Tikvath is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Tikvath was the father of Shallum, the husband of the prophetess Huldah. He is mentioned only once in the King James Bible, in 2 Chronicles 34:22, where he appears in a genealogy that identifies Huldah’s family line. The text describes Huldah as “the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe.” This places Tikvath two generations before Shallum, with Hasrah named as Tikvath’s own father.
The setting of this reference is the reign of King Josiah of Judah, during a time of significant religious reform. Josiah had ordered the repair of the temple, and during that work Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law. When the king heard the words of the Law read, he tore his clothes in distress and sent a delegation—including Hilkiah and others appointed by the king—to inquire of the LORD. They went to Huldah the prophetess, who delivered God’s word concerning the coming judgment on Judah and the mercy extended to Josiah because of his humility.
Tikvath himself does not act or speak in the narrative. He is named only as an ancestor, a link in the chain that leads to Shallum and thus to Huldah. Scripture records nothing else about him—no deeds, no words, no personal history. His entire appearance in the biblical text is this single genealogical notation, which serves to identify Huldah’s husband and, by extension, to ground the prophetess within a real family and lineage.
The Name
The name Tikvath is understood to derive from the Hebrew root *qavah*, meaning “to wait” or “to hope,” and is commonly rendered as “hope” or “expectation.” It is related to the Hebrew word *tikvah*, which carries the sense of a cord or expectation—a waiting that is anchored and sure. The meaning is reasonably well established among Hebrew name studies, though as with many ancient names, the precise nuance can vary. What is clear is that the name carries a positive, forward-looking sense of hope or waiting upon God.
A Closing Thought
Tikvath leaves us no record of his own words or works—only a name passed down through his son and daughter-in-law. Yet that name means “hope,” and it is striking that his grandchild by marriage was Huldah, the prophetess through whom God spoke hope and judgment to a king. We do not know what Tikvath did or how he lived, but we know he belonged to a line that carried hope forward into a pivotal moment in Israel’s history. Quiet faithfulness in one generation can become the foundation for God’s work in the next.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: Old
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- 2 Chronicles 34:22 — And Hilkiah, and they that the king had appointed, went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college:) and they spake to her to that effect.