Hanan
Hanan, a Levite, assisted Ezra in teaching the Law to the people during the post-exilic period.
Biography
Hanan was a Levite who assisted Ezra in the public reading and explanation of the Law during the great assembly at the Water Gate in Jerusalem (Nehemiah 8:7). Standing on a wooden platform constructed for the occasion, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of Moses from dawn until midday before the entire assembled community, men, women, and those old enough to understand. Hanan was among a group of thirteen Levites who "helped the people to understand the Law" while the people stood in their places, moving through the crowd to provide translation and explanation of what Ezra read, likely rendering the Hebrew into Aramaic for those who had adopted that language during exile. This scene is among the most vivid portraits of communal Scripture instruction in the entire Old Testament.
Significance
Hanan's role in Nehemiah 8 places him at one of the most significant moments in the history of biblical literacy, the great assembly at which the Torah was publicly read, explained, and received by a restored people. This event is often compared to the covenant renewals of Moses and Joshua, and it effectively re-established the Law as the foundational document of the post-exilic community. The Levites' work of explanation, making the sense of Scripture clear so that the people understood what was read (Nehemiah 8:8), models the ministry of biblical teaching that has characterized faithful communities across the centuries. Hanan represents the indispensable work of those who make God's word accessible.
Verse Appearances (2)
Nehemiah
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
- Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]