Bible Encyclopedias
Ethan

The 1901 Jewish Encyclopedia

Search for…

Enter query below:

or

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

Prev Entry
Eternal Punishment

Next Entry
Ethausen, Alexander ben Moses

Resource Toolbox

Print Article

Additional Links

Concordances
Nave Topical Bible
• Ethan
Dictionaries
American Tract Society
• Ethan
Easton's Bible Dictionary
• Ethan
Fausset Bible Dictionary
• Ethan
Holman Bible Dictionary
• Ethan
Hitchcock Bible Names
• Ethan
Hastings' BibleDictionary
• Ethan
Morrish Bible Dictionary
• Ethan
Smith Bible Dictionary
• Ethan
Webster Dictionary
• Ethane
Watson's Theological Dictionary
• Ethan
Encyclopedias
1911 Encyclopedia Britannica
• Ethan Allen
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
• Ethan
Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia
• Ethan
McClintock and Strong's Bible Encyclopedia
• Allen, Ethan (1)
• Allen, Ethan (2)
• Allen, Ethan (3), D.D.
•   (only first 3 shown)
The Nuttall Encyclopedia
• Allen, Ethan
The Jewish Encyclopedia
• Ethan
Lexicons
• אֵיתָן

1. A man famous for his wisdom (1 Kings 4:31); it is said that Solomon was wiser than he, although it is not clear from this passage whether he was Solomon's contemporary or whether he lived before that king. The matter is settled, however, in 1 Chronicles 2:6,8, where he is mentioned as the representative of the third generation after Judah. There are no grounds for identifying this Ethan with the "Etana" of the Babylonian mythology (comp. M. Jastrow, "Religion of Babylonia and Assyria," p. 519), since Etana was not famous for his wisdom. On Ethan as the author of Psalms 89 (verse 1) see Ezrahite.
2. Descendant of Levi's eldest son, Gershom; he was the ancestor of the celebrated Asaph, and the grandfather of a man named Zerah (1 Chronicles 6:42).
3. One of the descendants of Levi's third son, Merari (1 Chronicles 6:29), and a son of Rishi or Kushaiah ( ib.; 15:17). This third Ethan was one of the famous triad of musicians, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan (elsewhere called "Jeduthun"), appointed by David (ib. 15:16-19). This Ethan-Jeduthun probably composed the music to Psalm , in the superscription to which he bears the title "menaẓẓeaḥ" (prefect, or conductor). Descendants of Jeduthun are mentioned (2 Chronicles 29:14) as living at the time of Hezekiah, and also after the Exile (Nehemiah 11:17). Ethan-Jeduthun has a still higher office, however, in 1 Chronicles 25:1, where he is one of the prophets of the second class, found in the sol-caled schools of the prophets (1 Samuel 10:5). In his songs he reproduced the utterances of the real prophets, and, having been commissioned by the king, he was called the "king's seer" (2 Chronicles 35:15). The same title is given to Heman (1 Chronicles 25:5) and also to Asaph (2 Chronicles 29:30).