Haggai 1:7
Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.
Original Language Analysis
כֹּ֥ה
H3541
כֹּ֥ה
Strong's:
H3541
Word #:
1 of 8
properly, like this, i.e., by implication, (of manner) thus (or so); also (of place) here (or hither); or (of time) now
יְהוָ֣ה
the LORD
H3068
יְהוָ֣ה
the LORD
Strong's:
H3068
Word #:
3 of 8
(the) self-existent or eternal; jeho-vah, jewish national name of god
צְבָא֑וֹת
of hosts
H6635
צְבָא֑וֹת
of hosts
Strong's:
H6635
Word #:
4 of 8
a mass of persons (or figuratively, things), especially reg. organized for war (an army); by implication, a campaign, literally or figuratively (speci
שִׂ֥ימוּ
Consider
H7760
שִׂ֥ימוּ
Consider
Strong's:
H7760
Word #:
5 of 8
to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically)
Historical Context
The people needed this repeated exhortation because sixteen years of rationalizing disobedience had hardened their hearts. They had grown comfortable with excuses: "The time hasn't come" (v.2), "We're just surviving," "Opposition is too strong." Repetition breaks through self-deception. God's insistence that they "consider your ways" invited them to trace their dissatisfaction back to its source: they had sought first their own kingdom rather than God's (Matthew 6:33).
Questions for Reflection
- What patterns in your life—repeated frustrations, chronic dissatisfaction, persistent struggles—might God be using to prompt self-examination of priorities?
- How does honest evaluation of "your ways" reveal where you've prioritized comfort, security, or personal goals over God's purposes?
- What would it look like to "set your heart upon" examining your life with ruthless honesty before God?
Analysis & Commentary
Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways (כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת שִׂימוּ לְבַבְכֶם עַל־דַּרְכֵיכֶם/koh amar YHWH Tzeva'ot simu levavkhem al-darkhekem)—God repeats His command from verse 5 with heightened emphasis. The repetition isn't redundant but insistent: self-examination is urgent. Consider (שִׂימוּ לְבַבְכֶם/simu levavkhem), literally "set your heart upon," demands more than casual reflection—it requires honest, searching evaluation of life patterns, priorities, and the consequences of choices.
The phrase frames both diagnosis (v.6) and prescription (v.8). Between these repeated calls to self-examination, God explains their futility (v.6) and then commands specific action (v.8). The rhetorical structure forces them to connect cause and effect: their economic struggles aren't random bad luck but divine discipline for neglecting God's house. This pattern appears throughout Scripture—God uses consequences to expose misplaced priorities and prompt repentance (Deuteronomy 28, Amos 4:6-11).