1 Chronicles 4:1-43
1 The sons of Judah; Pharez, Hezron, and Carmi,a and Hur, and Shobal.
2 And Reaiahb the son of Shobal begat Jahath; and Jahath begat Ahumai, and Lahad. These are the families of the Zorathites.
3 And these were of the father of Etam; Jezreel, and Ishma, and Idbash: and the name of their sister was Hazelelponi:
4 And Penuel the father of Gedor, and Ezer the father of Hushah. These are the sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephratah, the father of Bethlehem.
5 And Ashur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.
6 And Naarah bare him Ahuzam, and Hepher, and Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were the sons of Naarah.
7 And the sons of Helah were, Zereth, and Jezoar, and Ethnan.
8 And Coz begat Anub, and Zobebah, and the families of Aharhel the son of Harum.
9 And Jabezc was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow.
10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.
11 And Chelub the brother of Shuah begat Mehir, which was the father of Eshton.
12 And Eshton begat Bethrapha, and Paseah, and Tehinnah the father of Irnahash.d These are the men of Rechah.
13 And the sons of Kenaz; Othniel, and Seraiah: and the sons of Othniel; Hathath.e
14 And Meonothai begat Ophrah: and Seraiah begat Joab, the father of the valleyf of Charashim; for they were craftsmen.
15 And the sons of Caleb the son of Jephunneh; Iru, Elah, and Naam: and the sons of Elah, even Kenaz.g
16 And the sons of Jehaleleel; Ziph, and Ziphah, Tiria, and Asareel.
17 And the sons of Ezra were, Jether, and Mered, and Epher, and Jalon: and she bare Miriam, and Shammai, and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa.
18 And his wife Jehudijahh bare Jered the father of Gedor, and Heber the father of Socho, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah. And these are the sons of Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh, which Mered took.
19 And the sons of his wife Hodiahi the sister of Naham, the father of Keilah the Garmite, and Eshtemoa the Maachathite.
20 And the sons of Shimon were, Amnon, and Rinnah, Benhanan, and Tilon. And the sons of Ishi were, Zoheth, and Benzoheth.
21 The sons of Shelah the son of Judah were, Er the father of Lecah, and Laadah the father of Mareshah, and the families of the house of them that wrought fine linen, of the house of Ashbea,
22 And Jokim, and the men of Chozeba, and Joash, and Saraph, who had the dominion in Moab, and Jashubilehem. And these are ancient things.
23 These were the potters, and those that dwelt among plants and hedges: there they dwelt with the king for his work.
24 The sons of Simeon were, Nemuel,j and Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul:
25 Shallum his son, Mibsam his son, Mishma his son.
26 And the sons of Mishma; Hamuel his son, Zacchur his son, Shimei his son.
27 And Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters; but his brethren had not many children, neither did all their family multiply, like to the children of Judah.
28 And they dwelt at Beersheba, and Moladah, and Hazarshual,
29 And at Bilhah,k and at Ezem, and at Tolad,
30 And at Bethuel, and at Hormah, and at Ziklag,
31 And at Bethmarcaboth, and Hazarsusim,l and at Bethbirei, and at Shaaraim. These were their cities unto the reign of David.
32 And their villages were, Etam,m and Ain, Rimmon, and Tochen, and Ashan, five cities:
33 And all their villages that were round about the same cities, unto Baal.n These were their habitations, and their genealogy.
34 And Meshobab, and Jamlech, and Joshah the son of Amaziah,
35 And Joel, and Jehu the son of Josibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel,
36 And Elioenai, and Jaakobah, and Jeshohaiah, and Asaiah, and Adiel, and Jesimiel, and Benaiah,
37 And Ziza the son of Shiphi, the son of Allon, the son of Jedaiah, the son of Shimri, the son of Shemaiah;
38 These mentionedo by their names were princes in their families: and the house of their fathers increased greatly.
39 And they went to the entrance of Gedor, even unto the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks.
40 And they found fat pasture and good, and the land was wide, and quiet, and peaceable; for they of Ham had dwelt there of old.
41 And these written by name came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and smote their tents, and the habitations that were found there, and destroyed them utterly unto this day, and dwelt in their rooms: because there was pasture there for their flocks.
