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Bible Encyclopedias
Darda
Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature
or (Heb. Darda', דִּרְדִּע . pearl of knowledge; Sept. Δαρδάλα v. r. τὸν δάραα; Josephus, Δάρδανος v. r. Δάρθανος, Ant. 8:2, 5; Vulg. Dorda), a son of Mahol, one of four men of great fame for their wisdom, but who were excelled by Solomon (1 Kings 4:31). B.C. ante 1010. Ethan, the first of the four, is called "the Ezrachite," but it is uncertain whether the designation extends to others. In 1 Chronicles 2:6, however, the same four names occur again as "sons of Zerach," of the great family of Pharez, in the tribe of Judah, with the slight difference that "Darda" appears as "Dara." The identity of these persons with those in 1 Kings 4 has been greatly debated (see the arguments on both sides in Burrington, 1:206-8); but there cannot be much reasonable doubt that they are the same (Movers, Kritik. Unters. p. 237); although Keil argues that nothing can be proved from the mere identity of the names (Versuch ub. der Chron. p. 164). There is nothing to support the Jewish tradition (in the Seder Olam Rabba) that they prophesied during the Egyptian bondage. (See ETHAN).
(1.) A great number of Hebr. MSS. read Darda in Chron. (Davidson, Hebr. Text, p. 210), in which they are followed by the Targum and the Syriac and Arabic versions. (See DARA).
(2.) The son of Zerach would without difficulty be called in Hebrew the Ezrachite, the change depending merely on the position of a vowel point. And further, the change is actually made by the Targum Jonathan, which in Kings has "son of Zerach." (See EZRAHITE).
(3.) The word "son" is used in Hebrew so often to denote a descendant beyond the first generation that no stress can be laid on the "son of Mahol" as compared with the "son of Zerach." For instance, of the five "sons of Judah" in 1 Chronicles 4:1, the first was really Judah's son, the second his grandson, the third his great grandson, and the fourth and fifth still later descendants. Besides, there is some plausibility in the conjecture that "Bene Mahol" means "sons of the choir" (comp. "daughters of music," Ecclesiastes 12:4), in which case the men in question were the famous musicians, two of whom are named in the titles to Psalms 88, 89. (See MAHOL).
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McClintock, John. Strong, James. Entry for 'Darda'. Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature. https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/tce/d/darda.html. Harper & Brothers. New York. 1870.
