Haggai 2:12 (ASV)

Passage

If 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.

Nearby Context

Haggai 2:10 In the four and twentieth [day] of the ninth [month], in the second year of Darius, came the word of Jehovah by Haggai the prophet, saying,

Haggai 2:11 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Ask now the priests concerning the law, saying,

Haggai 2:12 If 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.

Haggai 2:13 Then said Haggai, If one that is unclean by reason of a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean.

Haggai 2:14 Then answered Haggai and said, So is this people, and so is this nation before me, saith Jehovah; and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "bear", "holy", "flesh", "skirt", "garment", "touch", and "bread". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "bear" and "holy", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "Thus saith Jehovah of hosts Ask now..." into verse 13's "Then said Haggai If one that is...", so "bear" and "holy" belong inside that flow. In Haggai context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

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