Haggai 2:13

So Haggai asked, “If one who is defiled by contact with a corpse touches any of these, does it become defiled?” “Yes, it becomes defiled,” the priests answered.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Haggai poses a ritual question to the priests regarding whether impurity spreads through physical contact. The priests answer affirmatively that defilement transfers from a corpse-contact to other items.

The words — The Hebrew יִגַּע (yi.Ga') translates to "he will touch," and טְמֵא נֶפֶשׁ (te.me'- Ne.fesh) denotes a person unclean from a corpse. These terms structure the legal inquiry about how ritual contamination moves.

The thread — The text aligns with Leviticus 22:4 and Numbers 5:2 regarding bodily impurity restrictions, while Numbers 9:6 records men barred from the Passover due to corpse contamination.

Why it lands — The passage establishes that defilement transfers through contact, providing the legal basis for the declaration that the people's subsequent work and offerings remain unclean.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וַיֹּ֣אמֶרva/i.Yo.merand/ he said חַגַּ֔יcha.GaiHaggai אִם־'im-if יִגַּ֧עyi.Ga'he will touch טְמֵא־te.me'-a [person] unclean of נֶ֛פֶשׁNe.fesha corpse בְּכָל־be./khol<in>/ all אֵ֖לֶּה'E.lehthese [things]הֲיִטְמָ֑אha./yit.Ma'¿/ will it become unclean וַיַּעֲנ֧וּva/i.ya.'a.Nuand/ they answered הַכֹּהֲנִ֛יםha./ko.ha.Nimthe/ priests וַיֹּאמְר֖וּva/i.yo.me.Ruand/ they said יִטְמָֽא׃yit.Ma'it will become unclean

King James Version

Then said Haggai, If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean.

Cross-references

Leviticus 22:4 If a descendant of Aaron has a skin disease or a discharge, he may not eat the sacred offerings until he is clean. Whoever touches anything defiled by a corpse or by a man who has an emission of semen,
Numbers 5:2 “Command the Israelites to send away from the camp anyone with a skin disease, anyone who has a bodily discharge, and anyone who is defiled by a dead body.
Numbers 9:6 But there were some men who were unclean due to a dead body, so they could not observe the Passover on that day. And they came before Moses and Aaron that same day
Numbers 19:11 Whoever touches any dead body will be unclean for seven days.

People named

Haggai