2 Kings 22:12
in 2 Kings 22and commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Achbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the servant of the king:
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Micaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant, saying,
KJV
And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant of the king’s, saying,
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This verse in 2 Kings 22
Commentary
3 notes on this verseAnd the king commanded Hilkiah the priest,.... The high priest, as he is called, 2Ki 22:4. and Ahikam the son of Shaphan; whether the same with Shaphan the scribe, before mentioned, or another of the same name, is not certain: and Achbor the son of Michaiah; who is called Abdon, the son of Micah, 2Ch 34:20. and Shaphan the scribe; who brought and read the book to the king: and Asahiah, a servant of the king's; that waited on him constantly: saying; as follows.
This site's exposition
the king commanded Hilkiah the priest
on 2 Kings 22:12-14
The king sends five men, not one, a delegation heavy enough to carry the weight of what was found: Hilkiah the priest, two of Shaphan's own circle in Ahikam and Achbor, Shaphan himself, and a royal servant. They go to Huldah the prophetess rather than to Jeremiah, already five years in his calling by Jer 1:1-2, or to Zephaniah, and the text gives no reason for the choice; Clarke notes only that Jeremiah likely dwelt at Anathoth and was not readily at hand. Huldah is named with her husband's office, keeper of the wardrobe, and her address, in Jerusalem in the college, details the text bothers to record about the woman a king's own priest was sent to consult.
The record, by era
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Go, inquire of the Lord for me, &c.--The agitated feelings of the king prompted him to ask immediate counsel how to avert those curses under which his kingdom lay; and forthwith a deputation of his principal officers was sent to one endowed with the prophetic spirit.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
Inquire of Adonoy on my behalf. He saw written, "Adonoy will lead you and your king." 2 Devarim:36. 3 When they opened the Torah Scroll it was found rolled to this section. This section deals with the exile of Shomron and Yehudah with its king.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 6 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
21 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיְצַ֣ו | vaytzav | and he commanded | H6680 → | 494 times |
| הַמֶּ֡לֶךְ | hamelekh | the king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| חִלְקִיָּ֣ה | chilkiyah | Hilkiah | H2518 → | 34 times |
| הַכֹּהֵ֡ן | hakohen | the priest | H3548 → | 750 times |
| וְאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| אֲחִיקָ֣ם | ʾachikam | Ahikam | H296 → | 20 times |
| בֶּן־ | benosha- | [the] son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| שָׁ֠פָן | shafan | Shaphan | H8227 → | 34 times |
| וְאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| עַכְבּ֨וֹר | akhbor | Achbor | H5907 → | |
| בֶּן־ | ben- | [the] son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| מִיכָיָ֜ה | mikhayah | Micaiah | H4320 → | |
| וְאֵ֣ת׀ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| שָׁפָ֣ן | shafan | Shaphan | H8227 → | 34 times |
| הַסֹּפֵ֗ר | hasofer | the scribe | H5608 → | 159 times |
| וְאֵ֛ת | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| עֲשָׂיָ֥ה | ʾasayah | Asaiah | H6222 → | |
| עֶֽבֶד־ | ʾeved- | [the] servant of | H5650 → | 799 times |
| הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ | hamelekh | the king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| לֵאמֹֽר׃ | lemor | <to> saying | H559 → | 5305 times |
וַיְצַ֣וand he commanded
vaytzavH6680 →494 times
הַמֶּ֡לֶךְthe king
hamelekhH4428 →2525 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
חִלְקִיָּ֣הHilkiah
chilkiyahH2518 →34 times
הַכֹּהֵ֡ןthe priest
hakohenH3548 →750 times
וְאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
אֲחִיקָ֣םAhikam
ʾachikamH296 →20 times
בֶּן־[the] son of
benosha-H1121 →4930 times
שָׁ֠פָןShaphan
shafanH8227 →34 times
וְאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
עַכְבּ֨וֹרAchbor
akhborH5907 →
בֶּן־[the] son of
ben-H1121 →4930 times
מִיכָיָ֜הMicaiah
mikhayahH4320 →
וְאֵ֣ת׀and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
שָׁפָ֣ןShaphan
shafanH8227 →34 times
הַסֹּפֵ֗רthe scribe
hasoferH5608 →159 times
וְאֵ֛תand <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
עֲשָׂיָ֥הAsaiah
ʾasayahH6222 →
עֶֽבֶד־[the] servant of
ʾeved-H5650 →799 times
הַמֶּ֖לֶךְthe king
hamelekhH4428 →2525 times
לֵאמֹֽר׃<to> saying
lemorH559 →5305 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
2 Kings 25:22Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, over the people he had left behind in the land of Judah.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 39:14
had Jeremiah brought from the courtyard of the guard, and they turned him over to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, to take him home. So Jeremiah remained among his own people.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 2 Chronicles 34:20
and commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the servant of the king:
- Jeremiah 26:24
Nevertheless, Ahikam son of Shaphan supported Jeremiah, so he was not handed over to the people to be put to death.
- Jeremiah 41:2
Then Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were with him got up and struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword, killing the one whom the…
- Jeremiah 39:14
Through
Jeremiah 26:24Nevertheless, Ahikam son of Shaphan supported Jeremiah, so he was not handed over to the people to be put to death.
it leads to
- 2 Kings 22:12–14
and commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Achbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the servant of the king:
- Jeremiah 1:18–19
Now behold, this day I have made you like a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of…
- 2 Kings 22:12–14
Through
Jeremiah 26:22Then King Jehoiakim sent men to Egypt: Elnathan son of Achbor along with some other men.
it leads to
- 2 Kings 22:14
So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went and spoke to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, the keeper of the wardrobe. She lived…
- Jeremiah 36:12
he went down to the scribe’s chamber in the king’s palace, where all the officials were sitting: Elishama the scribe, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan son of Achbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son…
- 2 Kings 22:14
Where this verse is studied
On this page
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About 2 Kings
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763).