1 Chronicles 4:9 (DRB)

Passage

And Jabes was more honourable than any of his brethren, and his mother called his name Jabes, saying: Because I bore him with sorrow.

Nearby Context

1 Chronicles 4:7 And the sons of Halaa, Sereth, Isaar, and Ethnan.

1 Chronicles 4:8 And Cos begot Anob, and Soboba, and the kindred of Aharehel the son of Arum.

1 Chronicles 4:9 And Jabes was more honourable than any of his brethren, and his mother called his name Jabes, saying: Because I bore him with sorrow.

1 Chronicles 4:10 And Jabes called upon the God of Israel, saying: If blessing thou wilt bless me, and wilt enlarge my borders, and thy hand be with me, and thou save me from being oppressed by evil. And God granted him the things he prayed for.

1 Chronicles 4:11 And Caleb the brother of Sua begot Mahir, who was the father of Esthon.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "called", "jabes", "honourable", "than", "brethren", "mother", and "name". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "called" and "jabes", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "And Cos begot Anob and Soboba and..." into verse 10's "And Jabes called upon the God of...", so "called" and "jabes" belong inside that flow. In 1 Chronicles context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "called" and "jabes" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.