Jabez

Meaning: affliction

The name of a man and a place…

1. A descendant of Judah, of whom it is recorded that “God granted him that which he requested” after he called on Him. He was apparently an honorable head of a family in the tribe of Judah. He was given this name by his mother, “Because I bare him with sorrow.” Jabez only appears in these two verses:

   “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” (1 Chronicles 4:9-10).

2. A place inhabited by several families of the scribes (1 Chronicles 2:55).