Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribeHilkiah, serving as the high priest, held a significant religious role in Judah, responsible for maintaining the temple and its rituals. His interaction with Shaphan, a scribe and royal secretary, highlights the collaboration between religious and governmental authorities. This partnership was crucial for the implementation of religious reforms. Shaphan's role as a scribe indicates his literacy and authority in matters of state and religion, reflecting the importance of written records in ancient Judah.
“I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD!”
The discovery of the Book of the Law, likely a form of Deuteronomy, was a pivotal moment in Judah's history. The "house of the LORD" refers to Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem, the central place of worship. This finding suggests that the Law had been neglected or lost during previous reigns, possibly due to idolatrous practices. The rediscovery signifies a divine intervention to restore covenantal faithfulness. The Book of the Law served as a foundation for King Josiah's reforms, emphasizing the importance of Scripture in guiding the nation.
And he gave it to Shaphan, who read it.
Hilkiah's decision to give the book to Shaphan underscores the trust and responsibility placed on the scribe. Shaphan's reading of the text indicates the oral tradition of disseminating important documents, ensuring that the king and his court were informed. This act of reading also symbolizes the reintroduction of God's commandments to the people, setting the stage for national repentance and reform. The public reading of the Law echoes similar events in Israel's history, such as Ezra's reading inNehemiah 8, reinforcing the transformative power of God's Word.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
HilkiahThe high priest during the reign of King Josiah, responsible for the spiritual oversight of the temple and its activities.
2.
ShaphanA scribe and royal secretary under King Josiah, tasked with administrative duties and communication between the king and the temple.
3.
The Book of the LawLikely a scroll containing the Torah, possibly Deuteronomy, which had been lost or neglected in the temple.
4.
The House of the LORDRefers to Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem, the central place of worship for the Israelites.
5.
King JosiahThe king of Judah who initiated religious reforms and sought to restore the worship of Yahweh.
Teaching Points
The Importance of ScriptureThe rediscovery of the Book of the Law underscores the necessity of God's Word in guiding personal and communal life. Just as it was pivotal for Josiah's reforms, Scripture should be central in our lives today.
Neglect and RediscoveryThe fact that the Book of the Law was lost in the temple serves as a warning against neglecting God's Word. We must regularly engage with Scripture to prevent spiritual drift.
Role of LeadershipHilkiah and Shaphan's roles highlight the responsibility of spiritual and administrative leaders to prioritize and facilitate access to God's Word. Leaders today should ensure that Scripture is accessible and central in their communities.
Personal and Communal RenewalThe reading of the Law led to significant religious reforms under Josiah. Similarly, personal and communal engagement with Scripture can lead to spiritual renewal and transformation.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of 2 Kings 22:8?
2.How does 2 Kings 22:8 emphasize the importance of rediscovering God's Word today?
3.What role did Hilkiah play in bringing spiritual reform according to 2 Kings 22:8?
4.How can we ensure God's Word remains central in our church community?
5.What parallels exist between 2 Kings 22:8 and modern-day biblical literacy challenges?
6.How should rediscovering Scripture impact our personal and communal spiritual practices?
7.What significance does the discovery of the Book of the Law hold in 2 Kings 22:8?
8.How does 2 Kings 22:8 challenge the authenticity of religious texts over time?
9.Why was the Book of the Law lost and forgotten before 2 Kings 22:8?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from 2 Kings 22?
11.Does the sudden discovery of lost scriptures in 2 Kings 22:8–13 contradict earlier biblical claims that the Law was carefully preserved?
12.How can we verify that the “Book of the Law” truly existed and was merely “found” in the Temple as claimed in 2 Kings 22:8?
13.Who were Josiah's sons?
14.Why is Huldah consulted instead of more prominent prophets in 2 Kings 22:14–20, and what does this imply about the narrative’s historical credibility?What Does 2 Kings 22:8 Mean
Setting and context•2 Kings 22 opens with Josiah beginning to reign at eight years old and later purposing “to repair the house of the LORD his God” (2 Chron 34:8), echoing earlier calls to honor the temple (1 Kings 6:12–13).
• Money brought to the temple is being counted and distributed honestly (2 Kings 22:4–7), showing the reforms have already begun, setting the stage for a greater discovery.
