Haggai 2:2 (YLT)

Passage

`Speak, I pray thee, unto Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and unto Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest, and unto the remnant of the people, saying:

Nearby Context

Haggai 2:1 In the seventh <FI>month<Fi> , in the twenty and first of the month, hath a word of Jehovah been by the hand of Haggai the prophet, saying:

Haggai 2:2 `Speak, I pray thee, unto Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and unto Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest, and unto the remnant of the people, saying:

Haggai 2:3 Who among you hath been left that saw this house in its former honour? And what are ye seeing it now? Is it not, compared with it, as nothing in your eyes?

Haggai 2:4 And now, be strong, O Zerubbabel, An affirmation of Jehovah, And be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest, And be strong, all ye people of the land, An affirmation of Jehovah, And do ye--(for I <FI>am<Fi> with you, An affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts) --

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "speak", "pray", "thee", "zerubbabel", "shealtiel", "governor", "judah", and "joshua". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "speak" and "pray", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 1's "In the seventh FI month Fi in..." into verse 3's "Who among you hath been left that...", so "speak" and "pray" 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 "speak" and "pray" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.