Two Philological Notes on Haggai 2:15–19

The Masoretic Text of Hag 2:15–19 is one of the most philologically challenging passages in the Hebrew Bible. As such, it has been subjected to frequent emendation (see the Biblia Hebraica Quinta). The present article focuses on two particular problems in this pericope: first, the meaning of Hag 2:16 along with the inter-clausal relations in Hag 2:15–17, and second, the function of in Hag 2:19. In both instances, it is argued that the Masoretic Text can be interpreted without resorting to emendation.