Heman the Ezrahite

Heman the Ezrahite (Hebrew: הֵימָן הָאֶזְרָחִי‎ Hēmān hā’Ezrāḥī) is the author of Psalm 88 in the Hebrew Bible, according to the Psalm's colophon.

B. Bava Batra connects the name Heman to the semitic root אמנ (ʔ-m-n) meaning "trusted,"[1] while CYDA speculates it is from נתן (n-t-n) and means "given."[2] It is found sixteen times in the New International Version of the Bible.[3] The ethnonym is sometimes understood to mean "of Zerah," with the aleph prosthetic,[4] to mean "of Ezrah," or, alternatively, to mean "the native" who founded a tradition of bards.[5]

Heman the Ezrahite may be one of the three Levites assigned by King David to be ministers of music. This Heman was a grandson of Samuel the prophet[6] who went on to become King David's seer and to have fourteen sons and three daughters.[7]

  1. ^ "Bava Batra 15a:10". Sefaria.org. Retrieved 2022-05-13.
  2. ^ "Chomat Anakh on I Kings 5:11:1". Sefaria.org. Retrieved 2022-05-13.
  3. ^ "BibleGateway.com - Keyword Search". Biblegateway.com. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  4. ^ "Rashi on Psalms 88:1:4". Sefaria.org. Retrieved 2022-05-13.
  5. ^ "Ibn Ezra on Psalms 88:1:2". Sefaria.org. Retrieved 2022-05-13.
  6. ^ 1 Chronicles 6:33–34
  7. ^ 1 Chronicles 25:5