• The narrative parallels 2 Chron 34:14–15, anchoring the event historically and confirming its authenticity.
Discovery of the book• “Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, ‘I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD!’” (2 Kings 22:8).
• The phrase “Book of the Law” points back to Moses’ writings kept beside the ark (Deuteronomy 31:24–27), underscoring divine preservation.
• The discovery inside the temple highlights both God’s sovereignty and Judah’s previous neglect—Scripture had been physically present but spiritually forgotten (2 Kings 21:22).
Weight of the “Book of the Law”• The likely content is the Pentateuch or at least Deuteronomy, which contained covenant blessings and curses (Deuteronomy 28).
• Its sudden reappearance fulfills God’s promise that His word endures (Isaiah 40:8).
• Cross‐reference: when a king reads the Law, he is to “fear the LORD his God” and “not turn aside” (Deuteronomy 17:18–20); Josiah will soon model this.
The roles of Hilkiah and Shaphan• Hilkiah, as high priest, represents spiritual leadership reclaiming its duty (Leviticus 16:32).
• Shaphan, as scribe, bridges priestly discovery and royal action—comparable to Ezra reading the Law publicly (Nehemiah 8:1–8).
• The handoff illustrates orderly stewardship: God’s word moves from priest to scribe to king to people.
Immediate impact on reform• Shaphan “read it” (2 Kings 22:8), then read it aloud to Josiah (22:10), sparking heartfelt repentance—Josiah tears his clothes (22:11) and seeks prophetic counsel from Huldah (22:13–20).
• The chain reaction fulfills God’s pattern: hearing leads to conviction (Romans 10:17), conviction to repentance (Joel 2:12–13), and repentance to renewal (2 Kings 23:1–3).
• Similar revivals follow revived Scripture inNehemiah 8 andActs 2.
Spiritual lessons for today• God’s word may be “lost” in practice even while sitting in plain sight; rediscovery begins with opening it.
• Reform starts with leadership but must flow to every heart; households today echo Josiah’s charge to “read in their hearing all the words of this Book” (2 Kings 23:2).
• Scripture remains the final authority; when recovered, it exposes sin (Hebrews 4:12) and guides true worship (John 4:24).
summary2 Kings 22:8 records a literal, historical moment when God’s preserved word resurfaces in Judah. Hilkiah’s find, Shaphan’s reading, and Josiah’s response show that whenever Scripture is honored, God initiates deep reform. The verse reminds every generation to return to the Book, read it, and let it direct national, congregational, and personal life.
(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 Hilkiahחִלְקִיָּ֜הוּ(ḥil·qî·yā·hū)Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 2518:Hilkiah -- 'my portion is Yah', the name of several Israelitesthe highהַגָּדוֹל֙(hag·gā·ḏō·wl)Article | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 1419:Great, older, insolentpriestהַכֹּהֵ֤ן(hak·kō·hên)Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3548:Priestsaid toוַ֠יֹּאמֶר(way·yō·mer)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559:To utter, sayShaphanשָׁפָ֣ן(šā·p̄ān)Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 8227:A species of rockrabbit, the hyraxthe scribe,הַסֹּפֵ֔ר(has·sō·p̄êr)Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5608:To count, recount, relate“I have foundמָצָ֖אתִי(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 presentthe Bookסֵ֧פֶר(sê·p̄er)Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 5612:A missive, document, writing, bookof the Lawהַתּוֹרָ֛ה(hat·tō·w·rāh)Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 8451:Direction, instruction, lawin the houseבְּבֵ֣ית(bə·ḇêṯ)Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1004:A houseof the LORD!”יְהוָ֑ה(Yah·weh)Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068:LORD -- the proper name of the God of IsraelAnd heחִלְקִיָּ֧ה(ḥil·qî·yāh)Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 2518:Hilkiah -- 'my portion is Yah', the name of several Israelitesgaveוַיִּתֵּ֨ן(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, booktoאֶל־(’el-)Preposition
Strong's 413:Near, with, among, toShaphan,שָׁפָ֖ן(šā·p̄ān)Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 8227:A species of rockrabbit, the hyraxwho 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) 
