‘Then came out to him Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the recorder.'
‘Came out' signifies that they came out on to the wall to speak to him from it. These names were popular names at the time and the names, though not necessarily the persons, are attested to on seals that have been discovered. For Eliakim see Isaiah 22:20, where we are probably to see the same person. He was the royal chamberlain, acting in the king's name. Shebna, however is a scribe and probably not the one mentioned in Isaiah 22:15 who was the ‘treasurer'. The recorder (or ‘remembrancer') would be there to keep a strict record of what was said. The presence of these three powerful men might serve to confirm that there were three important Assyrians waiting to speak to them, ensuring a balancing of the sides.