“So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went unto Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college;) and they communed with her.”
My Notes
What Does 2 Kings 22:14 Mean?
"So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went unto Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college;) and they communed with her." The delegation of five prominent male leaders goes to a woman prophetess for God's word. Huldah is identified by her husband's name and his occupation (keeper of the wardrobe), but she's the one with the prophetic authority. Jeremiah and Zephaniah were both active prophets at this time — yet the delegation goes to Huldah.
The text presents this without any sense of controversy. Five male leaders, including the high priest, seek out a woman prophet as the authoritative voice of God. Huldah's prophecy (v. 15-20) is treated as definitive — Josiah bases his entire reform on her word.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What does the delegation's choice of Huldah teach about where God places prophetic authority?
- 2.Why do you think the text presents this without controversy or explanation?
- 3.How does Huldah's story challenge assumptions about who God uses as authoritative voices?
- 4.Are there voices God has anointed in your community that you're overlooking because of their 'packaging'?
Devotional
Five of the most powerful men in Judah — including the high priest — go to a woman for the word of God. And nobody in the text finds this unusual.
Huldah is a prophetess. She's married to the keeper of the royal wardrobe — a middle-management bureaucrat. She lives in the second quarter of Jerusalem. She's not from a prominent family or a recognized prophetic school. And when the king needs to hear from God about the most important discovery in a generation, the delegation goes to her.
Jeremiah was active. Zephaniah was active. Two well-known male prophets were available. The delegation chose Huldah. And her word — her prophecy, her interpretation of Scripture, her declaration of God's judgment and mercy — became the foundation of Josiah's reformation. The most sweeping religious reform in Judah's history was built on a word from a woman.
The text offers no apology, no explanation, no caveat. It simply records that the nation's leaders went to a prophetess and treated her word as authoritative. Whatever your theology of women in ministry, Huldah is in your Bible — and her prophecy shaped a kingdom.
God speaks through whoever he chooses. The high priest and the royal advisors understood this well enough to seek God's word from a woman living in the second district. If they could receive prophetic authority from Huldah without the text offering a disclaimer, maybe the church can learn something about listening to the voices God actually anoints, regardless of the packaging.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went down to Huldah the prophetess,.... Such as…
Went unto Huldah - It might have been expected that the royal commissioners would have gone to Jeremiah, on whom the…
Went unto Huldah the prophetess - This is a most singular circumstance: At this time Jeremiah was certainly a prophet in…
We hear no more of the repairing of the temple: no doubt that good work went on well; but the book of the law that was…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture