The claim is made that the verse is historically inaccurate because the second temple was not greater than the first.

Haggai 2:9 states that God will fill the Second Temple with glory, such that the glory of the Second Temple would surpass that of the First.

Given that the Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD, and what we historically know of the Second Temple (that it was not more spiritually, architecturally or adornment-wise more “glorious” or spectacular than the first, especially given it was a rushed reconstruction under pressure and threat), and the Messianic nature of the prophecies of this, what is the modern day Jewish understanding of the meaning (and fulfillment) of this prophecy, since the notion that the Messiah entered the Second Temple is rejected?https://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/71594/haggais-glory-of-the-second-temple-greater-than-the-first

First let's look at the passage and then we can analyze the common responses to this claim.

The Coming Glory of the Temple 1 In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet:

2 “Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say,

3 ‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes?

4 Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the Lord. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the Lord. Work, for I am with you, declares the Lord of hosts,

5 according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not.

6 For thus says the Lord of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land.

7 And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts.

8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts.

9 The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts.’”Haggai 2:1-9 (ESV)

After Herod's renovations the Temple was indeed quite “glorious”. There are several ways in which the temple was in fact more glorious than the first. The Talmud for example refers to the height of the walls of the second as being greater (in terms of physical features).

Rashi quotes the machlokes between Rav and Shmuel whether it was the physical plant or the number of years that the second temple existed. While some people say that Chagai means to hint about the temple to be built by the mashiach, most say that this refers to the second temple which was about to be built (since Chagai, Zechariah, and Malachi were part of the Anshe Knesses Hagedolah) and that before it would be destroyed, this is what it would become.

Note that Rashi comments on the phrase “will be greater”. That is Rashi says that Rav holds that the actual temple itself (after Herod rebuilt it) was “more magnificent” than the first temple. Shmuel holds that the “greater glory” was that it lasted longer. Both speak of it even though it did not have the same spiritual glory as the first temple.

The fame of the temple spread throughout the Roman Empire which could also mean that the glory “was greater” in that it was a major attraction over much of the known world.

Chagai 2:9

  ט גָּדוֹל יִהְיֶה כְּבוֹד הַבַּיִת הַזֶּה הָאַחֲרוֹן מִן הָרִאשׁוֹן אָמַר יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת וּבַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה אֶתֵּן שָׁלוֹם נְאֻם יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת:

  9 The glory of this last House shall be greater than the first one, said the Lord of Hosts. And in this place I will grant peace, says the Lord of Hosts.

  Rashi: shall be greater: There was a controversy between Rav and Samuel. One said: In the building; and one said: In the years, that the years of the First Temple were four hundred and ten, and those of the Second Temple were four hundred and twenty.

The Jewish Virtual Library says that not only was it a magnificent building, but that multitudes came to see it. I have seen references that not only Jews, but nonJews from all over the Roman Empire came to see the temple.

The Second Temple

  The Second Temple was not only awe inspiring because of its religious significance, but also for its physical dimensions, its grandeur and its beauty. Thus, as the Roman generals sat surveying Jerusalem and considering the Temple’s future they hesitated before ordering its destruction. Jews, from that day to this, have yearned and prayed for its rebuilding, and tourists and religious people alike have come to behold the site on which it once stood.

  Normally a city of 100 to 200 thousand people, three times a year on the pilgrim festivals of Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles, Jerusalem’s population swelled to 1 million souls (the exact number depending on the source of population estimates). On these occasions this small ancient city had to cope not only with the throng of people but also their sacrificial animals and offerings, necessitating temporary increases in food supplies, accommodation, ritual bathing facilities, and all aspects of commerce. It was Herod, installed by the Romans as governor of Jerusalem, who faced these logistical problems, and who consequently set about renovating the city and the Temple to accommodate this massive periodic influx.

  Before work began on the Temple, Herod spent eight years stockpiling materials for its construction. Then, a workforce of over 10,000 men began its construction including a contingent of 1,500 specially trained priests who were the only ones permitted to work on the innermost and holiest parts of the Temple. Building continued for a further twenty years, though the Temple was in a sufficiently ready state within three and a half years of its commencement to be dedicated.

TODO