Haggai 2:13 (GNV)

Passage

If one beare holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt doe touch the bread, or the potage, or the wine, or oyle, or any meate, shall it be holy? And the Priests answered and said, No.

Nearby Context

Haggai 2:11 In the foure and twentieth day of the ninth moneth, in the second yeere of Darius, came the worde of the Lord vnto the Prophet Haggai, saying,

Haggai 2:12 Thus sayth the Lord of hostes, Aske nowe the Priests concerning the Law, and say,

Haggai 2:13 If one beare holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt doe touch the bread, or the potage, or the wine, or oyle, or any meate, shall it be holy? And the Priests answered and said, No.

Haggai 2:14 Then sayde Haggai, If a polluted person touch any of these, shall it be vncleane? And the Priests answered, and sayd, It shalbe vncleane.

Haggai 2:15 Then answered Haggai, and sayd, So is this people, and so is this nation before me, saith the Lord: and so are all the workes of their hands, and that which they offer here, is vncleane.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "Thus sayth the Lord of hostes Aske..." into verse 14's "Then sayde Haggai If a polluted person...", so "beare" 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 "beare" and "holy" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.