Albert Barnes Commentary Haggai 2:9

"The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, saith Jehovah of hosts; and in this place will I give peace, saith Jehovah of hosts." — Haggai 2:9 (ASV)

The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former – or, perhaps, more probably, “the later glory of this house shall be greater than the former;” for he had already spoken of the present temple as identical with that before the captivity. “Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory, and how do you see it now?” He had spoken of its “first glory.” Now he says, in contrast, its later glory should be greater than that of its most glorious times. In this case, the question of whether the temple of Herod was a different material building from that of Zerubbabel falls away.

In either case, the contrast is between two things: either the temple in its former state and this its latter state after the captivity, or the two temples of Solomon and Zerubbabel. There is no room for a third temple. God holds out no vain hopes. To comfort those distressed by the poverty of the house of God which they were building, God promises a glory to this house greater than before. A temple, erected after this one had lain waste for over 1800 years, even if Antichrist were to come now and erect a temple at Jerusalem, could be no fulfillment of this prophecy.

In material magnificence, the temple of Solomon, built and adorned with all the treasures accumulated by David and enlarged by Solomon, far surpassed all that Herod, amid his attempts to give a material meaning to the prophecy, could do. His attempt shows how the eyes of the Jews were fixed on this prophecy when it was about to be fulfilled.

While taking pains, through the gradualness of his rebuilding, to preserve the identity of the structure, he lavished his wealth to draw their thoughts away from the king whom the Jews awaited, to himself. The friendship of the Romans, who were lords of all, was to replace the “all nations” of whom Haggai spoke; Herod also pointed to the length of peace, the possession of wealth, the greatness of revenues, and the surpassing expenditure beyond those before.

A small section of Erastians admitted these claims of the murderer of his sons.

The Jews generally were not diverted from looking to Him who should come. Those five things, the absence of which they felt, were connected with their atoning worship or God’s presence among them: “the ark with the mercy-seat and the cherubim, the Urim and Thummim, the fire from heaven, the Shechinah, the Holy Spirit.” Material magnificence could not replace spiritual glory.

The explanations of the great Jewish authorities—that the second temple was superior to the first in structure (which was untrue) or in duration—were laid aside by Jews who had any other solution with which to satisfy themselves. “The Shechinah and the five precious things,” says one, “which, according to our wise men of blessed memory, were in it, and not in the second house, raised and exalted it beyond compare.”

Another says, “When Haggai says, ‘greater shall be the glory of this later house than the first,’ how is it that the house which Zerubbabel built through the income which the king of Persia gave them was more glorious than the house which Solomon built? And though it is said that the building which Herod made was exceedingly beautiful and rich, we should not think that it was in its beauty like the house which Solomon built. For what the wise men of blessed memory have said of the beauty of the house of Herod is in relation to the house which Zerubbabel built.

How much more, since Scripture does not say, ‘Great shall be the beauty or the wealth of this latter house above the first,’ but the glory: and the glory is not the wealth or the beauty, or the largeness of the dimensions of the building, as they said in their interpretations. For the ‘glory’ is in truth spoken of the glory of God, which filled the tabernacle after it was set up, and of the glory of God which filled the house of God, which Solomon built, when he brought the ark into the holy of holies. This glory is the Divine cloud and the Light supreme, which came down there in the eyes of all the people.

And it is said, ‘And it was when the priests came out of the holy place, the cloud filled the house of God, and the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of God filled the house of God.’ And this glory was not in the second house.”

And how shall it be said, if so, ‘great shall be the glory of this later house above the first?’” The poor unconverted Jew did not know the answer to his question: “Through the presence of God, in the substance of our flesh; through the Son given to us, Whose name should be Mighty God.” The glory of this temple was in Him Who was made Flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).

There Christ, the Son of God, was, as a Child, offered to God; there He sat in the midst of the Doctors; there He taught and revealed things hidden from the foundation of the world. The glory of the temple of Solomon was that in it the majesty of God appeared, veiling itself in a cloud; in this temple, that same Majesty showed itself, in very deed united with the Flesh, visible to sight, so that Jesus Himself said, “He that has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).

