Lives of Scripture

Heman appears in Scripture almost entirely by comparison. Listing Solomon's God-given wisdom, 1 Kings 4:29-31 says that Solomon "was wiser than all men, than Ethan the Ezrahite, Heman, Calcol and Darda, the sons of Mahol" -- naming Heman among a small group of sages evidently famous enough in Israel's collective memory that comparing Solomon favorably to them meant something to the original audience. 1 Chronicles 2:6 places Heman among the "sons of Zerah" of the tribe of Judah, alongside Ethan, Calcol, and Dara (spelling varies slightly between the two lists). Beyond this genealogical and comparative notice, nothing about Heman's own words, deeds, or circumstances is recorded. He is sometimes identified with "Heman the Ezrahite," credited in the title of Psalm 88 -- one of the bleakest psalms in the Psalter, a lament that ends without resolution -- since "Ezrahite" traditionally denotes descent from Zerah, matching this Heman's lineage. But a Levitical musician also named Heman, David's chief singer, held a comparably prominent place in Israel's worship (1 Chronicles 6:33; 25:5), and some assign the psalm to him instead. Scripture itself never settles which Heman, if either, is the Ezrahite of Psalm 88's title; what remains certain is only that this Heman's name stood, in Solomon's era, as shorthand for wisdom worth being compared to.