great, was surpassed by that of King Solomon. Heman, Calcol and Darda are designated as “the sons of Mahol,” an expression thought by some to refer to an association of dancers or musicians. (1 Ki. 4:31) This Heman appears to be further identified at 1 Chronicles 2:3-6 as a descendant of Judah through “Zerah.” The similarity between the names Zerah and Ezrah, as well as the fact that Ethan (another of the four wise men mentioned at 1 Kings 4:31) is called an “Ezrahite” (evidently, derived from “Ezrah”), tends to confirm the conclusion that this Heman is referred to as “Heman the Ezrahite” in the superscription of Psalm 88.

2. Son of Joel and grandson of the prophet Samuel of the family of Kohathites; a Levite singer and cymbalist during the reigns of David and Solomon. (1 Chron. 6:33; 15:17-19; 2 Chron. 5:11, 12) Heman was the father of fourteen sons and three daughters, and led his family in song at the house of Jehovah. However, he himself, along with Asaph and Jeduthun, was under the immediate control of the King.—1 Chron. 25:1, 4-6.

HEMDAN

(Hemʹdan) [pleasant].

One of the sons of Dishon who was a son of Seir the Horite. (Gen. 36:20, 21, 26) The Horites were the original inhabitants of the mountainous regions of Seir until dispossessed by the descendants of Esau. (Deut. 2:12, 21, 22) His name is variously rendered at 1 Chronicles 1:41 as “Hemdan” (NW), “Amram” (AV), “Hamram” (Dy), and “Hamran” (AS, RS).

HEN, I

[favor].

Son of a certain Zephaniah (not the prophet); one who returned from captivity in Babylon. He is mentioned in connection with the grand crown that was to be placed on the head of Joshua the high priest and which would afterward come to belong to Hen and three others as a memorial in the temple of Jehovah.—Zech. 6:11, 14.

Likely Hen is to be identified with the Josiah mentioned in Zechariah 6:10. The name “Hen” has been variously regarded as (1) a proper name, (2) an abbreviation or corruption of the name Josiah, and (3) a common noun. In the Syriac the name Josiah appears in both Zechariah 6:10 and 6:14, as it does in various modern translations. (AT, Mo, La) While “to Hen the son of Zephaniah” is found in the main text of Zechariah 6:14 in the American Standard Version, an alternate reading is given in a footnote, which says: “Or, for the kindness of the son [of Zephaniah].” The rendering “Hen,” as found in the New World Translation and others, is based on the Masoretic text.

HEN, II

[Gr., orʹnis].

There is no apparent reference to the domestic chicken in the Hebrew Scriptures, but in the Christian Greek Scriptures the crowing of the cock is mentioned (Matt. 26:34), and Jesus Christ referred to the hen gathering her chicks under her protective wings in his simile concerning unresponsive Jerusalem. (Matt. 23:37; Luke 13:34) The Greek word there used (orʹnis) is generic and hence may refer to any bird, wild or domesticated. But in Attic Greek it usually meant a hen, since this was the most common and useful of the domestic fowl. Jesus’ reference to a son asking his father for an egg (Luke 11:11, 12) indicates that the domestic hen was common in Palestine at that time. (See COCK.) From the Greek orʹnis (or, orʹni·thos) comes the English word “ornithology,” the branch of zoology treating of birds.

Concerning the domestication of this bird, The Encyclopedia Americana (1956, Vol. 22, p. 462) states: “The exact origin of the chicken will probably never be known with certainty. However, most authorities on the subject are in agreement that the place of origin was in southwestern Asia.” Some believe the poultry chicken derives from a wild red jungle fowl found particularly in India, Burma and Malaya and evidently domesticated there from early times. The Greek author Aristophanes referred to it as the “Persian bird,” indicating that it reached Greece from Persia.

Certain rabbinical laws forbade the eating of eggs laid on the sabbath day, since it was held that this constituted work on the part of the hen; some, however, allowed the eating of the eggs if the hen was one kept for eating and not for laying. The Bible, however, contains no such rules.

HENA

(Heʹna).

A city or region listed with Sepharvaim and Ivvah and conquered by the Assyrians. (2 Ki. 18:34; 19:13; Isa. 37:13) The Greek Septuagint translation here uses A·naʹ, the name of a town on the middle course of the Euphrates River. Some geographers, however, consider it more likely that Hena, along with Sepharvaim and Ivvah, lay in Syria.

HENADAD

(Henʹa·dad).

A Levite whose descendants apparently served as supervisors in connection with the rebuilding of the temple by Zerubbabel. (Ezra 3:8, 9) Two of Henadad’s descendants are specifically referred to as sharing in the repair of Jerusalem’s wall, and one of his descendants attested by seal the confession contract made during Nehemiah’s governorship.—Neh. 3:17, 18, 24; 9:38; 10:1, 9.

HENNA

The Hebrew word koʹpher, twice translated “camphire” in the Authorized Version, is generally considered to be “henna” and is so rendered in many modern Bible translations. This shrub, mentioned only in The Song of Solomon (1:14; 4:13; 7:11), still grows wild in Palestine. Ordinarily the henna plant’s maximum height is about ten feet (c. 3 meters). It bears clusters of small cream-colored, four-petal flowers at the tips of its branches, their strong fragrance being especially enjoyed by Middle Eastern peoples. Often a sprig of henna is put in bouquets, and women wear it in their hair and in their bosoms.

From ancient times henna has been employed as a cosmetic. The pulverized leaves of the plant are combined with hot water to form a paste, which is applied to the part of the body to be dyed and then is usually left overnight. When the henna paste is washed off, the stain, commonly an orange or reddish color, remains. It lasts for about three weeks, after which another application is required. Henna has been used to dye the nails of fingers and toes, fingertips, hands and feet, beards, hair, and even the manes and tails of horses, as well as skins and leather. Testifying to its ancient usage are findings of Egyptian mummies with stained fingernails. Also, the Hebrew root from which koʹpher is thought to be derived has been defined as “to smear,” seemingly indicative of its use as a dye.

[Picture on page 753]

A branch of the henna shrub; a close-up view of its four-petal flowers is shown at the right

HEPHER

(Heʹpher) [waterpit].

1. A son of Gilead and great-grandson of Manasseh; ancestor of the Hepherites. (Num. 26:29, 30, 32; 27:1) Hepher was the father of Zelophehad, known for having no sons but five daughters whose case set a legal precedent in handling hereditary possessions when there was no male offspring.—Num. 26:33; 27:1-11; Josh. 17:2, 3.

2. A descendant of Judah; son of Ashhur by his wife Naarah.—1 Chron. 4:1, 5, 6.