Haggai 1:4

“Is it right for you to live in richly paneled houses ¹  while my temple is in ruins? ² 

2Sa 7:2; Ps 74:7; Ps 102:14; Ps 132:3-5; Jer 26:6,18; Jer 52:13; La 2:7; La 4:1; Eze 24:21; Da 9:17,18,26,27; Mic 3:12; Mt 6:33; Mt 24:1,2; Php 2:21

¹ sn Richly paneled houses. Paneling is otherwise known in the OT only in connection with the temple (1 Kgs 6:9) and the royal palace (2 Kgs 7:3, 7). It implies decoration and luxury (cf. NCV “fancy houses”; TEV “well-built houses”; NLT “luxurious houses”). The impropriety of the people living in such lavish accommodations while the temple lay unfinished is striking.

² tn Heb “Is it time for you, [yes] you, to live in paneled houses, while this house is in ruins”; NASB “lies desolate”; NIV “remains a ruin.”