HEMAN . There appear at first to be three different men of this name in the OT. 1. A legendary wise man whose wisdom Solomon excelled ( 1 Kings 4:31 ). 2. A son (or clan) of Zerah of the tribe of Judah ( 1 Chronicles 2:6 ), probably also alluded to in the title of Psalms 88:1-18 as Heman the Ezrahite, Ezrah being another form of Zechariah 3 Zechariah 3 Zechariah 3 . A Korahite singer of the time of David, said to be the son of Joel the son of Samuel ( 1 Chronicles 6:33; cf. also 1Ch 15:17; 1 Chronicles 15:19 , 1 Chronicles 16:41 , 1 Chronicles 25:1-6 ). As Chronicles in a number of cases confuses the genealogy of Judah with that of Levi (cf., e.g. , 1 Chronicles 2:42-43 with 1 Chronicles 6:2 ), and as the wise men of 1 Kings 4:31 are legendary, it is probable that the three Hemans are the same legendary ancestor of a clan celebrated for its music and wisdom. This view finds some support in the fact that the title of Psalms 88:1-18 makes Heman both an Ezrahite (Judahite) and a Korahite (Levite).
George A. Barton.