2 Kings 22:8
New International Version
Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the LORD.” He gave it to Shaphan, who read it.

New Living Translation
Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the court secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the LORD’s Temple!” Then Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan, and he read it.

English Standard Version
And Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.

Berean Standard Bible
Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD!” And he gave it to Shaphan, who read it.

King James Bible
And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.

New King James Version
Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.

New American Standard Bible
Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, who read it.

NASB 1995
Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan who read it.

NASB 1977
Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan who read it.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the book of the law in the house of Yahweh.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan and he read it.

Amplified Bible
Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house (temple) of the LORD.” Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.

Christian Standard Bible
The high priest Hilkiah told the court secretary Shaphan, “I have found the book of the law in the LORD’s temple,” and he gave the book to Shaphan, who read it.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Hilkiah the high priest told Shaphan the court secretary, “I have found the book of the law in the LORD’s temple,” and he gave the book to Shaphan, who read it.

American Standard Version
And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of Jehovah. And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan, and he read it.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And Khelqia the Priest High said to Shaphan the Scribe: “I have found the Scroll of the Law in the house of LORD JEHOVAH!” And Khelqia the Priest gave the Scroll of the Law to Shaphan the Scribe, and he read it.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Chelcias the high priest said to Saphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. And Chelcias gave the book to Sapphan, and he read it.

Contemporary English Version
While Shaphan was at the temple, Hilkiah handed him a book and said, "Look what I found here in the temple--The Book of God's Law." Shaphan read it,

Douay-Rheims Bible
And Helcias the high priest said to Saphan the scribe: I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord: and Helcias gave the book to Saphan, and he read it.

English Revised Version
And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan, and he read it.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The chief priest Hilkiah told the scribe Shaphan, "I have found the Book of Moses' Teachings in the LORD's temple." Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, who then read it.

Good News Translation
Shaphan delivered the king's order to Hilkiah, and Hilkiah told him that he had found the book of the Law in the Temple. Hilkiah gave him the book, and Shaphan read it.

International Standard Version
Later on, Hilkiah the high priest informed Shaphan the scribe, "I've discovered the Book of the Law in the LORD's Temple." Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he began to read it.

JPS Tanakh 1917
And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe: 'I have found the book of the Law in the house of the LORD.' And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan, and he read it.

Literal Standard Version
And Hilkiah the high priest says to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found [the] Scroll of the Law in the house of YHWH”; and Hilkiah gives the scroll to Shaphan, and he reads it.

Majority Standard Bible
Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD!” And he gave it to Shaphan, who read it.

New American Bible
The high priest Hilkiah informed the scribe Shaphan, “I have found the book of the law in the temple of the LORD.” Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, who read it.

NET Bible
Hilkiah the high priest informed Shaphan the scribe, "I found the law scroll in the LORD's temple." Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan and he read it.

New Revised Standard Version
The high priest Hilkiah said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD.” When Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, he read it.

New Heart English Bible
Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, "I have found the scroll of the law in the house of the LORD." Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan, and he read it.

Webster's Bible Translation
And Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.

World English Bible
Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the book of the law in Yahweh’s house.” Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan, and he read it.

Young's Literal Translation
And Hilkiah the high priest saith unto Shaphan the scribe, 'A book of the law I have found in the house of Jehovah;' and Hilkiah giveth the book unto Shaphan, and he readeth it.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Hilkiah Finds the Book of the Law
8Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD!” And he gave it to Shaphan, who read it. 9And Shaphan the scribe went to the king and reported, “Your servants have paid out the money that was found in the temple and have put it into the hands of the workers and supervisors of the house of the LORD.”…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 31:24
When Moses had finished writing in a book the words of this law from beginning to end,

2 Kings 22:9
And Shaphan the scribe went to the king and reported, "Your servants have paid out the money that was found in the temple and have put it into the hands of the workers and supervisors of the house of the LORD."

