1 Chronicles 4:9 Meaning and Explanation
“And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Jabez stands out as more honorable than his brothers, though his mother named him for the sorrow she bore at his birth.
What Does 1 Chronicles 4:9 Mean?
The genealogy pauses to lift up one man by name. His mother called him Jabez, a name echoing the Hebrew word for pain, because she bore him with sorrow, yet he grew to be the most honorable of his kin. The record stops to tell us why.
A name spoken in grief did not fix his future. Jabez shows that no one is bound by the circumstances of their beginning; what we are named is not what we must remain. God delights to lift the lowly and to honor those who turn to Him in earnest.
1 Chronicles 4:9 in the Original Language
Jabez (יַעְבֵּץ) resembles the Hebrew word 'otseb (עֹצֶב), 'pain' or 'sorrow' -- the name preserves the mother's grief at his birth.
Frequently Asked Questions About 1 Chronicles 4:9
What does 1 Chronicles 4:9 mean?
Jabez stands out as more honorable than his brothers, though his mother named him for the sorrow she bore at his birth.