God or Religion? Hemdat Kol HaGoyim (Haggai 2:7) and the Instability of Meaning

This study examines the phrase “ḥemdat kol ha-goyim” in Haggai 2:7 through lexical, semantic, and comparative analysis. Rather than treating the expression as a fixed theological concept, the paper explores its ambiguity within the Hebrew textual tradition and traces how later interpretations stabilized its meaning across different historical and religious contexts. The study analyzes the Hebrew root Ḥ-M-D and compares its semantic development with the Arabic root Ḥ-M-D, highlighting the divergence between desire and praise within related Semitic structures. It further examines the role of the Septuagint and later rabbinic interpretation in shaping the reception of the phrase. The paper argues that meaning emerges first within the instability of the text itself before being resolved through interpretive tradition. Within the broader framework of Haggai, the discussion becomes part of a larger theological question concerning the relationship between sacred structure, divine presence, and religious continuity after historical rupture.