Haggai 2:3 (GNV)

Passage

Speake nowe to Zerubbabel the sonne of Shealtiel prince of Iudah, and to Iehoshua the sonne of Iehozadak the hie Priest, and to the residue of the people, saying,

Nearby Context

Haggai 2:1 In the foure and twentieth day of the sixt moneth, in the second yeere of King Darius,

Haggai 2:2 In the seuenth moneth, in the one and twentieth day of the moneth, came the worde of the Lord by the ministerie of the Prophet Haggai, saying,

Haggai 2:3 Speake nowe to Zerubbabel the sonne of Shealtiel prince of Iudah, and to Iehoshua the sonne of Iehozadak the hie Priest, and to the residue of the people, saying,

Haggai 2:4 Who is left among you, that sawe this House in her first glory, and howe doe you see it nowe? is it not in your eyes, in comparison of it as nothing?

Haggai 2:5 Yet nowe be of good courage, O Zerubbabel, sayth the Lord, and be of good comfort, O Iehoshua, sonne of Iehozadak the hie Priest: and be strong, all ye people of the land, sayth the Lord, and doe it: for I am with you, sayth the Lord of hostes,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "speake", "nowe", "zerubbabel", "sonne", "shealtiel", "prince", "iudah", and "iehoshua". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "speake" and "nowe", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "In the seuenth moneth in the one..." into verse 4's "Who is left among you that sawe...", so "speake" and "nowe" 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 "speake" and "nowe" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.