Hebrew word · H387

אֵיתָן

'eitan

Ethan

As an ordinary word, ʾêtān means permanent, enduring or ever-flowing. It is used of a stream that never dries up (Deut 21:4; Amos 5:24, "an ever-flowing stream"), of a nation that has lasted (Jer 5:15), and of what is firm and strong (Mic 6:2, "enduring foundations").

Appears 8 times in 8 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

A man of the tribe of Levi living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Ch.6.44;

son of: Kishi (H7029);

father of: Obed-edom (H5654), Mattithiah (H4993H), Gedaliah (H1436I), Zeri (H6874), Jeshaiah (H3470H), Hashabiah (H2811I), Shemaiah (H8098K) and Uzziel (H5816K); also called Ethan at 1Ch.6.44; 15.17,19;

Another name of ye.du.tun (יְדוּתוּן "Jeduthun" H3038G)

§ Ethan = "enduring"

1) an Ezrahite known for his wisdom

2) a grandson of Judah, father of Azariah

3) a Kohathite descendant of Levi

4) a Merarite son of Kushaiah, descendant of Levi

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of 1 Chronicles 2:8

Range of meaning

As an ordinary word, ʾêtān means permanent, enduring or ever-flowing. It is used of a stream that never dries up (Deut 21:4; Amos 5:24, "an ever-flowing stream"), of a nation that has lasted (Jer 5:15), and of what is firm and strong (Mic 6:2, "enduring foundations"). As a name, Ethan was borne by several men: this Judahite son of Zerah, a Levitical singer (1 Chr 6:42, 44; 15:17, 19), and "Ethan the Ezrahite" (1 Kgs 4:31; Ps 89 heading).

Against the English

English versions simply transliterate the name, which is correct. The reader just doesn't hear the sense of "enduring" that a Hebrew ear would have caught.

Used elsewhere in the period

1 Kings 4:31 praises Solomon as wiser than "Ethan the Ezrahite, Heman, Calcol and Darda". 1 Chronicles 2:6 lists Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol and Dara as sons of Zerah. "Ezrahite" most likely means "Zerahite", a member of Zerah's clan. Psalm 89 is headed "a maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite".

Where it appears

1 Kings · 1

  1. 1 Kings 4:31 מֵאֵיתָ֣ן more than Ethan

    He was wiser than all men—wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and wiser than Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread throughout the surrounding nations.

1 Chronicles · 6

  1. 1 Chronicles 2:6 וְאֵיתָ֧ן and Ethan

    The sons of Zerah: Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Dara—five in all.

  2. 1 Chronicles 2:8 אֵיתָ֖ן Ethan

    The son of Ethan: Azariah.

    Here: Ethan, the second son of Zerah of Judah named in v. 6. The name comes from a word meaning "lasting, ever-flowing, firm". By naming him the Chronicler ties this Judahite clan to the Ethan whose wisdom is mentioned in 1 Kings 4:31.

  3. 1 Chronicles 6:42 אֵיתָ֥ן Ethan

    the son of Ethan, the son of Zimmah, the son of Shimei,

  4. 1 Chronicles 6:44 אֵיתָן֙ Ethan

    On the left were their kinsmen, the sons of Merari: Ethan the son of Kishi, the son of Abdi, the son of Malluch,

  5. 1 Chronicles 15:17 אֵיתָ֖ן Ethan

    So the Levites appointed Heman son of Joel; from his brothers, Asaph son of Berechiah; from their brothers the Merarites, Ethan son of Kushaiah;

  6. 1 Chronicles 15:19 וְאֵיתָ֑ן and Ethan

    The musicians Heman, Asaph, and Ethan were to sound the bronze cymbals.

Psalms · 1

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.