2 Kings 23:2
And he went up to the house of the LORD with all the people of Judah and Jerusalem, as well as the priests and the prophets--all the people small and great--and in their hearing he read all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the LORD.

2 Kings 23:24
Furthermore, Josiah removed the mediums and spiritists, the household gods and idols, and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem. He did this to carry out the words of the law written in the book that Hilkiah the priest had found in the house of the LORD.

2 Chronicles 34:14
While they were bringing out the money that had been taken into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the LORD written by Moses.

2 Chronicles 34:15
And Hilkiah said to Shaphan the scribe, "I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD!" And he gave it to Shaphan.


Treasury of Scripture

And Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.

I have found.

Deuteronomy 31:24-26
And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, …

2 Chronicles 34:14,15-28
And when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest found a book of the law of the LORD given by Moses…

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Book Chief Delivered Discovery Found High Hilkiah Hilki'ah Hilkijah House Law Priest Read Readeth Scribe Secretary Shaphan Temple
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Book Chief Delivered Discovery Found High Hilkiah Hilki'ah Hilkijah House Law Priest Read Readeth Scribe Secretary Shaphan Temple
2 Kings 22
1. Josiah's good reign.
3. He takes care for the repair of the temple.
8. Hilkiah having found a book of the law,
12. Josiah sends to Huldah to enquire of the Lord.
15. Huldah prophesies the destruction of Jerusalem, but respite thereof in Josiah's time.














(8) I have found.--Literally, the book of the Torah have I found. The definite form of the expression proves that what the high priest found was something already known; it was not a book, but the book of the Law. How little the critics are agreed as to the precise character and contents of the book in question is well shown by Thenius: "Neither the entire then existing Scripture (Sebastian Schmidt), nor the Pentateuch (Josephus, Clericus, Von Lengerke, Keil, Bahr,) nor the ordered collection of Mosaic laws contained in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers (Bertheau), nor the book of Exodus (Gramberg), nor the book of Deuteronomy (Reuss, Ewald, Hitzig) is to be understood by this expression. All these must have been brought into their present shape at a later time. What is meant is a collection of the statutes and ordinances of Moses, which has been worked up (verarbeitet) in the Pentateuch, and especially in Deuteronomy. This work is referred to by Jeremiah (Jeremiah 11:1-17),and was called "The Book of the Covenant" (2Kings 23:2). According to 2Chronicles 17:9 it already existed in the time of Jehoshaphat (comp. 2Kings 11:12, "the Testimony"); was probably preserved in the Ark (Deuteronomy 31:26), along with which in the reign of Manasseh it was put on one side. When after half a century of disuse it was found again by the high priest in going through the chambers of the Temple with a view to the intended repairs, in the Ark which, though cast aside, was still kept in the Temple, it appeared like something new, because it had been wholly forgotten (for a time), so that Shaphan could say: 'Hilkiah has given me a book' (2Kings 22:10)." (See also the Notes on 2Chronicles 34:14.) . . . Verses 8-14. - Discovery of the book of the Law. When Shaphan had transacted with Hilkiah the business entrusted to him by the king, Hilkiah took the opportunity of sending word by him to the king with respect to a discovery that he had recently made, during the investigations connected with the repairs. He had found a book, which he called without any doubt or hesitation, "the book of the Law" - סֵפֶר הַתּורָה - and this book he put into the hands of Shaphan, who "read it," i.e. some of it, and found it of such importance that he took it back with him to the palace, and read a portion to the king. Hereupon the king "rent his clothes," and required that special inquiry should be made of the Lord concerning the words of the book, and particularly concerning the threatenings contained in it. The persons entrusted with this task thought it best to lay the matter before Huldah, a prophetess, who lived in Jerusalem at the time, and pro-seeded to confer with her at her residence. Verse 8. - And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the Law in the house of the Lord. There has been great difference of opinion as to what it was which Hilkiah had found. Ewald believes it to have been the Book of Deuteronomy, which had, he thinks, been composed some thirty or forty years before in Egypt by a Jewish exile, and had found its way, by a sort of chance, into Palestine, where "some priest" had placed a copy of it in the temple ('History of Israel,' vol. 4. pp. 233-235). Thenius suggests "a collection of the laws and ordinances of Moses, which was afterwards worked up into the Pentateuch;" Bertheau, "the three middle books of the Pentateuch, Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers;" Gramberg, "Exodus by itself." But there seem to be no sufficient grounds for questioning the ancient opinion - that of Josephus, and of the Jews generally - that it was a copy of the entire Pentateuch. (So De Wette, 'Einleitung in das Alt. Test.,' § 162 a; Keil, 'Commentary on Kings,' pp. 477, 478; Bahr, 'Commentary,' vol. 6. p. 257; and others). The words, סֵפֶר הַתּורָה, "the book of the Law," are really sufficient to decide the point; since, as Keil says, they "cannot mean anything else, either grammatically or historically, than the Mosaic book of the Law (the Pentateuch), which is so designated, as is generally admitted, in the Chronicles and the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah." The same conclusion follows from the expression, "the book of the covenant" (סֵפֶר הַּבְןןרִית), in 2 Kings 23:2, and also from 2 Kings 23:24, 25, and 2 Chronicles 34:14. Whether or no the copy was the actual original deposited in the ark of the covenant by Moses (Deuteronomy 31:26), as Keil believes, is doubtful. As Egyptian manuscripts which are from three to four thousand years old still exist in good condition, there can be no reason why a manuscript of Moses' time should not have been found and have been legible in Josiah's. But, if not the actual handwriting of Moses, it was probably its lineal descendant - the copy made for the temple service, and kept ordinarily "in the side of the ark" - which may well have been lost in the time of Manasseh or Amen, and which was now happily "found." And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. We need not suppose that Shaphan read the whole. But he read enough to show him how important the work was, and how necessary it was to make it known to the king.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Then Hilkiah
חִלְקִיָּ֜הוּ (ḥil·qî·yā·hū)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 2518: Hilkiah -- 'my portion is Yah', the name of several Israelites

