in the second year.

לדּריושׁ of Darius	░					1	דּריושׁ
המּלךּ the king		░				1	מּלךּ
השׁשׁי the sixth			░			1	שׁשׁ
בּיוםּ on the day				░		1	יוםּ
בּןּ child of					░	1	בּןּ
בּןּ child of					░	1	בּןּ
בּיוםּ on the day				░		15	יוםּ
בּשׁשׁי sixth			░			15	שׁשׁ
לדּריושׁ of Darius	░					15	דּריושׁ
המּלךּ the king		░				15	מּלךּ

The music defines the intent further. It is not common for the first note to be an f (424 verses altogether). On these words 'Thus says ...' only 10 of these verses in my data so far: 3 in Haggai, 4 in Zechariah, 2 in Jeremiah and 1 in Ezekiel. And perhaps another 10 or 11 we haven't yet reached.

Haggai 1		Fn		Min	Max	Syll
בִּשְׁנַ֤ת שְׁתַּ֙יִם֙ לְדָרְיָ֣וֶשׁ הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ בַּחֹ֙דֶשׁ֙ הַשִּׁשִּׁ֔י בְּי֥וֹם אֶחָ֖ד לַחֹ֑דֶשׁ הָיָ֨ה דְבַר־יְהוָ֜ה בְּיַד־חַגַּ֣י הַנָּבִ֗יא אֶל־זְרֻבָּבֶ֤ל בֶּן־שְׁאַלְתִּיאֵל֙ פַּחַ֣ת יְהוּדָ֔ה וְאֶל־יְהוֹשֻׁ֧עַ בֶּן־יְהוֹצָדָ֛ק הַכֹּהֵ֥ן הַגָּד֖וֹל לֵאמֹֽר	1		In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth new moon on the first day of the month, it happened that Yahweh spoke by the hand of Haggai, the prophet, to Zerubbabel child of Shealtiel, viceroy of Judah, and to Joshua, child of Yehotsedek, the great priest, saying,	3c	4C	24 47
כֹּ֥ה אָמַ֛ר יְהוָ֥ה צְבָא֖וֹת לֵאמֹ֑ר הָעָ֤ם הַזֶּה֙ אָֽמְר֔וּ לֹ֥א עֶת־בֹּ֛א עֶת־בֵּ֥ית יְהוָ֖ה לְהִבָּנֽוֹת פ	2	f	Thus says Yahweh of Hosts, saying, This people says, Time has not come, the time to build the house of Yahweh.	3d	4C	10 18
וַֽיְהִי֙ דְּבַר־יְהוָ֔ה בְּיַד־חַגַּ֥י הַנָּבִ֖יא לֵאמֹֽר	3		And it happened that Yahweh spoke by the hand of Haggai the prophet, saying,	3e	3g	15
הַעֵ֤ת לָכֶם֙ אַתֶּ֔ם לָשֶׁ֖בֶת בְּבָתֵּיכֶ֣ם סְפוּנִ֑ים וְהַבַּ֥יִת הַזֶּ֖ה חָרֵֽב	4		Is it time for you yourselves to sit in your paneled houses, while this house is deserted?	3e	4C	16 8
וְעַתָּ֕ה כֹּ֥ה אָמַ֖ר יְהוָ֣ה צְבָא֑וֹת שִׂ֥ימוּ לְבַבְכֶ֖ם עַל־דַּרְכֵיכֶֽם	5		So now, thus says Yahweh of Hosts, Define for your hearts concerning your ways.	3e	4B	11 9
זְרַעְתֶּ֨ם הַרְבֵּ֜ה וְהָבֵ֣א מְעָ֗ט אָכ֤וֹל וְאֵין־לְשָׂבְעָה֙ שָׁת֣וֹ וְאֵין־לְשָׁכְרָ֔ה לָב֖וֹשׁ וְאֵין־לְחֹ֣ם ל֑וֹ וְהַ֨מִּשְׂתַּכֵּ֔ר מִשְׂתַּכֵּ֖ר אֶל־צְר֥וֹר נָקֽוּב פ	6		You sow excess and little has come of it. You eat and there is no satisfaction. You imbibe and there is no intoxication, clothing and there is no warmth to it, and the one who earns a wage, earns a wage for a bag full of holes.	3e	4C	31 14
כֹּ֥ה אָמַ֖ר יְהוָ֣ה צְבָא֑וֹת שִׂ֥ימוּ לְבַבְכֶ֖ם עַל־דַּרְכֵיכֶֽם	7	f	Thus says Yahweh of Hosts, Define for your hearts concerning your ways.	3e	4B	8 9
עֲל֥וּ הָהָ֛ר וַהֲבֵאתֶ֥ם עֵ֖ץ וּבְנ֣וּ הַבָּ֑יִת וְאֶרְצֶה־בּ֥וֹ וְאֶכָּבְדָ֖ה אָמַ֥ר יְהוָֽה	8	f	Ascend the hill and come with a tree and build the house, and I will find favour in it and I will be glorified, says Yahweh.	3d	4B	14 12
