I KINGS 4:31

Q: This passage states Solomon’s wisdom was greater than Ethan the Ezrahite, Heman, Calcol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. Do we know anything else about these people? Are they historically famous for their wisdom? Should we know who they are?

Heman and Ethan are listed as the authors of Psalms 88 and 89, respectively. Their lineage is given as the sons of Zerah in I Chronicles 2:6. This seems to be a contradiction with the I Kings passage, which says they are the “sons of Mahol.” However, the Hebrew phrase can also be translated as “sons of the dance” or “members of the orchestral guild,” either one of which refers to the common use of dance and music in Hebrew worship. (Mordechai Cogan, I Kings, p. 222)

The names Ethan and Heman also appear in I Chronicles 15 as temple singers. There is great uncertainty among scholars as to whether these are the same as the people mentioned in Psalms and I Kings. Cogan says they are purported to be; New Bible Dictionary (p. 394, 519) says they are not the same; and Beth Tanner (The Book of Psalms, p. 675) says we can't be sure.

Regarding Calcol and Darda, we know even less since they aren't mentioned again in Scripture. Cogan (p. 221), however, says that all the names in I Kings 4:31 appear to come from the Arab tribes in the eastern deserts. This would fit in with the reputation for wisdom that other noted Arab poets such as Agur and Lemuel held (see Proverbs 30-31). We are rightly curious about these people and many others named in the Bible who form that great cloud of witnesses with which we are surrounded and whom we hope to one day meet in person.