Haggai 2:6

2:6 Moreover, the Lord who rules over all says: ‘In just a little while I will once again shake the sky and the earth, the sea and the dry ground.

Haggai 2:21

2:21 Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah: ‘I am ready to shake the sky and the earth.

tc The difficult MT reading עוֹד אַחַת מְעַט הִיא (’odakhat mÿat hi’, “yet once, it is little”; cf. NAB “One moment yet, a little while”) appears as “yet once” in the LXX, omitting the last two Hebrew words. However, the point being made is that the anticipated action is imminent; thus the repetition provides emphasis.

tn Or “the heavens.” The same Hebrew word, שָׁמַיִם (shamayim), may be translated “sky” or “heavens” depending on the context. Although many English versions translate the term as “heavens” here, the other three elements present in this context (earth, sea, dry ground) suggest “sky” is in view.

tn The participle here suggests an imminent undertaking of action (cf. NRSV, TEV, NLT “I am about to”). The overall language of the passage is eschatological, but eschatology finds its roots in the present.

tn See the note on the word “sky” in 2:6. Most English translations render the Hebrew term as “heavens” here.