Clarke's Bible Commentary - 1 Chronicles 4:9
Verse 9. And Jabez was more honourable] This whole account is variously understood by some of the principal versions. I shall subjoin a translation of each. SEPTUAGINT. - "And Igabes was more glorious than his brethren; and his mother called his name Igabes, saying, I have brought thee forth as Gabes.
And Igabes invoked the God of Israel, saying, If in blessing thou wilt bless me, and enlarge my borders, and thy hand be with me, and wilt give me understanding not to depress me: and God brought about all that he requested." SYRIAC. - "And one of these was dear to his father and to his mother; and he called his name ainai, My Eye. And he said to him, In blessing may the Lord bless thee, and enlarge thy boundary; and may his hand be with thee; and may he preserve thee from evil, that it may not rule over thee; and may he give to thee whatsoever thou shalt request of him!" Arabic. - "And this one (Hastahar or Harum) was beloved of his father and his mother: and they called his name aina, My Eye; and they said unto him, May the Lord bless thee, and multiply thy people, and may his hand be present with thee, because thou wast born in Beth-lehem!" These two latter versions seem to have copied each other, and the Vulgate is nearly, like ours, a literal rendering of the Hebrew; but the Chaldee is widely different from all the rest:- CHALDEE. - "And Jabets also, he is Othniel, honourable and skilled in the law beyond his brethren, whose mother called his name Jabets, because she had borne him with sorrow. And Jabets prayed to the God of Israel, saying, O that in blessing thou wouldest bless me with children, and enlarge my borders with disciples; and that thy hand may be with me in business, that thou mayest make me like to my companions, that evil concupiscence may the less grieve me! And the Lord granted that which he prayed for." Of this honourable person we know nothing but what is here mentioned, nor does the name occur in any other part of Scripture except in chap. ii. 55, where it appears to be the name of a place, but is understood by the Chaldee to be the name of a person, as here. Though I have noticed this particularly in the note on that place, yet I think it right to add the Chaldee here, that all that concerns this worthy person may be seen at one view:- chap. ii. l5: "The families of the Rechabites, the son of Eliezer, the son of Moses, the disciples of Jabets; he was Othniel, the son of Kenaz.
And he was called Jabets, xb[y Yabets, because in his counsel [ hytxy[b beqtsatih, from Ueq qaats, he counselled, advised, &c.] he instituted a school for disciples. They were called Tirathim, µyt[rt , because in their hymns their voices were like trumpets, [from [r ra, to sound like a trumpet; see Num. x. 9; 2 Chronicles xiii. 12,] and Shimathim, µyt[mŤ , because in hearing, they lifted up their faces, i.e. in prayer, [from [mŤ shama, he heard, hearkened,] and Suchathim, µytkwŤ , because they were overshadowed with the spirit of prophecy, [from űŤ sach, a tabernacle, or extended covering.]" For farther particulars, see at the end of this chapter.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 9. And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren , etc.] The Targum adds, “and wiser in the law than his brethren;” or he might be a man of great wealth and riches, or of great strength and courage, all which make a man honourable; or he may be so called, because a praying man, as follows, a man of devotion and religion, a man of God, (see 1 Samuel 9:6), but who he was is not easy to say, probably a son or brother of Harum, or however that belonged to one of the families of Aharhel, mentioned in the preceding verse; for that he was Othniel, as say the Targumist and other Jewish writers f24 , is not probable, and besides is after spoken of distinct from him, ( 1 Chronicles 4:13) and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, because I bare him with sorrow ; either with sorrow for her husband, being dead, or by reason of very sharp pains she endured at the birth of him; he was another Benoni.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Genealogies.
--In this chapter we have a further account of Judah, the most numerou and most famous of all the tribes; also an account of Simeon. The mos remarkable person in this chapter is Jabez. We are not told upon what account Jabez was more honourable than his brethren; but we find tha he was a praying man. The way to be truly great, is to seek to do God' will, and to pray earnestly. Here is the prayer he made. Jabez praye to the living and true God, who alone can hear and answer prayer; and in prayer he regarded him as a God in covenant with his people. He doe not express his promise, but leaves it to be understood; he was afrai to promise in his own strength, and resolved to devote himself entirel to God. Lord, if thou wilt bless me and keep me, do what thou wilt with me; I will be at thy command and disposal for ever. As the text read it, this was the language of a most ardent and affectionate desire, O that thou wouldest bless me! Four things Jabez prayed for. 1. That God would bless him indeed. Spiritual blessings are the best blessings God's blessings are real things, and produce real effects. 2. That He would enlarge his coast. That God would enlarge our hearts, and s enlarge our portion in himself, and in the heavenly Canaan, ought to be our desire and prayer. 3. That God's hand might be with him. God's han with us, to lead us, protect us, strengthen us, and to work all ou works in us and for us, is a hand all-sufficient for us. 4. That he would keep him from evil, the evil of sin, the evil of trouble, all the evil designs of his enemies, that they might not hurt, nor make him Jabez indeed, a man of sorrow. God granted that which he requested. God is ever ready to hear prayer: his ear is not now heavy __________________________________________________________________
Original Hebrew
ויהי 1961 יעבץ 3258 נכבד 3513 מאחיו 251 ואמו 517 קראה 7121 שׁמו 8034 יעבץ 3258 לאמר 559 כי 3588 ילדתי 3205 בעצב׃ 6090
