So Hilkiah and those whom the king had sent went to Huldah …: The Masoretic Text is literally “And Hilkiah went and those whom the king to Huldah….” The Revised Standard Version reading follows the Vulgate and the Syriac. The Septuagint says “And Hilkiah and those to whom the king had spoken went to Huldah….” Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives a {C} rating to the Masoretic Text here. But most languages will have to supply words such as “had sent” or “had spoken.” Even King James Version adds the words “had appointed” in this verse, and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh supplies the words “had ordered” but places them in square brackets to show that they were not a part of the original text. Following the Septuagint, Revised English Bible says “Hilkiah and those whom the king had instructed went to Huldah….”

Huldah the prophetess performed the same functions as a male prophet. Although Good News Translation says “prophet,” the Hebrew noun here is feminine, as reflected in the Revised Standard Version rendering prophetess. Archaeological evidence confirms the existence of female prophets in the ancient Near East. Huldah is the only female prophet mentioned in 1-2 Chronicles. The first part of her prophecy came true (verse 28a), but her prophecy that Josiah would die in peace (verse 28b) did not come true (see 2 Chr 35.23-24).

The text provides a detailed explanation of who Huldah was in terms of her husband Shallum, with details about his lineage (the son of Tokhath, [who was] son of Hasrah) and his occupation (keeper of the wardrobe). The parallel text in 2 Kgs 22.14 has the name “Tikvah” instead of Tokhath. A number of versions follow the parallel text in reading “Tikvah” here also (so Good News Translation, Revised English Bible). Revised English Bible changes to “Tikvah” on the assumption that the name Tokhath is not the original reading here. In the case of Good News Translation, it seems that the translators have simply used the same form of the name as in 2 Kings for the sake of consistency.

Instead of Hasrah, the parallel text in 2 Kgs 22.14 has the variant spelling “Harhas,” which is the form used here also in some versions (so Good News Translation, Moffatt).

Keeper of the wardrobe: There is no explicit indication of whose clothing Shallum was responsible for. In light of 2 Kgs 10.22, the wardrobe may refer to special garments used at religious functions. 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; similarly Bible en français courant, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente). But other commentators seem to agree that he was in the employ of the king and was in charge of the king’s wardrobe; for example, Contemporary English Version says “who was in charge of the king’s clothes,” and Knox has “that once kept the royal wardrobe.” If translators choose to make explicit one of these two interpretations, the alternative interpretation may be stated in a footnote.

Now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter: The text further describes Huldah in terms of the place where she lived. Her residence was in a part of Jerusalem called the Second Quarter (Mishneh in Hebrew). In addition to the parallel passage in 2 Kgs 22.14, this section of Jerusalem is mentioned also in Zeph 1.10. The Hebrew term Mishneh 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. However, some scholars 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 renders in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter as “in the newer part of Jerusalem.” Similarly, New Jerusalem Bible says “in Jerusalem in the new town.” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh transliterates the Hebrew word for Second Quarter, saying “in Jerusalem in the Mishneh,” 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. One possible approach is to use two sentences based on the following model of New Century Version: “She was the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, who took care of the king’s clothes. Huldah lived in Jerusalem, in the new area of the city.”

And spoke to her to that effect: After a rather lengthy description of who Huldah was, the text finally says that the delegation from Josiah spoke to her. In some languages a different verb may be required. Some English versions use “consulted” (Revised English Bible) or “told” (Knox). In those languages in which the pronouns “him” and “her” are identical, it may be wise to substitute the proper name “Huldah” for the pronoun her. To that effect is literally “like this,” which refers to the task given to them by the king. One possible model for this clause is “They talked to Huldah about the king’s request.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2014. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .