1 Chronicles 4:9
New International Version
Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.”

New Living Translation
There was a man named Jabez who was more honorable than any of his brothers. His mother named him Jabez because his birth had been so painful.

English Standard Version
Jabez was more honorable than his brothers; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.”

Berean Standard Bible
Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.”

King James Bible
And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow.

New King James Version
Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.”

New American Standard Bible
Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother named him Jabez, saying, “Because I gave birth to him in pain.”

NASB 1995
Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother named him Jabez saying, “Because I bore him with pain.”

NASB 1977
And Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother named him Jabez saying, “Because I bore him with pain.”

Legacy Standard Bible
Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother named him Jabez saying, “Because I bore him with pain.”

Amplified Bible
Jabez was more honorable than his brothers; but his mother named him Jabez, saying, “Because I gave birth to him in pain.”

Christian Standard Bible
Jabez was more honored than his brothers. His mother named him Jabez and said, “I gave birth to him in pain.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother named him Jabez and said, “I gave birth to him in pain.”

American Standard Version
And Jabez was more honorable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow.

Contemporary English Version
Jabez was a man who got his name because of the pain he caused his mother during birth. But he was still the most respected son in his family.

English Revised Version
And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez [Painful], because she said that his birth was painful.

Good News Translation
There was a man named Jabez, who was the most respected member of his family. His mother had given him the name Jabez, because his birth had been very painful.

International Standard Version
Jabez enjoyed more honor than his relatives—his mother named him Jabez, she said, "because I bore him in pain."

Majority Standard Bible
Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, ?Because I bore him in pain.?

NET Bible
Jabez was more respected than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, for she said, "I experienced pain when I gave birth to him."

New Heart English Bible
And Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother named him Jabez, saying, "Because I bore him with pain."

Webster's Bible Translation
And Jabez was more honorable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bore him with sorrow.

World English Bible
Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother named him Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him with sorrow.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And Jabez is honored above his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I have brought forth with grief.”

Young's Literal Translation
And Jabez is honoured above his brethren, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, 'Because I have brought forth with grief.'

Smith's Literal Translation
And Jabez was honorable above his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, For I bare with pain.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And Jabes was more honourable than any of his brethren, and his mother called his name Jabes, saying: Because I bore him with sorrow.

Catholic Public Domain Version
But Jabez was renown, more so than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “For I bore him in sorrow.”

New American Bible
Jabez was the most distinguished of his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “I bore him with pain.”

New Revised Standard Version
Jabez was honored more than his brothers; and his mother named him Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And one of them was dear to his father and to his mother, so they called his name Our Eyes.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And one of them was precious to his mother and to his father, and he called his name Aynay.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying: 'Because I bore him with pain.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Igabes was more famous than his brethren; and his mother called his name Igabes, saying, I have born as a sorrowful one.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Prayer of Jabez
9Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” 10And Jabez called out to the God of Israel, “If only You would bless me and enlarge my territory! May Your hand be with me and keep me from harm, so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted the request of Jabez.…

Cross References
Genesis 35:18
And with her last breath—for she was dying—she named him Ben-oni. But his father called him Benjamin.

Genesis 30:13
Leah said, “How happy I am! For the women call me happy.” So she named him Asher.

Genesis 30:24
She named him Joseph, and said, “May the LORD add to me another son.”

Genesis 49:20
Asher’s food will be rich; he shall provide royal delicacies.

Exodus 2:10
When the child had grown older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses and explained, “I drew him out of the water.”

Ruth 4:14-17
Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a kinsman-redeemer. May his name become famous in Israel. / He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.” / And Naomi took the child, placed him on her lap, and became a nurse to him. ...

1 Samuel 1:20
So in the course of time, Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked for him from the LORD.”

1 Samuel 4:21
And she named the boy Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel,” because the ark of God had been captured and her father-in-law and her husband had been killed.

2 Samuel 22:36
You have given me Your shield of salvation, and Your gentleness exalts me.

Psalm 18:35
You have given me Your shield of salvation; Your right hand upholds me, and Your gentleness exalts me.

Psalm 139:13-16
For You formed my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. / I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Your works, and I know this very well. / My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in secret, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. ...

Isaiah 62:4
No longer will you be called Forsaken, nor your land named Desolate; but you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the LORD will take delight in you, and your land will be His bride.

Jeremiah 20:3
The next day, when Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “The LORD does not call you Pashhur, but Magor-missabib.

