Jabez

Jabez (meaning sorrow; trouble) was a man of Judah, mentioned in a brief and striking parenthesis in 1 Chronicles 4:9–10: "And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow. 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." His name meant "pain" or "sorrow" — a burden he overcame through prayer. The prayer of Jabez, with its fourfold request for blessing, territory, divine presence, and protection from evil, became celebrated in Christian devotional literature. A place called Jabez, inhabited by families of scribes, is also mentioned in 1 Chronicles 2:55.