Heman (Bible)

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Heman the Ezrahite is described as the author of Psalm 88 in the Bible. The name Heman is also listed as an ancestor of Jerimoth in Chronicles. J. A. Motyer, former Principal of Trinity College, Bristol, comments:

The name 'Heman' is a Jewish name, meaning 'Faithfull'. You will find it approximately 10 times in the bible (eg. see: [1])

The Psalm written by Heman 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.”

Psalm 88 ends by saying:

You have taken my companions and loved ones from me; the darkness is my closest friend. (Psalm 88:18, NIV).

Indeed, in Hebrew, the last word of the Psalm 88 is "darkness" The only other Psalm in the Bible that similarly ends without any hope is Psalm 39.