So the priest Hilkiah, and Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to the prophetess Huldah—the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah son of Harhas, the keeper of the wardrobe—who was living in Jerusalem in the Mishneh, and they spoke to her. 15 She responded: “Thus said the LORD, the God of Israel: Say to the man who sent you to me:
Huldah was a prophetess, as it is written: “So Hilkiah the priest and Ahikam and Achbor and Shaphan and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess” (II Kings 22:14) as emissaries of King Josiah. The Gemara asks: But if Jeremiah was found there, how could she prophesy? Out of respect for Jeremiah, who was her superior, it would have been fitting that she not prophesy in his presence. The Sages of the school of Rav say in the name of Rav: Huldah was a close relative of Jeremiah, and he did not object to her prophesying in his presence.
An additional point is mentioned with regard to the prophetesses. Rav Naḥman said: Haughtiness is not befitting a woman. And a proof to this is that there were two haughty women, whose names were identical to the names of loathsome creatures. One, Deborah, was called a hornet, as her Hebrew name, Devorah, means hornet; and one, Huldah, was called a marten [similar to a weasel], as her name is the Hebrew term for that creature. From where is it known that they were haughty? With regard to Deborah, the hornet, it is written: “And she sent and called Barak” (Judges 4:6), but she herself did not go to him. And with regard to Huldah, the marten, it is written: “Say to the man that sent you to me” (II Kings 22:15), but she did not say: Say to the king.
(3) Still, why did King Josiah send for Hulda and not Jeremiah. The first answer is that Josiah thought he would receive more mercy from Hulda. A woman prophet would pray for Josiah’s kingdom if the prophecy was evil. This answer also seems to relate to the ambivalence the rabbis felt about women prophets/leaders. The woman was chosen, according to this section, because of her special abilities, unique to women.
The second answer is that Jeremiah was trying to bring back the lost ten tribes. This is a major theme in parts of the book of Jeremiah—his attempt to restore the northern kingdom that had been conquered by Sancheriv nearly 150 years earlier.
(7) Nahman notes that two of these seven prophetesses have animal names—Devorah means hornet, or bee, and Hulda means weasel. These are not particularly beloved animals. R. Nahman condemns these two women for the arrogant way in which they treat the authoritative men around them.
A feminist reading of this section would note the discomfort caused to R. Nahman by these strong women who don’t mind talking down to the men around them. This is the same discomfort the text noted above with regard to the king calling for Hulda instead of Jeremiah.