Huldah

In Latin, the verses in II Chronicles which deal with Huldah's contribution are written as follows:

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Et Helcia, et quem constituerat, perrexit ad Oldam prophetidem, uxorem Sellum. (Oldam autem habitabat in Hierusalem in secunda parte.) Locutique sunt ad Oldam iuxta regis imperium. Holdam et respondit et ait haec dicit Dominus Deus Israel.
Secundo libro Paralipomenon 34:22-23, novum English Biblia.

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In Latin, Huldah is written as Oldam.

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The Greek version of the same passage from II Chronicles is written as follows:

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Και Χελκίας, και τον οποίο ο βασιλιάς όρισε, πήγε να Όλδα, η προφήτισσα, η σύζυγος του Σαλλουμ. (Τώρα Όλδα έζησε στην Ιερουσαλήμ, κατά το δεύτερο τρίμηνο.) Και μίλησαν για Όλδα σύμφωνα με την εντολή του βασιλιά. Και Όλδα τους απάντησε, και είπε, έτσι λέει ο Κύριος ο Θεός του Ισραήλ.
Το δεύτερο βιβλίο των Χρονικών 34:22-23, νέα αγγλικής Βίβλου.

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In Greek, Huldah is written as follows:

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Όλδα

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In Hebrew, the same passage from II Chronicles 34 is written as follows:

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ו חלקיה, והם אשר המלך מינה, הלך חולדה, הנביאה אשת שלם. (עכשיו חולדה חיה בירושלים, ברבעון השני.) והם דיברו חולדה על פי פקודת המלך. ו חולדה השיב להם ואמר: כה אמר ה 'אלוהי ישראל.
הספר השני של דברי הימים 34:22-23, ניו אנגלית תנ"ך.

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The English translation of this passage is as follows:

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And Hilkiah, and they whom the king had appointed, went to Huldah, the prophetess, the wife of Shallum. (Now Huldah lived in Jerusalem, in the second quarter.) And they spoke to Huldah according to the king's command. And Huldah answered them, and said, thus says the Lord God of Israel.
Second book of Chronicles 34:22-23, New English Bible.

I would agree that Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary cites the major meaning of the name of Huldah to be "the world."

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Although I personally also believe that the translations of weasel and other members of the weasel family are also intriguing - including ferret, otter and mink. It was a common practice among Jewish families to give children names which denoted animals. For example, Zipporah denotes a bird, Deborah denotes a bee and Rachel denotes a ewe lamb. It seems highly unlikely that any parent would have given a child the name of an animal which the parents did not regard with deep respect. So I am inclined to believe, also, that IF the parents of Huldah DID name their daughter after the weasel or a member of the weasel family, it was most likely because they regarded the weasel as a fierce fighter, or the otter as gentle and playful or the mink as beautiful.

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Following are the ways in which the various meanings of the name Huldah would appear in Greek, including the world, world, weasel, ferret, otter and mink. It is interesting that the English word for Cosmos comes from the Greek root word for world:

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The World
τον κόσμο

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World
κόσμο

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Weasel
νυφίτσα

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Ferret
κουνάβι

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Otter
βίδρα

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Mink
βιζόν

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Jewish scholars regard Deborah and Huldah as two of the major prophetesses named in the Old Testament. Huldah was apparently highly respected during her time period. The Huldah Gates in the Southern Wall of the Temple Mount are thought to have been named either for the Prophetess Huldah or for the school where Huldah taught - most likely the oral doctrine. The passages in II Kings 22 and II Chronicles 34 which deal with Huldah's advice to King Josiah show that Huldah was regarded as a prophetess who was accustomed to speaking the word of God directly to high priests and royal officials, to whom high officials came in supplication, who told kings and nations of their fates, who had the authority to determine what was and was not the genuine Law, and who spoke in a manner of stern command when acting as a prophetess. According to Rabbinic tradition, Huldah was regarded as a relative of the prophet Jeremiah, and both were thought to be descendants of Rahab by Rahab's marriage with Joshua (Sifre, Num. 78; Meg. 14a, b). (Joshua 2 and 6).

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Scholars are divided as to the exact nature of the book which Huldah pronounced to be the authentic Word of the Lord. Some scholars believe that the lost book was the original Torah, written by Moses, which had been hidden during the reign of Ahaz. However, modern critical scholars suggest that the book of the law which King Josiah sent to the Prophetess Huldah was most likely the book of Deuteronomy.

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In Hebrew, Huldah is written as follows:
חולדה

Although Americans seem to consider the word "weasel" to have a negative connotation - there is NO indication that the members of the weasel family were regarded negatively in Ancient Israel - especially during the time period of the prophetess Huldah. The "weasel" family includes the mink - which has been prized for generations for its fur. The weasel family also includes the black-footed ferret. Surely most people are not speaking negatively when they talk about "ferreting out the truth." Another member of the "Weasel" family is the otter. I have heard that people who have had opportunities to watch both sea otters and river otters at play regard these animals as gentle and playful. Even the weasel itself - which probably has the kind of negative reputation which comes as much from poor public information as from anything else - is a tenacious fighter. Mother weasels in the wild have been known to attack much larger animals - such as bears - whenever their young are threatened. Just because modern day American slang has given the weasel a bad reputation does NOT mean that those animals suffered from a similarly bad reputation in the era during which Huldah served as a prophetess in Israel. I have a number of Native American friends who have named their children "Ferret," "Mink," or "Otter" - and the children have been proud to be so named.

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It IS interesting, however, that the Hitchcock Dictionary of Bible names translates Huldah as "world."

"Huldah" in modern Hebrew means "rat".