Haggai 1:1 (ASV)

Passage

In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of Jehovah by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying,

Nearby Context

Haggai 1:1 In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of Jehovah by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying,

Haggai 1:2 Thus speaketh Jehovah of hosts, saying, This people say, It is not the time [for us] to come, the time for Jehovah`s house to be built.

Haggai 1:3 Then came the word of Jehovah by Haggai the prophet, saying,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "second", "year", "darius", "king", "sixth", "month", and "first". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "second" and "year", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The next verse adds "Thus speaketh Jehovah of hosts saying This...", so "second" and "year" should be read forward into that movement. In Haggai context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "second" and "year" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.