Matthew 1:21
She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”

Matthew 7:7-11
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. / For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. / Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ...


Treasury of Scripture

And Jabez was more honorable than his brothers: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bore him with sorrow.

more.

Genesis 34:19
And the young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had delight in Jacob's daughter: and he was more honourable than all the house of his father.

Isaiah 43:4
Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.

Acts 17:11
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

Jabez.

1 Chronicles 7:23
And when he went in to his wife, she conceived, and bare a son, and he called his name Beriah, because it went evil with his house.

Genesis 3:16
Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

Genesis 35:18
And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin.

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1 Chronicles 4
1. The posterity of Judah by Caleb, the son of Hur.
5. Of Ashur, the posthumous son Hezron.
9. Of Jabez, and his prayer.
11. The other families of the same stock.
21. The sons of Shelah.
24. The posterity and cities of Simeon.
39. Their conquest of Gedor, and of the Amalekites in mount Seir.














Now Jabez
The name "Jabez" in Hebrew is יַעְבֵּץ (Ya'betz), which is derived from a root meaning "pain" or "sorrow." This introduction to Jabez is significant because it sets the stage for understanding his character and the transformation of his destiny. In the biblical narrative, names often carry prophetic significance, and Jabez's name reflects the circumstances of his birth. Despite this, Jabez rises above his name's implications, suggesting a theme of overcoming adversity through faith.

was more honorable
The Hebrew word for "honorable" is כָּבֵד (kaved), which can also mean "weighty" or "respected." This description of Jabez indicates that he was distinguished by his character and actions, setting him apart from his brothers. In a biblical context, honor is often associated with righteousness and a life that aligns with God's will. Jabez's honorability suggests that he lived a life of integrity and faithfulness, which is further emphasized by his prayer in the following verse.

than his brothers
This phrase highlights a comparison, suggesting that Jabez's character was exceptional within his family. In the context of ancient Israelite society, family lineage and reputation were significant, and being more honorable than his brothers implies that Jabez's life was marked by a distinct commitment to God. This distinction may have been recognized by his community, further underscoring the impact of his faith and actions.

His mother had named him Jabez
The act of naming in the Hebrew culture was deeply meaningful, often reflecting circumstances or prophetic insights. Jabez's mother named him based on her experience of pain during childbirth. This naming could have been a constant reminder of hardship, yet it also sets the stage for Jabez's transformation. The narrative invites readers to consider how one's identity and destiny can be reshaped by faith and divine intervention.

saying, 'Because I bore him in pain.'
The phrase "bore him in pain" connects to the Hebrew word עֹצֶב (otzev), meaning "pain" or "sorrow." This reflects the physical and emotional challenges faced by Jabez's mother. In a broader biblical context, pain in childbirth is a consequence of the Fall (Genesis 3:16), yet it also becomes a backdrop for God's redemptive work. Jabez's account illustrates how God can transform pain into purpose, turning a narrative of sorrow into one of blessing and honor.

(9) More honourable than his brethren.--Comp. what is said of Hamor son of Shechem in Genesis 34:19.

His brethren.--Perhaps the sons of Coz. The form of the Hebrew verb implies connection with 1Chronicles 4:8.

His mother called his name . . .--Comp. Genesis 29:32-35, and especially Genesis 35:18.

With sorrow.--Rather, pain. . . .

