Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asaiah: Instead of repeating the names of the five men who went to consult the LORD on behalf of the king, some translators may find it more natural to say simply “Those five men” (so Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch), referring back to verse 12.

Huldah the prophetess …: The only other place where this woman is mentioned is in the parallel passage of 2 Chr 34.22. She performed the same functions as a male prophet (see the comments at 1 Kgs 1.8 and 2 Kgs 3.11). The text provides a detailed explanation of who this woman was in terms of her husband, with details about his lineage (the son of Tikvah, [who was the] son of Harhas) and his occupation (keeper of the wardrobe).

Keeper of the wardrobe: There is no explicit indication of whose clothing Shallum was responsible for. Some interpreters think that he was in charge of the priests’ clothes that they wore while on duty in the Temple. This is the basis for the translation “was in charge of the Temple robes” (Good News Translation, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch; similarly Bible en français courant, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente). But other commentators suggest that he was in charge of the king’s wardrobe. Therefore Knox says that he “kept the royal wardrobe.” The Hebrew wording here is not the same as in 2 Kgs 10.22, where it says “him who was in charge of the wardrobe,” but the meaning seems similar although in that passage, the robes were worn by the worshipers of Baal. Perhaps the best way to handle the phrase here is to leave the ambiguity as in Revised Standard Version. If some languages require that it be stated whose wardrobe is in view, then one interpretation may be placed in the text while the other interpretation is put in a footnote.

Now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter: Here the text further describes Huldah in terms of the place where she and her husband lived. Their residence was in a part of Jerusalem called the Second Quarter (Mishneh in Hebrew). In addition to the parallel passage in 2 Chr 34.22, this section of Jerusalem is mentioned also in Zeph 1.10. The term is often said to refer to a district on the northern side of the city which had been built more recently than many other parts. Some scholars, however, believe it was located on the western hill of Jerusalem. In any case, it refers to a newer part of the city (so Good News Translation). Similarly, New Jerusalem Bible says “in Jerusalem in the new town” and New Century Version has “in Jerusalem, in the new area of the city.” Nouvelle Bible Segond says “in Jerusalem, in New City.” The Nouvelle Bible Segond rendering capitalizes “New City” to indicate that this is the actual name of this part of Jerusalem. Both American Bible and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh transliterate the Hebrew word for the Second Quarter, saying “the Mishneh [quarter],” but this is not recommended since it will have no meaning for the average reader.

The order in which the various elements describing Huldah are given in translation will depend on what is natural in the receptor language.

After a rather lengthy description of who Huldah was, the text finally says that the delegation from Josiah talked with her. In some languages a different verb may be required. Certain English versions translate “consulted her” (New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible). New Jerusalem Bible says “put the matter to her” while Knox has “told her their business.” In those languages in which the pronouns “him” and “her” are identical, it may be wise to substitute the proper name “Huldah” here if the antecedent is not be clear.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .