The silver is mine, and the gold is mine: Coined money was known in the late sixth century B.C., but was not yet in common use. At this time it was still the normal practice to weigh out amounts of precious metal in business transactions (compare Zech 11.12 in Revised Standard Version). Thus in speaking of the “treasures” of the nations (verse 7), it was natural to refer to silver and gold rather than money in the form of coins.

The Hebrew makes separate statements about the silver and the gold, but Good News Translation puts them together into one: “All the silver and gold of the world is mine.” The words “all” and “of the world” are included to make the connection between this verse and the previous one clear: because all the silver and gold belongs to the LORD, he is well able to ensure that the gentiles will offer it in his Temple when he so desires. Thus the new Temple will be no less splendid than the old one (1 Kgs 6.20-22). For a partial fulfillment of this promise, see Ezra 6.8-12. Translators may of course say “silver and gold” or “gold and silver,” whichever is more natural in their language.

Translators may use two clauses, as Revised Standard Version, or one, as Good News Translation, and should choose whichever structure sounds more natural and more rhetorically effective in their language.

The closing words says the LORD of hosts are omitted by Good News Translation, as in verses 4, 6, and 9. See the comments on verse 4. Here they indicate the end of a discourse unit.

Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. & Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Haggai. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2002. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .