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Person · Tribe of Judah

Heman

Man living at the time of United Monarchy

Heman was known for his wisdom, though not as wise as Solomon.

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Heman is mentioned in the book of 1 Kings as one of the wise men during the reign of King Solomon. He is described as a man of great wisdom, along with Ethan the Ezrahite and the sons of Mahol (1Ki.4.31). However, the passage also states that Solomon's wisdom surpassed that of all these men, indicating that Heman, while wise, was not as wise as Solomon himself. The comparison serves to highlight the exceptional wisdom that God had granted to Solomon.

Heman the Ezrahite was a psalmist and musician mentioned in the title of Psalm 88. He is described as "Heman the Ezrahite," indicating that he was a descendant of Zerah, one of the sons of Judah (Gen.38.30; 1Ch.2.6). Psalm 88, which is attributed to Heman, is a deeply sorrowful and introspective psalm, expressing the psalmist's anguish and despair. The psalm is unique in that it does not end with the usual expression of hope or praise found in most other psalms. This has led some scholars to suggest that Heman may have composed the psalm during a time of great personal distress or national crisis.

Family

Father
Mahol

Where Heman appears

2 verses in 2 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H1968

1 Kings1
Psalms1

Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.