Hilkiah

AI summary: Hilkiah matters because the cross references present him at the decisive point where neglected Scripture re-enters public life with force. He oversees temple work, finds the law book, and sets in motion the sequence that leads Josiah to repentance, covenant renewal, and reform. His role is not merely ceremonial; he is one of the agents through whom the nation is confronted by its forgotten obligations. Taken together, the material presents Hilkiah as a high priest whose discovery becomes one of the most consequential religious turning points in the kingdom of Judah.¹

The high priest in the reign of Josiah (1 Chr. 6:13; Ezra 7:1). To him and his deputy (2 Kings 23:5), along with the ordinary priests and the Levites who had charge of the gates, was entrusted the purification of the temple in Jerusalem. While this was in progress, he discovered in some hidden corner of the building a book called the “book of the law” (2 Kings 22:8) and the “book of the covenant” (23:2). Some have supposed that this “book” was nothing else than the original autograph copy of the Pentateuch written by Moses (Deut. 31:9-26). This remarkable discovery occurred in the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign (B.C. 624), a discovery which permanently affected the whole subsequent history of Israel. (See JOSIAH; SHAPHAN.) ³