What does Jabes ask of God, and why do Simeon’s named princes seek new pastures?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Jabes asks the God of Israel to bless him, enlarge his borders, be with him and save him from being oppressed by evil; God grants what he prays for. Simeon’s named princes seek pastures for their flocks, find good pasture near Gador and settle in the inhabitants’ place after destroying them. The chapter also keeps Juda’s and Simeon’s family branches, crafts, dwellings and a separate expedition of five hundred men to mount Seir.

Chapter breakdown

The chapter names Phares, Hesron, Charmi, Hur and Sobal as sons of Juda. Sobal’s son Raia begets Jahath, of whom Ahumai and Laad are born; these are the families of Sarathi. Etam’s descendants are Jezrahel, Jesema and Jedebos, with their sister Asalelphuni. Phanuel, father of Gedor, and Ezar, father of Hosa, are sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephratha and father of Bethlehem.

Assur, father of Thecua, has two wives, Halaa and Naara. Naara bears Ozam, Hepher, Themani and Ahasthari; these are her sons. Halaa’s sons are Sereth, Isaar and Ethnan. Cos begets Anob, Soboba and the kindred of Aharehel, son of Arum.

Jabes is more honourable than any of his brothers. His mother calls him Jabes because she bore him with sorrow.

Challoner explains Jabes as sorrowful.

Jabes calls upon the God of Israel. He asks for blessing and enlarged borders, for God’s hand to be with him, and for God to save him from being oppressed by evil. God grants him the things he prays for.

Caleb, brother of Sua, begets Mahir, the father of Esthon. Esthon begets Bethrapha, Phesse and Tehinna, father of the city of Naas; these are the men of Recha. Cenez’s sons are Othoniel and Saraia. Othoniel’s sons are Hathath and Maonathi; Maonathi begets Ophra. Saraia begets Joab, father of the Valley of artificers, because artificers are there. Caleb, son of Jephone, has Hir, Ela and Naham; Ela’s son is Cenez.

Jaleleel’s sons are Ziph, Zipha, Thiria and Asrael. Esra’s sons are Jether, Mered, Epher and Jalon. The next birth clause says he begets Mariam, Sammai and Jesba, father of Esthamo. His wife Judaia bears Jared, father of Gedor; Heber, father of Socho; and Icuthiel, father of Zanoe. The verse also describes these as the sons of Bethia, daughter of Pharao, whom Mered marries. Verse 19 names the sons of his wife Odaia, sister of Naham, with the wording “the father of Celia, Garmi, and Esthamo, who was of Machathi.” Simon’s sons are Amnon, Rinna the son of Hanan, and Thilon. Jesi’s sons are Zoheth and Benzoheth.

Sela, son of Juda, has Her, father of Lecha, and Laada, father of Maresa, and the families of the house of those who work fine linen in the House of oath. The register also names “he that made the sun to stand,” and the men of Lying, Secure and Burning, who are princes in Moab and return into Lahem. It calls these things of old.

Challoner identifies “he that made the sun to stand” as Joazim, whose Hebrew name has that meaning. He explains Lying as Chozeba, Secure as Joas and Burning as Saraph: meanings have been put in place of the Hebrew names with those meanings.

These are the potters. They live in Plantations and Hedges, with the king for his works, and remain there.

Challoner says Plantations and Hedges are the proper names of the places where they live. He gives the Hebrew names as Atharim and Gadira.

Simeon’s sons are Namuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zara and Saul. Saul’s son is Sellum, whose son is Mapsam, whose son is Masma. Under the sons of Masma, the sequence names Hamuel his son, Zachur his son and Semei his son. Semei has sixteen sons and six daughters, but his brothers do not have many sons. The whole kindred does not reach the number of the children of Juda.

They live in Bersabee, Molada, Hasarsuhal, Bala, Asom, Tholad, Bathuel, Horma, Siceleg, Bethmarchaboth, Hasarsusim, Bethberai and Saarim. These are their cities until David’s reign. Their towns also are Etam, Aen, Remmon, Thochen and Asan, five cities, with all the villages around these cities as far as Baal. This is their habitation and the distribution of their dwellings.

The named men are Mosabab, Jemlech, Josa son of Amasias, Joel, Jehu son of Josabia son of Saraia son of Asiel, Elioenai, Jacoba, Isuhaia, Asaia, Adiel, Ismiel, Banaia, and Ziza son of Sephei son of Allon son of Idaia son of Semri son of Samaia. These are named princes in their kindreds, and their family houses multiply greatly.