the high
הַגָּדוֹל֙ (hag·gā·ḏō·wl)
Article | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 1419: Great, older, insolent

priest
הַכֹּהֵ֤ן (hak·kō·hên)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3548: Priest

said to
וַ֠יֹּאמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

Shaphan
שָׁפָ֣ן (šā·p̄ān)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 8227: A species of rockrabbit, the hyrax

the scribe,
הַסֹּפֵ֔ר (has·sō·p̄êr)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5608: To count, recount, relate

“I have found
מָצָ֖אתִי (mā·ṣā·ṯî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 4672: To come forth to, appear, exist, to attain, find, acquire, to occur, meet, be present

the Book
סֵ֧פֶר (sê·p̄er)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 5612: A missive, document, writing, book

of the Law
הַתּוֹרָ֛ה (hat·tō·w·rāh)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 8451: Direction, instruction, law

in the house
בְּבֵ֣ית (bə·ḇêṯ)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1004: A house

of the LORD!”
יְהוָ֑ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

And he
חִלְקִיָּ֧ה (ḥil·qî·yāh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 2518: Hilkiah -- 'my portion is Yah', the name of several Israelites

gave
וַיִּתֵּ֨ן (way·yit·tên)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set

[it]
הַסֵּ֛פֶר (has·sê·p̄er)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5612: A missive, document, writing, book

to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

Shaphan,
שָׁפָ֖ן (šā·p̄ān)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 8227: A species of rockrabbit, the hyrax

who read it.
וַיִּקְרָאֵֽהוּ׃ (way·yiq·rā·’ê·hū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7121: To call, proclaim, read


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OT History: 2 Kings 22:8 Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan (2Ki iiKi ii ki 2 kg 2kg)
2 Kings 22:7
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