פָּנֹ֤ה אֶל־הַרְבֵּה֙ וְהִנֵּ֣ה לִמְעָ֔ט וַהֲבֵאתֶ֥ם הַבַּ֖יִת וְנָפַ֣חְתִּי ב֑וֹ יַ֣עַן מֶ֗ה נְאֻם֙ יְהוָ֣ה צְבָא֔וֹת יַ֗עַן בֵּיתִי֙ אֲשֶׁר־ה֣וּא חָרֵ֔ב וְאַתֶּ֥ם רָצִ֖ים אִ֥ישׁ לְבֵיתֽוֹ	9		Face to face with excess, but behold little is come to the house that I might stoke it. Because of what? An oracle of Yahweh of hosts: Because of my house that itself is deserted, and each of you is racing to his own house.	3e	4C	22 28
עַל־כֵּ֣ן עֲלֵיכֶ֔ם כָּלְא֥וּ שָמַ֖יִם‬ מִטָּ֑ל וְהָאָ֖רֶץ כָּלְאָ֥ה יְבוּלָֽהּ	10		Therefore to you the heavens are restrained from dew, and the earth restrains her produce.	3e	4B	12 9
וָאֶקְרָ֨א חֹ֜רֶב עַל־הָאָ֣רֶץ וְעַל־הֶהָרִ֗ים וְעַל־הַדָּגָן֙ וְעַל־הַתִּיר֣וֹשׁ וְעַל־הַיִּצְהָ֔ר וְעַ֛ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר תּוֹצִ֖יא הָאֲדָמָ֑ה וְעַל־הָֽאָדָם֙ וְעַל־הַבְּהֵמָ֔ה וְעַ֖ל כָּל־יְגִ֥יעַ כַּפָּֽיִם ס	11		I called a desert over the earth and over the hills, and over the grain, and over the new wine, and over the clarified oil, and over that which emerges from the ground, and over the human, and over the beast, and over all the labour of their palms.	3d	4B	39 20
וַיִּשְׁמַ֣ע זְרֻבָּבֶ֣ל ׀ בֶּֽן־שַׁלְתִּיאֵ֡ל וִיהוֹשֻׁ֣עַ בֶּן־יְהוֹצָדָק֩ הַכֹּהֵ֨ן הַגָּד֜וֹל וְכֹ֣ל ׀ שְׁאֵרִ֣ית הָעָ֗ם בְּקוֹל֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹֽהֵיהֶ֔ם וְעַל־דִּבְרֵי֙ חַגַּ֣י הַנָּבִ֔יא כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר שְׁלָח֖וֹ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֵיהֶ֑ם וַיִּֽירְא֥וּ הָעָ֖ם מִפְּנֵ֥י יְהוָֽה	12		And Zerubbabel, child of Shealtiel, and Joshua, child of Yehotsedek, the great priest, and all the residue of the people heard the voice of Yahweh their God, and over the words of Haggai the prophet as Yahweh their God sent him, and the people feared from the presence of Yahweh.	3e	4B	62 9
וַ֠יֹּאמֶר חַגַּ֞י מַלְאַ֧ךְ יְהוָ֛ה בְּמַלְאֲכ֥וּת יְהוָ֖ה לָעָ֣ם לֵאמֹ֑ר אֲנִ֥י אִתְּכֶ֖ם נְאֻם־יְהוָֽה	13	~	And Haggai, the messenger of Yahweh among the messengers of Yahweh said to the people, saying, I will be with you. An oracle of Yahweh.	3c	4B	19 8
וַיָּ֣עַר יְהוָ֡ה אֶת־רוּחַ֩ זְרֻבָּבֶ֨ל בֶּן־שַׁלְתִּיאֵ֜ל פַּחַ֣ת יְהוּדָ֗ה וְאֶת־ר֙וּחַ֙ יְהוֹשֻׁ֤עַ בֶּן־יְהוֹצָדָק֙ הַכֹּהֵ֣ן הַגָּד֔וֹל וְֽאֶת־ר֔וּחַ כֹּ֖ל שְׁאֵרִ֣ית הָעָ֑ם וַיָּבֹ֙אוּ֙ וַיַּעֲשׂ֣וּ מְלָאכָ֔ה בְּבֵית־יְהוָ֥ה צְבָא֖וֹת אֱלֹהֵיהֶֽם פ	14		And Yahweh roused the spirit of Zerubbabel, child of Shealtiel, viceroy of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua, child of Yehotsedek, the great priest, and the spirit of all the residue of the people. And they came and they constructed the affair in the house of Yahweh of hosts, their God.	3e	4C	50 22
בְּי֨וֹם עֶשְׂרִ֧ים וְאַרְבָּעָ֛ה לַחֹ֖דֶשׁ בַּשִּׁשִּׁ֑י בִּשְׁנַ֥ת שְׁתַּ֖יִם לְדָרְיָ֥וֶשׁ הַמֶּֽלֶךְ	15	~	On the twenty fourth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.	3c	4A	14 11