Verse 9. - This is not less true of the name of vers. 9, 10, which, however, has made its own mark amid the whole scene. The episode of these two verses, offering itself amid what should seem, superficially, a dry mass of dead names, is welcome and grateful as the oasis of the desert, and it warns us that life lies hidden at our every footfall on this ground, spread over though it is with monument and inscription, and hollow, as we thought, with the deadest of the dead. But the glimpse of old real life given us in this brief fragment of a biography is refreshing and is very suggestive. It seems an insufficient and unnatural method of accounting for the suddenness of the appearance of this episode to suppose ('Speaker's Commentary,' in lee.) that the name of Jahez was well known, from any cause, to those for whom Chronicles may be supposed to have been primarily intended. We prefer by far one account of it, viz. that the work in our hands is not in its original complete state; or, variously put, that it is in its uncompleted original state. No root corresponding to the characters of this name in present order is known; it is possible that some euphonic reason makes the name יַעְבּצ out of the real word (future Kal) יַעִצֵב, i.e. he causes pains. We cannot suppose there would be any "play" appreciable on a transposition of alphabetical characters for mere play's sake. The resemblance that almost each part of this brief and abruptly introduced narration bears to incidents recorded in Genesis (Genesis 34:19; Genesis 33:20; Genesis 4:25; Genesis 29:32; Genesis 28:20) and Exodus speaks for itself, and strongly countenances the supposition that it is a genuine deposit of the genuinely olden history of Judah. The mother's reason for the naming of the child; the language and matter and form (Genesis 17:18-20; Exodus 32:32) of the prayer of the child, when presumably he was no longer a child; and the discriminating use of the words Elohim (ver. 10) of Israel, as comps, red with the name Jehovah (1 Chronicles 2:3; 5:41), generally found here, - all help to produce this impression, although some of these particulars would carry little conviction by themselves; e.g. a mother's reasons for assigning the name of her child long outlived the earlier times alone. Upon the whole, and regarding the passage in its present place, we may say that it must be very much misplaced, or else must be understood to connect Jabez with some branch of the family of Coz. There is the more room to assume this in the vagueness of the last preceding clause, "The families of Aharhel the son of Harum." The origin of the theories of some of the older Jewish writers, to the effect that Jabez was a doctor in the law, with a school of scribes around him, is probably to be found in the desire to find a connection between his proper name, Jabez, and the place so named (1 Chronicles 2:55), and where, as we are told, "families of scribes dwelt," belonging to the Kenites. That these were connected with Bethlehem, through Salma, and that Jabez of our present passage was also of a family connected with Bethlehem, is worthy of notice, but is not enough by a long way to countenance the thought, in spite of Targum and Talmud (Smith's 'Bible Dictionary,' sub vet.). The Targum, as well here as in 1 Chronicles 2:55, identifies Jabez with Othniel "son of Keuaz" (Joshua 15:17; Judges 1:13; Judges 3:9), or more probably "the Kenizzite" merely; but there is nothing to sustain such an identification. The description, he was more honourable than his brethren, finds a close parallel, so far as the word honourable goes, in Genesis 34:19; although the honourableness of Shechem, the person there in question, does not come out to anything like the same advantage with that of Jabez, nor at all in the same direction. The word, however, is precisely the same, is often used elsewhere, and uniformly in a good sense, although the range of its application is wide. The essential idea of the root appears to be "weight." The phrase may therefore be supposed to answer to our expressive phrase, a "man of weight " - the weight being sometimes due chiefly to character, at other times to position and wealth in the first place, though not entirely divorced from considerations of character. We may safely judge, from what follows, that the intention in our present passage is to describe Jabez as a man of more ability and nobility than his brethren. It can scarcely be doubted that the meaning that lies on the surface is the correct interpretation, when it is said that his mother named him Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow. The sorrow refers to unusual pains of travail, not to any attendant circumstances of domestic trial, as e.g. that the time of his birth was coincident with her own widowhood, as happened to the wife of Phinehas, when she named her offspring "Ichabod" (1 Samuel 4:19-22).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Now Jabez
יַעְבֵּ֔ץ (ya‘·bêṣ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3258: Jabez -- a descendant of Judah, also a place in Judah

was
וַיְהִ֣י (way·hî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

more honorable
נִכְבָּ֖ד (niḵ·bāḏ)
Verb - Nifal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 3513: To be heavy, weighty, or burdensome

than his brothers.
מֵאֶחָ֑יו (mê·’e·ḥāw)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 251: A brother, )

His mother
וְאִמּ֗וֹ (wə·’im·mōw)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 517: A mother, )

had named
קָרְאָ֨ה (qā·rə·’āh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 7121: To call, proclaim, read

him Jabez,
יַעְבֵּץ֙ (ya‘·bêṣ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3258: Jabez -- a descendant of Judah, also a place in Judah

saying,
לֵאמֹ֔ר (lê·mōr)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“Because
כִּ֥י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

I bore [him]
יָלַ֖דְתִּי (yā·laḏ·tî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 3205: To bear young, to beget, medically, to act as midwife, to show lineage

in pain.”
בְּעֹֽצֶב׃ (bə·‘ō·ṣeḇ)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6090: An idol, pain


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OT History: 1 Chronicles 4:9 Jabez was more honorable than his brothers: (1 Chron. 1Ch iCh i Ch 1 chr 1chr)
1 Chronicles 4:8
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