Scripture
Other Descendants of Judah
1The descendants of Judah were Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal.
2Shobal’s son Reaiah was the father of Jahath. Jahath was the father of Ahumai and Lahad. These were the families of the Zorathites.
3The descendants of[1] Etam were Jezreel, Ishma, Idbash, their sister Hazzelelponi, 4Penuel (the father of[2] Gedor), and Ezer (the father of Hushah). These were the descendants of Hur (the firstborn of Ephrathah), the ancestor of Bethlehem.
5Ashhur (the father of Tekoa) had two wives, named Helah and Naarah. 6Naarah gave birth to Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari. 7Helah gave birth to Zereth, Izhar,[3] Ethnan, 8and Koz, who became the ancestor of Anub, Zobebah, and all the families of Aharhel son of Harum.
9There was a man named Jabez who was more honorable than any of his brothers. His mother named him Jabez[4] because his birth had been so painful. 10He was the one who prayed to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and expand my territory! Please be with me in all that I do, and keep me from all trouble and pain!” And God granted him his request.
11Kelub (the brother of Shuhah) was the father of Mehir. Mehir was the father of Eshton. 12Eshton was the father of Beth-rapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah. Tehinnah was the father of Ir-nahash. These were the descendants of Recah.
13The sons of Kenaz were Othniel and Seraiah. Othniel’s sons were Hathath and Meonothai.[5] 14Meonothai was the father of Ophrah. Seraiah was the father of Joab, the founder of the Valley of Craftsmen,[6] so called because they were craftsmen.
15The sons of Caleb son of Jephunneh were Iru, Elah, and Naam. The son of Elah was Kenaz.
16The sons of Jehallelel were Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel.
17The sons of Ezrah were Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. One of Mered’s wives became[7] the mother of Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah (the father of Eshtemoa). 18He married a woman from Judah, who became the mother of Jered (the father of Gedor), Heber (the father of Soco), and Jekuthiel (the father of Zanoah). Mered also married Bithia, a daughter of Pharaoh, and she bore him children.
19Hodiah’s wife was the sister of Naham. One of her sons was the father of Keilah the Garmite, and another was the father of Eshtemoa the Maacathite.
20The sons of Shimon were Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-hanan, and Tilon.
The descendants of Ishi were Zoheth and Ben-zoheth.
Translation notes (7)
- 4:3 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads father of. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
- 4:4 Or the founder of; also in 4:5, 12, 14, 17, 18, and perhaps other instances where the text reads the father of.
- 4:7 As in an alternate reading in the Masoretic Text (see also Latin Vulgate); the other alternate and the Greek version read Zohar.
- 4:9 Jabez sounds like a Hebrew word meaning “distress” or “pain.”
- 4:13 As in some Greek manuscripts and Latin Vulgate; Hebrew lacks and Meonothai.
- 4:14 Or Joab, the father of Ge-harashim.
- 4:17 Or Jether’s wife became; Hebrew reads She became.
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. 1 Chronicles 4:9
When I call or text someone, I call their phone number or send them a text message with the expectation that the person I call or text will answer the phone or respond to my text message. Whether I'm talking with someone over the phone or via text message, I expect to have a two-way conversation. Otherwise, there would be no need to reach out to that person. I wonder why, in communication with people we expect a response, yet with God sometimes we doubt that God Himself will listen and respond to our prayers. The truth is, whether we believe it or not, God is a communicating God who hears and responds to our prayers. When we pray, Scripture teaches that God does significant things with our lives. It was true for Jabez, and it is true for all of us as well.
The first nine chapters of the book of 1 Chronicles are full of genealogies. Now, when reading through list after list of family members, it can be tempting to become overwhelmed by the monotony of the task of reading such lengthy lists. Despite the temptation to skim or skip over such portions of Scripture, I encourage you, my friend, to carefully and observantly read these lists. Throughout this seemingly "monotonous" list geologies, verse 9 presents a break in the text. There is a pause in the genealogy when a man named Jabez is mentioned. "There was a man named Jabez who was more honorable than any of his brothers. His mother named him Jabez…" (verse 9). Now, out of all of Jabez's descendants, particularly his brothers, Jabez stood out. Why? He stood out, verse 10 tells us, because he prayed.
Now, as we think about this man's life, based on the little bit of information that we know about him, it is safe to assume that there were more things that Jabez did with his life that many would have considered to be honorable. Out of all of the honorable things that he did with his life, the thing that honored God and stood out to Him the most was Jabez's prayer life.
I do not know about you, but Jabez's reputation for being a man who prayed is extremely challenging to me. You see, if I am honest, although I do pray, I do not think that if someone were to describe me, they would describe me as a person who prays. And yet this is the discipline that honors God. I want to be like Jabez. I want prayer to be such a discipline and habit in my life that God looks on me and is honored as a result. I have a feeling that you do, too. Let's decide today to be men and women who pray!
Moving Toward Action
With a journal or your notebook, write out a prayer to God. In this prayer, tell Him the things you are worried about. Tell Him your concerns. Tell Him your hopes. Tell Him what you are facing in your life right now. As you pray, trust and expect that He hears you and will respond. Trust that He will take your prayer and do something significant with your life.
Going Deeper
Read 1 Chronicles 4:1-20 (NLT)
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