They go to enter Gador as far as the east side of the valley, looking for pasture for their flocks. They find rich, very good pasture and a spacious, quiet, fruitful country where some of the race of Cham had lived before. The men named above come in the days of Ezechias king of Juda, beat down the tents, kill the inhabitants found there and utterly destroy them, as the account describes it, unto this day. They live in their place because they find rich pasture there.

Some of Simeon’s children, five hundred men, also go into mount Seir. Their captains are Phaltias, Naaria, Raphaia and Oziel, the sons of Jesi. They kill the remnant of the Amalecites who had been able to escape, and live there in their place unto this day.

The story inside

The register begins with Juda’s family branches, keeping parents, wives, sisters and father relationships to named places. Within those lists, Jabes is called more honourable than any of his brothers, and his mother gives sorrow at his birth as the reason for his name. His appeal to the God of Israel asks for blessing, enlarged borders, God’s hand with him and rescue from being oppressed by evil. God grants his requests. The register then resumes with Caleb’s and other families, the Valley of artificers, fine linen workers and potters. Challoner explains the translated name meanings in verse 22 and identifies Plantations and Hedges as places. The chapter turns to Simeon’s sons and later family sequence. Semei’s sixteen sons and six daughters are recorded alongside the smaller families of his brothers and the whole kindred’s lower number than Juda’s children. Two lists of dwellings and their villages follow, with the first list qualified as their cities until David’s reign. The named princes and their growing family houses seek pasture near Gador. The country is described as rich in pasture, spacious, quiet and fruitful, with some of Cham’s race having lived there before. In Ezechias’s days the named men beat down tents, kill and utterly destroy the inhabitants found there, then live in their place because of the pasture. Another group of five hundred from Simeon, led by Jesi’s four named sons, kills the escaped remnant of the Amalecites on mount Seir and settles in their place. The account preserves those violent outcomes without adding a claim that population size required them or that the chapter expressly approves them as legitimate expansion.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Jabes’s notice gives a naming reason, requests and an outcome. His mother names him because she bore him with sorrow; he asks for blessing, enlarged borders, God’s hand and rescue from evil’s oppression; God grants what he asks. The chapter does not say his prayer caused his greater honour or turn this one answer into a promise about every person’s future. Keeping those limits preserves the particular account.
2
Crafts and translated names belong to the family record. It names artificers, fine linen workers and potters, and says the potters remain with the king for his works. Challoner explains that some words stand for Hebrew names and that Plantations and Hedges are place names. Those details should stay visible without inventing guild rules, a sun-stopping event or a general doctrine about work.
3
Simeon’s pasture searches have stated purposes and serious outcomes. The men near Gador seek pasture for their flocks and settle because they find rich pasture, after killing the inhabitants and destroying their tents. The separate five hundred men on mount Seir kill the escaped Amalecite remnant and occupy their place. Retaining the deaths, the two groups and the given time qualifiers keeps the record from becoming a softened account of peaceful migration.