42 And some of them, even of the sons of Simeon, five hundred men, went to mount Seir, having for their captains Pelatiah, and Neariah, and Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi.
43 And they smote the rest of the Amalekites that were escaped, and dwelt there unto this day.
1 Chronicles 4:9. Jabez, dolour, grief, anguish. He was honourable; the same with Othniel, according to the Targumists.
1 Chronicles 4:22. Jokim, &c. These four probably resided in Moab, about the time of Elimelech. Ruth 1:2.
REFLECTIONS.
In the vast line of great men and of princes, mentioned in the tribe of Judah, no one here claims so particular attention as Jabez. He was more honourable than his brethren. They, as well as he, were princes by birth; and though he might excel them in riches, yet his greatest honours arose from his piety, his learning, and the distinguished actions of his life.
His mother bare him with great sorrow: she narrowly escaped with life in giving birth to her son. Hence she called him Jabez, because he caused her grief. It often happens that the things which at first cost us some prayers and tears, afterwards prove the happiest sources of our comfort and joy. The Hebrew mothers were often short-sighted in giving names of bitterness and sorrow to their sons. God is better to his people than their fears, and often renders affliction subservient to their greatest joy.
Jabez on coming to his estate began the world with God. He called on the name of the Lord, that is, he sincerely renewed his covenant with God; he prayed for all its spiritual blessings, Jeremiah 31:33, and most solemnly vowed to live like his fathers, the holy patriarchs, whom God had blessed and clothed with his high defence. He fixed his eye on the great and everlasting covenant of Israel. He deprecated all its curses by revering God, and avoiding vice; and he claimed all its blessings by piety and obedience. What an example for the young heir to imitate; what an encouraging model for every man to cast himself and his family on the care of heaven.
His piety was connected with industry. He built Jabez, a city, which he called after his own name. Not the Jabesh-gilead; for there, the country being joined to the name, marks that there was another Jabez. Those who look for covenant mercies must use industry, faith and prayer, in obtaining them. He prayed that God would bless him indeed, and enlarge the boundaries of his coast. What, having much, did he pray for more? Did he wish to add house to house, and field to field, till no inheritance was left for the poor? Did he wish to serve God for his gifts, and content himself with a terrestrial paradise? Did he wish to be lord and tyrant over the vassal poor, and to exercise his penal claim over oppressed humanity? If so, thousands would now join him in devotion. No, no; heaven forbid the thought. But though the tribe of Judah had expelled the Canaanites, yet they returned and dwelt in many of the burnt cities. Hereby Jabez found his princely lot encumbered, and even his life menaced by the enemy. Therefore he prayed that God would inspire him with the courage of Caleb, honourably to clear the lot given him by the Lord; and in all those skirmishes and conflicts he kept his eye on the heavenly country, and the better inheritance promised to his fathers. Let us in like manner pray for the Lord to give us resolution and courage to vanquish every foe, and improve the lot divinely given us of the Lord.
God granted him his request. He, according to his promise, was with him in all his wars and conflicts, to drive the heathen from his inheritance; for virtue, after all, is that source of courage most to be depended upon in extreme danger. Thus the Lord was with Jabez; and thus he will be with the poor man in his cottage, the farmer in his fields, the merchant in his warehouse, and the lord in his mansion, provided they properly claim the protection of his arm.
The Lord, through all the pilgrimage of life, preserved him from evil, that it did not grieve him. No weapon uplifted against him prevailed, no sickness materially affected either him or his sons; for “the Lord preserves all them that love him; but all the wicked will he destroy.”
Jabez in prosperity, and it is great to say, did not apostatize from his vows, and from his God. He devoted his leisure to sacred literature. He became a distinguished doctor in the law, and trained up the whole or part of his sons to the same studies and duties. The families of scribes in Jabez acquired a celebrity which claimed a notice in the contracted annals of the kingdom. 1 Chronicles 2:55. What mercies, temporal and spiritual; what honour, human and divine, didst thou, Lord, heap on this devout and faithful man. What favours didst thou confer on his family, that they inherited not only the lands, but also the piety of their parent. So, according to rank and situation, thou wilt proportion blessings in time or in eternity, to every man who, like Jabez, shall begin the world and persevere through life in piety, devotion and righteousness. Thy gracious hand is over them that love thee, even to thousands of generations.