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) --
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) --
Haggai 2:5 The thing that I covenanted with you, In your coming forth from Egypt, And My Spirit is remaining in your midst, fear not.
Haggai 2:6 For thus said Jehovah of Hosts: Yet once more--it <FI>is<Fi> a little, And I am shaking the heavens and the earth, And the sea, and the dry land,
The verse centers on "strong", "zerubbabel", "affirmation", "jehovah", "joshua", "josedech", and "high". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "strong" and "zerubbabel", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 3's "Who among you hath been left that..." into verse 5's "The thing that I covenanted with you...", so "strong" and "zerubbabel" 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 "strong" and "zerubbabel" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.