- Haggai literally means “my festival,” which according to the Encyclopedia Judaica can also be interpreted as “born on a festival.” The book is set during the time of the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity, which is pretty obvious from all the time that Haggai spends trying to guilt the returning exiles into paying for it. The book is unique in that it’s focused on one topic—the need for the recently returned exiles to get back to the important work of rebuilding the Temple, a job which Haggai thinks they’re ignoring.