The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 53

these p11rticulars would co.rry little convic- penecl to the wife of Phinch:1s, when she tion by themselves ; e.g. a mother's reasons namecl her offspring "lchabocl" (1 Sam.iv. for aasigning the name of her chilcl long 19-22). outlived the eo.rlier times alone. Upon tile Ver. 10.-When Jabez grew to manhood wllole, and regarding the passage in its ho l1as learnt to estimate rightly the value present place, we may say that it must be of God's blessing. He invokes it, and cle- vc1·v much misplaced, or else must be under- penrls upon it. His language implies the stood to connect Je.bez with some branch of confidence that he had in the reality of the family of Coz. 'fllere is the more room proviclential blessing. For the expression, to o.ssume this in the vagueness of the lruit enlarge my coast, see Deut. xii. ~O: xix. prececling cle.use, "The families of Aharhel 8 ; and though we know nothing as matter the son of He.rum." The origin of the of fact about the occasion of this prayer, we theories of some of the older Jewish may assume that it was one when not sel- writers, to the effect tho.t J abez wo.s·o. doctor fishness nnd greed of larger territory, but in the law, with a school of scribes around jnst opportunity, had awakened a strong him. ia probably to be found in the desire desire for enlargement of borders. It may to find a connection between his proper have been a legitimate occasion of recover- name, Jo.bez, and the place so named (eh. ii. ing his own, Jost or wrongfully taken from 55), and where, as we a.re told, "families of him or his predecessors before him, or of scribes dwelt," belonging to tile Kenites. expelling successfully from their 1.Jold upon Tho.t these were connected with Bethlehem, it a portion of the orig-inal inhabitants of through Salma., and that Jabez of our the promisecl laud of God's people. That present passa.go was also of a family con- thine hand might be with me. Many o.re nected wi1h Bethlehem, is worthy of notice, the beautiful parallels to be culled from tho but is not enough by a long way to counte- Word of God for this expression, as e.g. nance the thought, in spite of '1'argum and Ezre. xii. 9; Ps. lxxx. 17 : cxix. 173; Talmud (Smith's 'Bible Dictionary,' sub c:a.xix. 5, 10; Isa. xiii. 6. And that thon voc.). The Targnm, as well here a.s in eh. wonldest keep me from evil, that it may not ii. 55, identifies Ja.bez with Othniel "son grieve me? Tilis, the last entreaty of the of Kenaz" (Josh. xv. 17; Judg. i. 13; iii. pmyer, is the largest nncl most for-scein,;. 9), or more probably •• tile Kenizzite " Warned by his own name, forewarned by his merely; but there is nothing to susto.in such mother's emphasizing of her own paius in an identification. Tile clescription, he we.a him, he thus concludes. Having begun i11 more honourable than his brethren, finds a the evil of pain nnd cxccsairn sorrow, ho close parallel, so far ns the word honouravlB prays that I,e anJ his career may not so goes, in Gen. xxxiv. 19; nlthough the determine and encl. He does not necessarily honourableness of Shecllem, tile person pray to be preserved from nil sutfo1·ing-, but there in question, does not come out to from such bnneful toucll of evil itself, its nnything like the same ndvnntage with principle, its tyrannous, merciless bolcl, ns tho.t of J abez, nor at all in the same direc- might bring him to real and irreparable gr;cf. tion. The word, however, is precisely the Thus closes the whole prayer, oach succeed- same, is often usecl elsewhere, and uni- ing clause of which has been under tl.Je rulo formly in a good sense, nlthough the rnnge of the initio.l II if," translnted witll us, Oh of its application is wicle. 'fhe essential that. This well-known Hobrow form of i,!ra of the 1·oot nppeo.rs to be "weight." prayer supposes a solemn engn.gement, anu 'l'he phrase way tl.Jercfore bo supposed to tho.t the answered prayer shall meet with answer to our expressive phrase, e. "man of the fulfilment of a vowecl promise on the weight"-tl.Je weigllt being sometimes due part of the supplio.nt, according to the ch-foj!y to cho.racter, at other times to posi- po.ttern of Gen. xxviii. 20. In tllti absence tion and wealth in the first place, though of tl.Jat engngement here, we may notict', not entirely divorced from considerations of with Keil, the grenter grace of the pas,a;;c, cbaro.cter. We mny so.Cely judge, from what in that it closes with the statemeut of tl.Jo follows, that the intention in our present rnadincss to hear, and the abounding rcndi, passage is to descl'ibe Jabez o.s e. man of ness to answer, on the part of Divine bcn~- more ability nnd nobility than his brethren. ficence: And God gro.nted him that which he It oan scarcely be doubted that tho meo.n- requested. Evidently the thing th1\t he ing that lies on the surface is the correct oskecl pico.sec! the Lord (1 Kings iii. 10, 12); interpretation, when it is said that his nlthough it wo.s in tllis en.so some form of mother named him Jabez, se.ying, BecaUBo riches, and long life for solf, aml the life ,,f I bare him with sorrow. The sorrow refers his enemies, tha.t he askeJ, nncl wns 11ut to unusual pains of travail, uot to any ultogetl.Jcr nnd in so ma.ny words II a wise attendant circumstances of domestic trinl, an<l unclerstancling hco.rt." Pl'rhnps, a 1so as e.g. that the time of his birth was coin- tllcrc was in the way of asking-, urnl iu the cident with her own wiclowhood, ns hap- exllct occo,io11, nnkuowu to us, sCJmctlliag  THE FIRST DOOK OF THE CHRO~ICLES. [cu. 1v. 1-43.