Test your recall

Why does Jabes’s mother give him that name, what does he ask and receive, why do the named princes seek pasture and live near Gador, and which captains lead the separate five hundred men against the escaped Amalecite remnant on mount Seir?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 41556–41571
1 Paralipomenon Chapter 4 Other genealogies of Juda and Simeon, and their victories. 4:1. The sons of Juda: Phares, Hesron, and Charmi and Hur, and Sobal. 4:2. And Raia the son of Sobal begot Jahath, of whom were born Ahumai, and Laad. These are the families of Sarathi. 4:3. And this is the posterity of Etam: Jezrahel, and Jesema, And Jedebos: and the name of their sister was Asalelphuni. 4:4. And Phanuel the father of Gedor, and Ezar the father of Hosa, these are the sons of Hur the firstborn of Ephratha the father of Bethlehem.
Lines 41572–41581
4:5. And Assur the father of Thecua had two wives, Halaa and Naara: 4:6. And Naara bore him Ozam, and Hepher, and Themani, and Ahasthari: these are the sons of Naara. 4:7. And the sons of Halaa, Sereth, Isaar, and Ethnan. 4:8. And Cos begot Anob, and Soboba, and the kindred of Aharehel the son of Arum.
Lines 41582–41584
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.
Lines 41585–41586
Jabes.... That is, sorrowful.
Lines 41587–41591
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.
Lines 41592–41606
4:11. And Caleb the brother of Sua begot Mahir, who was the father of Esthon. 4:12. And Esthon begot Bethrapha, and Phesse, and Tehinna father of the city of Naas: these are the men of Recha. 4:13. And the sons of Cenez were Othoniel, and Saraia. And the sons of Othoniel, Hathath, and Maonathi. 4:14. Maonathi begot Ophra, and Saraia begot Joab the father of the Valley of artificers: for artificers were there. 4:15. And the sons of Caleb the son of Jephone, were Hir, and Ela, and Naham. And the sons of Ela: Cenez.
Lines 41607–41621
4:16. The sons also of Jaleleel: Ziph, and Zipha, Thiria and Asrael. 4:17. And the sons of Esra, Jether, and Mered, and Epher, and Jalon, and he begot Mariam, and Sammai, and Jesba the father of Esthamo. 4:18. And his wife Judaia, bore Jared the father of Gedor, and Heber the father of Socho, and Icuthiel the father of Zanoe. And these are the sons of Bethia the daughter of Pharao, whom Mered took to wife. 4:19. And the sons of his wife Odaia the sister of Naham the father of Celia, Garmi, and Esthamo, who was of Machathi. 4:20. The sons also of Simon, Amnon, and Rinna the son of Hanan, and Thilon. And the sons of Jesi Zoheth, and Benzoheth.
Lines 41622–41629
4:21. The sons of Sela the son of Juda: Her the father of Lecha, and Laada the father of Maresa, and the families of the house of them that wrought fine linen in the House of oath. 4:22. And he that made the sun to stand, and the men of Lying, and Secure, and Burning, who were princes in Moab, and who returned into Lahem. Now these are things of old.
Lines 41630–41634
He that made, etc.... Viz., Joazim, the meaning of whose name in Hebrew is, he that made the sun to stand. In like manner the following names, Lying (Chozeba), Secure (Joas), and Burning (Saraph), are substituted in place of the Hebrew names of the same signification.
Lines 41635–41637
4:23. These are the potters, and they dwelt in Plantations, and Hedges, with the king for his works, and they abode there.
Lines 41638–41640
Plantations and Hedges.... These are the proper names of the places where they dwelt. In Hebrew Atharim and Gadira.
Lines 41641–41650
4:24. The sons of Simeon: Namuel and Jamin, Jarib, Zara, Saul: 4:25. Sellum his son, Mapsam his son, Masma his son. 4:26. The sons of Masma: Hamuel his son, Zachur his son, Semei his son. 4:27. The sons of Semei were sixteen, and six daughters: but his brethren had not many sons, and the whole kindred could not reach to the sum of the children of Juda.
Lines 41651–41665
4:28. And they dwelt in Bersabee, and Molada, and Hasarsuhal, 4:29. And in Bala, and in Asom, and in Tholad, 4:30. And in Bathuel, and in Horma, and in Siceleg, 4:31. And in Bethmarchaboth, and in Hasarsusim, and in Bethberai, and in Saarim. These were their cities unto the reign of David. 4:32. Their towns also were Etam, and Aen, Remmon, and Thochen, and Asan, five cities. 4:33. And all their villages round about these cities as far as Baal. This was their habitation, and the distribution of their dwellings.
Lines 41666–41679
4:34. And Mosabab and Jemlech, and Josa, the son of Amasias, 4:35. And Joel, and Jehu the son of Josabia the son of Saraia, the son of Asiel, 4:36. And Elioenai, and Jacoba, and Isuhaia, and Asaia, and Adiel, and Ismiel, and Banaia, 4:37. Ziza also the son of Sephei the son of Allon the son of Idaia the son of Semri the son of Samaia. 4:38. These were named princes in their kindreds, and in the houses of their families were multiplied exceedingly.
Lines 41680–41692
4:39. And they went forth to enter into Gador as far as to the east side of the valley, to seek pastures for their flocks. 4:40. And they found fat pastures, and very good, and a country spacious, and quiet, and fruitful, in which some of the race of Cham had dwelt before. 4:41. And these whose names are written above, came in the days of Ezechias king of Juda: and they beat down their tents, and slew the inhabitants that were found there, and utterly destroyed them unto this day: and they dwelt in their place, because they found there fat pastures.
Lines 41693–41700
4:42. Some also of the children of Simeon, five hundred men, went into mount Seir, having for their captains Phaltias and Naaria and Raphaia and Oziel the sons of Jesi: 4:43. And they slew the remnant of the Amalecites, who had been able to escape, and they dwelt there in their stead unto this day.