79 THE FATE FUTURE ZERUBBABEL AND OF relation. Scholars regularly suggest that God destroys the earthly kingdoms in order to establish Zerubbabel’s kingdom. That is not, however, the only possible relation between the two parts of the oracle. 2. An oracle for Zerubbabel This is the only time in the prophecy of Haggai that Zerubbabel is singled out and a prophetic message is directed to him alone (2,21: “Speak to Zerubbabel... ”). The addressees in the other oracles of Haggai are as follows : (1) Zerubbabel is paired with Joshua, and the prophetic oracle is to start with about the people (1,1-2), and then the rest of the oracle is phrased as if spoken directly to the people (1,3-11); (2) the people are addressed (without specifically differentiating their leaders) (1,13); (3) Zerubbabel, Joshua and the people are addressed (2,2-9; cf. 2,4); (4) Haggai is directed to ask “the priests” two questions (2,10-13), but the oracle to start with is about the people (2,14) and then the bulk of the oracle is phrased as if spoken to the people (2,15-19). In (1) and (2), it is specifically stated that Zerubbabel, Joshua and the people responded to the oracular message (1,12.14), so that these two oracles are understood as addressed to the two leaders and the people. With regard to (4), the priests (and presumably Joshua as “the high priest ” [1,1.12.14; 2,2.4] is included under this cultic category) and people are the recipients of the oracle (2,10-19). The involvement of the people is clear from the use of the second person plural forms in the Hebrew text in 2,15-19 and the focus on agricultural yield in these verses (cf. 1,6.10-11). This, then, is the only oracle in which Zerubbabel is not addressed (along with others) either directly or by implication. This prepares the reader for the final oracle (2,20-23), in which Zerubbabel alone is addressed. This oracle, therefore, can be understood as balancing the previous one and making up for the unprecedented omission of Zerubbabel in that oracle. This solves the puzzle of what is often viewed as the sudden mention of Zerubbabel in the final oracle of the book 8. After 2,10-19, an oracle directed at Zerubbabel is not totally unexpected, given the pattern of addressees in the preceding oracles of Haggai. 3. The date formula The final oracle of the prophecy is dated the same day as the previous oracle (2,20; cf. 2,10). The month and the year are not supplied in v. 20, so E.g. MEADOWCROFT, Haggai, 200, finds the absence of Joshua in the 8 final oracle puzzling, too.