Lives of Scripture

Joah, son of Zimmah, belonged to the Gershonite branch of the Levites (1 Chronicles 6:20-21). When Hezekiah became king of Judah and set about undoing the religious neglect of his father Ahaz's reign, he opened the doors of the temple and summoned the Levites, telling them, "consecrate yourselves now, and consecrate the house of the LORD... and carry the uncleanness out from the holy place" (2 Chronicles 29:3-5). Joah answered that call, named among the Levites "of the Gershonites" who arose alongside representatives from the Kohathite and Merarite clans (29:12) -- and notably, his own son Eden served in the same effort (29:12). Together these Levites gathered their brothers, consecrated themselves, and went to work removing everything unclean from the temple, carrying it out to the Kidron Valley over the course of eight days before the sanctuary itself could be reconsecrated and sacrifice resumed (29:15-19). Joah's name survives only within this list of participants, but the list itself records a real, dated act of obedience -- a family of Levites, father and son together, taking part in one of Judah's great moments of national repentance and renewal under a king determined to turn the nation back to the LORD.