Heman the Ezrahite

In today's world, Heman the Ezrahite has become a topic of great relevance and interest to a wide spectrum of society. Knowing more about Heman the Ezrahite is essential to understand its impact on various aspects of our daily lives. From its influence on the economy to its role in popular culture, Heman the Ezrahite has positioned itself as a central topic in contemporary discourse. In this article, we will delve into the world of Heman the Ezrahite to explore its different facets and its relevance in the current context.

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," while CYDA speculates it is from נתן (n-t-n) and means "given." It is found sixteen times in the New International Version of the Bible. The ethnonym is sometimes understood to mean "of Zerah," with the aleph prosthetic, to mean "of Ezrah," or, alternatively, to mean "the native" who founded a tradition of bards.

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 who went on to become King David's seer and to have fourteen sons and three daughters.

Works

Psalm 88 seems to have been written in a state of despair. According to Martin Marty, a professor of church history at the University of Chicago, Psalm 88 is “a wintry landscape of unrelieved bleakness.”

Nevertheless, the appeal to God in Psalm 88 begins with the following expression of faith: "O Yahweh, God of my salvation!" Three times (vss. 1, 9, and 13) the psalmist calls on the name of Yahweh. The psalmist accompanies each invocation with a reference to his perseverance in prayer. For example, in verse nine he declares, "I call on you, O Yahweh, every day."

See also

In literature

Madeleine L'Engle has a poem called "Herman the Ezragite: Psalm 88:18" in her collection A Cry Like a Bell. In it, she imagines the feelings of Heman (Herman) that led him to write Psalm 88.

References

  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
  8. ^ "Bible Gateway passage: Psalm 88 - Lexham English Bible". Biblegateway.com.
  9. ^ L'Engle, Madeleine (1987). A Cry Like a Bell. Wheaton, IL: Harold Shaw Publishers. p. 43. ISBN 0-87788-148-0.