Hilkiah

hil-ki'-a (chilqiyah, "Yah is my portion" or "Yah's portion"): The name of 8 individuals in the Old Testament or 7, if the person mentioned in Ne 12:7,21 was the same who stood with Ezra at the reading of the Law (Ne 8:4). The latter appears as Ezecias (the King James Version) in 1 Esdras 9:43. Five of this name are clearly associated with the priesthood, and the others are presumably so. The etymology suggests this. Either interpretation of the name expresses the person's claim on Yahweh or the parents' recognition of Yahweh's claim on him.

⇒See a list of verses on HILKIAH in the Bible.

(1) The person mentioned above (Ne 8:4, etc.).

(2) A Levite of the sons of Merari (1Ch 6:45).

(3) Another Levite of Merari, son of Hosah (1Ch 26:11). Is he the "porter," i.e. "doorkeeper" of 1Ch 16:38?

(4) Father of the Gemariah whom Zedekiah of Judah sent to Nebuchadnezzar (Jer 29:3).

(5) The man in 2Ki 18:18 ff who is evidently more famous as the father of Eliakim, the majordomo of Hezekiah's palace (Isa 22:20 ff; Isa 36:3 ff). Probably the father's name is given in this and similar cases to distinguish between two persons of otherwise identical name.

(6) A priest of Anathoth, father of Jeremiah (Jer 1:1).

(7) The son of Shallum, and the best known of the name (1Ch 6:13). He is great-grandfather of Ezra through his son Azariah (1 Esdras 8:1; compare 1Ch 9:11; Ne 11:11). He discovered the lost Book of the Law during the repairing of the Temple (2Ki 22:4,8 ff); became chief leader in the ensuing reformation in 621 BC (2Ki 23:4; 2Ch 34:9 ff; 2Ch 35:8). He showed the recovered book to Shaphan the scribe, who, in turn, brought it to the notice of the king. At Josiah's request he led a deputation to Huldah the prophetess to "inquire of the Lord" concerning the new situation created by the discovery. The book discovered is usually identified with the Book of Deuteronomy.

See DEUTERONOMY.

Henry Wallace