Joah (Recorder under Hezekiah)

Biblical Account

Joah appears in 2 Kings 18 and Isaiah 36. The two passages recount the same event in nearly identical terms. He is introduced as "Joah the son of Asaph the recorder" (2 Kings 18:18; Isaiah 36:3).

Sennacherib, king of Assyria, sent an army to threaten Jerusalem. When the Rabshakeh called for King Hezekiah, Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the recorder went out of the city to meet him (2 Kings 18:17–18). When the Rabshakeh demanded surrender in the Jews' language, the three men asked him to speak in Aramaic (the "Syrian language" of the KJV) so that the people on the wall would not understand. The Rabshakeh refused and instead cried out even more loudly in the Jews' language (2 Kings 18:26–28; Isaiah 36:11–13). As the king had commanded, the people answered him not a word. The three men tore their clothes and returned to Hezekiah to report the Rabshakeh's words (2 Kings 18:36–37; Isaiah 36:21–22).

In the following chapter, Hezekiah sends Eliakim, Shebna, and the elders of the priests to the prophet Isaiah (2 Kings 19:2). Joah's name does not appear in this list, and nothing further is recorded of him.

Significance Within Scripture

"Recorder" translates the Hebrew mazkir, a term understood to mean "one who causes to remember" or "one who records." Scholars generally take it to designate a high official responsible for recording royal affairs or for reporting to the king, though the text does not specify the exact duties of the office. Joah's appearance sheds light on the offices that existed at the royal court of Judah in Hezekiah's time. The request to speak in Aramaic is also frequently cited as evidence that Aramaic served as a diplomatic language among officials of the period. The New Testament does not mention Joah.

Interpretation and Points of Discussion

The text does not state whether Joah's father Asaph is the same person as Asaph the Levite who led worship in David's time, or a member of his family.

Several individuals in the Bible bear the name Joah and should be distinguished from one another:

• Joah the son of Zimmah, a Gershonite: one of the Levites who cleansed the temple in Hezekiah's time (2 Chronicles 29:12).
• Joah the son of Obed-edom: mentioned in 1 Chronicles 26:4.
• Joah the recorder under Josiah: mentioned in 2 Chronicles 34:8.

All of these are regarded as different individuals from the Joah of this article. He is also distinct from Joash, who bears a similar name.

In the Korean Church

Sermons or teaching devoted specifically to Joah are rare. He is mainly mentioned within passages dealing with Hezekiah, Sennacherib's invasion, and the Rabshakeh's threats.