When was Haggai written?

When the Jews returned to Jerusalem from the Babylonian exile, they struggled to rebuild the temple. The people grew discouraged due to opposition from non-Israelites living in the land. Their work also stalled because they became preoccupied with their own concerns. However, the temple was important because it was the center of Israel’s worship. The prophet Haggai wrote the book around 520 BC, during the time he urged the rebuilding to resume.

Evidence within Haggai confirms when the prophet ministered, which helps determine when he wrote. For instance, the first verse marks the exact date: “In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest” (Haggai 1:1). King Darius I ruled Persia from 521 to 486 BC. Thus, the second year of Darius’s reign, when Haggai wrote his book, was 520 BC.

Haggai dates his messages to the exact day in 520 BC, suggesting he wrote the book that same year. He also records these dates in relation to Darius’s reign. For example, he introduces the events of the second chapter as, “On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai” (Haggai 2:1). This date falls in October of the second year of Darius’s reign (cf. Haggai 2:10, 20).

Haggai 1:1 also mentions Zerubbabel, who led the first wave of Israelites home from exile after the decree of Cyrus (Ezra 1:1–4; 2:1–2). Zerubbabel served as Judah’s governor from around 538 to 510 BC (cf. Haggai 2:21–23). Haggai also names Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, who returned from exile with Zerubbabel and helped oversee the rebuilding of the temple. According to Ezra, the Israelites completed rebuilding the temple “on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius” (Ezra 6:15). Joshua was still serving as high priest when they finished the temple in 516 BC, about 16 years after they first laid the foundation (cf. Ezra 3:10–13; 4:24; 6:15).

Haggai served alongside the prophet Zechariah, who ministered during the same period. Ezra 5:1 states, “Now Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the prophet, a descendant of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them.” The opening verse of Zechariah dates his prophecy to the reign of Darius I, the same as Haggai: “In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo” (Zechariah 1:1). This corresponds to 520 BC, the same year Haggai delivered his messages.

Haggai wrote during a time when the returned exiles had neglected the worship of God and failed to prioritize rebuilding the temple. In response, God commanded His people, “Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored” (Haggai 1:8). Regardless of the challenges they faced, worship had to come first because God was worthy of their praise in every circumstance.