וַיֵּ֣לֶךְ חִלְקִיָּ֣הוּ הַ֠כֹּהֵן וַאֲחִיקָ֨ם וְעַכְבֹּ֜ור וְשָׁפָ֣ן וַעֲשָׂיָ֗ה אֶל־חֻלְדָּ֨ה הַנְּבִיאָ֜ה אֵ֣שֶׁת שַׁלֻּ֣ם בֶּן־תִּקְוָ֗ה בֶּן־חַרְחַס֙ שֹׁמֵ֣ר הַבְּגָדִ֔ים וְהִ֛יא יֹשֶׁ֥בֶת בִּירוּשָׁלִַ֖ם בַּמִּשְׁנֶ֑ה וַֽיְדַבְּר֖וּ אֵלֶֽיהָ׃
And Ḥilqiyahu the priest, and Aḥiqam, and ʿAkbor, and Shafan, and ʿAsayah went to Ḥulda the prophetess, the wife of Shallum son of Tiqwah, son of Ḥarḥas, keeper of the garments—now she was dwelling in Yerushalayim in the Second Quarter—and they spoke with her.
Morphology
- וַיֵּ֣לֶךְ (va-yelekh) – Root: הלך (halakh); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “And he went”; Notes: Initiates a group movement led by Ḥilqiyahu.
- חִלְקִיָּ֣הוּ הַכֹּהֵן (Ḥilqiyahu ha-kohen) – Root: חלקיה (Ḥilqiyahu), כהן (kohen); Form: Proper noun + definite noun; Translation: “Ḥilqiyahu the priest”; Notes: High priest leading the delegation.
- וַאֲחִיקָ֨ם (va-ʾAḥiqam) – Root: אחיקם (Aḥiqam); Form: Conjunction + proper noun; Translation: “and Aḥiqam”; Notes: Royal official, son of Shafan.
- וְעַכְבֹּ֜ור (ve-ʿAkbor) – Root: עַכְבּוֹר (ʿAkbor); Form: Conjunction + proper noun; Translation: “and ʿAkbor”; Notes: Another court official.
- וְשָׁפָ֣ן (ve-Shafan) – Root: שָׁפָן (Shafan); Form: Conjunction + proper noun; Translation: “and Shafan”; Notes: The scribe who read the scroll to the king.
- וַעֲשָׂיָ֗ה (va-ʿAsayah) – Root: עשיה (ʿAsayah); Form: Conjunction + proper noun; Translation: “and ʿAsayah”; Notes: Servant of the king.
- אֶל־חֻלְדָּ֨ה הַנְּבִיאָ֜ה (el-Ḥuldah ha-neviyah) – Root: חלדה (Ḥuldah), נבא (naviʾ); Form: Preposition + proper noun + definite noun feminine; Translation: “to Ḥuldah the prophetess”; Notes: A recognized female prophet in the time of Yoshiyahu.
- אֵ֣שֶׁת שַׁלֻּ֣ם (eshet Shallum) – Root: אשה (ishah), שלם (Shallum); Form: Construct noun + proper noun; Translation: “the wife of Shallum”; Notes: Identification through marriage.
- בֶּן־תִּקְוָ֗ה (ben-Tiqwah) – Root: בן (ben), תקוה (Tiqwah); Form: Construct noun + proper noun; Translation: “son of Tiqwah”; Notes: Lineage tracing.
- בֶּן־חַרְחַס֙ (ben-Ḥarḥas) – Root: בן (ben), חרחס (Ḥarḥas); Form: Construct noun + proper noun; Translation: “son of Ḥarḥas”; Notes: Further ancestry given.
- שֹׁמֵ֣ר הַבְּגָדִ֔ים (shomer ha-begadim) – Root: שמר (shamar), בגד (beged); Form: Participle masculine singular + definite plural noun; Translation: “keeper of the garments”; Notes: Possibly a Temple official responsible for vestments.
- וְהִ֛יא יֹשֶׁ֥בֶת (ve-hi yoshevet) – Root: ישׁב (yashav); Form: Pronoun + Qal participle feminine singular; Translation: “now she was dwelling”; Notes: Parenthetical remark giving her location.
- בִּירוּשָׁלִַ֖ם (bi-Yerushalayim) – Root: ירושלים (Yerushalayim); Form: Preposition + proper noun; Translation: “in Yerushalayim”; Notes: Location of the prophetess.
- בַּמִּשְׁנֶ֑ה (ba-mishneh) – Root: שנה (shanah); Form: Preposition + definite noun feminine singular; Translation: “in the Second Quarter”; Notes: A district or suburb of Yerushalayim.
- וַֽיְדַבְּר֖וּ אֵלֶֽיהָ (va-yedabberu eleha) – Root: דבר (davar); Form: Piel wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine plural + preposition + 3rd person feminine singular suffix; Translation: “and they spoke with her”; Notes: Marks the delegation’s consultation with Ḥuldah.