This it was which Malachi sang with joy: “The Lord whom you seek shall suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, whom you delight in” (Malachi 3:1).

And in this place I will give peace – Temporal peace they had now, nor was there any prospect of its being disturbed. They were quiet subjects of the Persian empire, which also included all their former enemies, great or small. Alexander subdued all the bordering countries which did not yield, but spared them. Temporal peace then was nothing to be given them at that time, for they already had it.

In later times they did not have it. The temple itself was profaned by Antiochus Epiphanes : “Her sanctuary was laid waste like a wilderness. As had been her glory, so was her dishonor increased.” It was again profaned by Pompey (Josephus, Antiquities 14.4.4; Jewish War 1.7), by Crassus (Josephus, Antiquities 14.7.1; Jewish War 1.9.8), and by the Parthians (Josephus, Antiquities 14.13.3-4), before it was destroyed by Titus and the Romans.

Jews saw this and, knowing nothing of the peace in Jesus, argued from the absence of outward peace that the prophecy was not fulfilled under the second temple. “What Scripture says, ‘and in this place I will give peace,’ is opposed to their interpretation. For all the days of the duration of the second house were “in strait of times and not in peace,” as was written in Daniel, “and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again and the fosse, and in strait of time.” And, as I said, in the time of Herod there was no peace whatever, for the sword did not depart from his house to the day of his death; and after his death the hatred among the Jews increased, and the Gentiles oppressed them, until they were destroyed from the face of the earth.”

But spiritual peace is, throughout prophecy, part of the promise of the Gospel. Christ Himself was to be “the Prince of peace: of the increase of His government and of His peace there was to be no end” (Isaiah 9:6–7); in His days “the mountains were to bring peace to the people” (Psalms 72:3); “there should be abundance of peace, so long as the moon endureth” (Psalms 72:7). “The work of righteousness was to be peace” (Isaiah 32:17); “the chastisement of our peace (that which obtained it) was upon Him” (Isaiah 53:5); “great should be the peace of her children” (Isaiah 54:13).

In the Gospel, God would give peace, true peace, to the “far off and the near” (Isaiah 57:19). He would extend “peace to her like a river” (Isaiah 66:12); the good things of the Gospel were “the publishing of peace” (Isaiah 52:7). The Gospel is described as “a covenant of peace” (Ezekiel 34:25); the promised king “shall speak peace to the Pagan” (Zechariah 9:10); He himself should be “our peace” (Micah 5:5).

And when He was born, the angels proclaimed, “on earth peace, goodwill toward men” (Luke 2:14). “The Dayspring from on high visited us, to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:79). He Himself says, “My peace I leave with you” (John 14:27). He spoke, that “in Me ye might have peace” (John 16:33).

Peter sums up “the word which God sent unto the children of Israel,” as preaching peace by Jesus Christ (Acts 10:36). The kingdom of God is joy and peace (Romans 14:17). Christ is our peace, made peace, preaches peace (Ephesians 2:14–15, 17). God calleth us to peace (1 Corinthians 7:15) in the Gospel. “Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 5:1); “the fruit of the Spirit is love joy peace” (Galatians 5:22). Spiritual peace being thus prominent in the Gospel and in prophecy as the gift of God, it would be unnatural to explain the peace which God promised here to give as other than He promised elsewhere: peace in Him who is “our peace, Jesus Christ.”

“Peace and tranquility of mind is above all glory of the house; because peace passes all understanding. This is peace above peace, which shall be given after the third shaking of heaven, sea, earth, dry land, when He shall destroy all powers and principalities (in the day of judgment). And so shall there be peace throughout, that, no bodily passions or hindrances of unbelieving mind resisting, Christ shall be all in all, exhibiting the hearts of all subdued to the Father.”