Hilkiah

Hilkiah is a Hebrew given name found in the Hebrew Bible. The name is theophoric, typically understood to mean “Yahweh is my portion” or “my portion is Yahweh,” reflecting the common biblical practice of invoking the divine name in personal names.

The most prominent Hilkiah is Hilkiah the high priest of Jerusalem during the reign of King Josiah in the late 7th century BCE. He is associated with the discovery of the Book of the Law in the Temple during the temple rebuilding overseen by Josiah. In 2 Kings 22:8 and 2 Chronicles 34:14, Hilkiah is described as the priest who found the book, a discovery linked to the broader religious reforms of Josiah’s reign.

Another notable bearer of the name is Hilkiah, the father of the prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah 1:1 identifies Jeremiah as “the words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth,” locating him in the priestly family in Anathoth, a town in the territory of Benjamin. This Hilkiah is described as a priest, highlighting the intersection of prophetic activity and priestly lineage in Jeremiah’s early career.

Beyond these figures, the name Hilkiah appears in various priestly lists and genealogies within biblical genealogies and chronicles, indicating its use among the priestly families of ancient Israel. In biblical literature, Hilkiah thus represents both a high priest involved in Josiah’s reform era and a priestly lineage associated with Jeremiah, reflecting the name’s enduring association with Israel’s religious leadership.