I Kings 5: Smarter than the Average Bear

He was the wisest of all men: [wiser] thanEthan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Chalkol, and Darda the sons of Mahol. His famespread among all the surrounding nations” (verse 11) (וַיֶּחְכַּםמִכָּל־הָאָדָם מֵאֵיתָן הָאֶזְרָחִי וְהֵימָן וְכַלְכֹּל וְדַרְדַּע בְּנֵימָחוֹל וַיְהִי שְׁמוֹ בְּכָל־הַגּוֹיִם סָבִיב). Chapter 5 continues thediscussion of Shlomo’s wealth and his wisdom. Verse 11 claims that his wisdomwas greater than four individuals. Who were these four individuals? Rashipoints to a verse in I Chronicles 2:6 to show that these were relatives of Shlomowho were descendants of Yehudah. “The sons of Zerah: Zimri, Ethan, Heman,Chalkol, and Dara, five in all” (וּבְנֵי זֶרַח זִמְרִי וְאֵיתָן וְהֵימָןוְכַלְכֹּל וְדָרַע כֻּלָּם חֲמִשָּׁה) (I Chronicles 2:6). These names alsoappear as expert singers from the tribe of Levi later in Chronicles. “Thosewere the appointed men; and their sons were: the Kohathites: Heman the singer,son of Joel son of Samuel…” (וְאֵלֶּה הָעֹמְדִים וּבְנֵיהֶם מִבְּנֵיהַקְּהָתִי הֵימָן הַמְשׁוֹרֵר בֶּן־יוֹאֵל בֶּן־שְׁמוּאֵל) and “On the leftwere their kinsmen: the sons of Merari: Ethan son of Kishi son of Abdi son ofMalluch” (וּמִשְּׂמֹאלָם אֲחֵיהֶם בְּנֵי מְרָרִי אֵיתָן בֶּן־קִישִׁיבֶּן־עַבְדִּי בֶּן־מַלּוּךְ) (I Chronicles 6:18 and 29). Some of the namesappear in the musical directions in Psalms: “A song. A psalm of the Korahites.For the leader; on maḥalath leannoth. A maskil of Heman the Ezrahite” (שִׁירמִזְמוֹר לִבְנֵי־קֹרַח לַמְנַצֵּחַ עַל־מָחֲלַת לְעַנּוֹת מַשְׂכִּיל לְהֵימָןהָאֶזְרָחִי) (Psalm 88) and “A maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite” (מַשְׂכִּיללְאֵיתָן הָאֶזְרָחִי) (Psalm 89). That would imply that these individualswere expert musicians and lyricists, but verse 11 compares the wisdom of Shlomoto these individuals, so it would seem like an odd comparison if it were theseindividuals. The midrash explains that each of these names refers to someone inTanach. Man is Adam, Ethan is Avraham, Heman is Moshe, Chalkol is Yosef, Dardais the generation of the wilderness. The idea is that Shlomo was greater inwisdom than all of these scions of Israelite history. Perhaps the text does notlist these individuals by name so as not to embarrass them. Of course, thatbegs the question why list them at all. If Solomon’s wisdom is meant to beportrayed as the gold standard in the world, it would also be odd to only listIsraelites here. Although Solomon predated the great Greek philosophers by 500years, it is possible that these names referenced other great thinkers in theAncient Near East or Mediterranean. Perhaps these were the “fathers” to Plato,Socrates, and Aristotle.