A prophet, and wife of Shallum, the keeper of King Josiah's wardrobe, to whom the king turned for counsel at one of the nation's most crucial moment in history. Josiah had begun a series of reforms to restore the nation to Yahweh worship when, during the repairs of the temple in Jerusalem, a copy of the long missing "Book of the Law" or "Book of Covenant"—many scholars believe this was the book of Deuteronomy, or some form of it—was found. Shocked and confounded upon reading the Book at the depth of the nation's negligence towards God, Josiah commanded that Huldah be sought for her godly counsel, to which she replied:
"This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Tell the man who sent you to me, 'This is what the Lord says: I am going to bring disaster on this place and its people, according to everything written in the book the king of Judah has read. Because they have forsaken me and burned incense to other gods and aroused my anger by all the idols their hands have made, my anger will burn against this place and will not be quenched.' Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, 'This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says concerning the words you heard: Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people—that they would become a curse and be laid waste—and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I also have heard you, declares the Lord. Therefore I will gather you to your ancestors, and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place.'" (2 Ki. 22:15-20 NIV)
Her counsel helped to refocus and reinvigorate the already ongoing reforms, though the results were not enough to save the nation from the idolatry into which she had sunk, and within a few years Judah would be made a vassal to the Babylonians and, later, taken into exile.
Huldah is mentioned only in 2 Ki 14 & the parallel verse in 2 Chron 34:22. The importance of this woman, however, is in reverse proportion to the frequency of her appearance in Scriptures.
Concordance (NIV):
2 Ki. 22:14 — 14 Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Akbor, Shaphan and Asaiah went to speak to the prophet Huldah, who was the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the New Quarter.
2 Chr. 34:22 — Hilkiah and those the king had sent with him went to speak to the prophet Huldah, who was the wife of Shallum son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the New Quarter.
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