The Prayer of Jabez and the Genealogy of Chronicles

Introduction

The longest genealogy in the Bible is found at the beginning of Chronicles. Eight chapters long, approximately 360 verses, contain long lists of names, interspersed with occasional short notes. Like the well-known prayer of Jabez:
Jabez was held in higher esteem than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, “because,” she said, “I bore him in pain.” Jabez prayed to the God of Israel, “Bless me, enlarge my coast, and keep me from evil, that I may not grieve.” God granted him his request (1 Chronicles 4:9-10).
To understand the meaning of this prayer, it is important to discuss the meaning of the context, the genealogy.

The genealogy

Biblical genealogies usually follow a standard pattern. They begin with the first-born, then list the son, grandson, and subsequent generations up to a certain point in time. In short, they proceed linearly from the oldest to the youngest, occasionally skipping a generation. If sibling lines are followed, this also occurs in a logical order.

If we look at the text in 1 Chronicles from this perspective, it becomes clear that it doesn't follow the usual pattern at all. This suggests that there's a message hidden within the genealogy's structure. We'll first explore what the genealogy's message is.

First block: from Abraham to Israel (1 Chron. 1:1 – 2:2)

The genealogy begins with Adam and then moves to Noah. Then, the descendants of all three of Noah's sons are listed, in reverse order: first Japheth, then Ham, and finally Shem. From Shem, the line continues to Abraham. It is noteworthy that the order is chosen so that the most important person is mentioned last. This is also evident in the remainder of the text. It is also noteworthy that Shem, Ham, and Japheth gave rise to exactly 70 nations. This aligns with Genesis 10, which contains the same list of descendants.
First, the descendants of Ishmael, Abraham's firstborn, are listed, followed by those of Isaac. Then, first, the descendants of Esau, Isaac's eldest son, are listed. A detailed description of the kings of Edom, also descendants of Esau, is also given. This section concludes with a list of the twelve sons of Jacob. It is noteworthy that he is referred to here by his later name, Israel.

Second Block: Descendants of Judah (1 Chron. 2:3 – 4:23)

The second section lists the descendants of Judah. ​​Before discussing the structure of this section, it's helpful to note that Judah had three sons, Er, Onan, and Shelah. Only Shelah had any descendants. Furthermore, from Judah's relationship with his daughter-in-law Tamar (wife of Er and later of Onan), the twins Perez and Zerah were born. From Perez, the lineage continues to David and Jesus Christ.

The structure of this section is as follows:
a. Legitimate sons of Judah (2:3)
b. Descendants of Judah and Tamar (2:4-8)
c. Descendants of Hezron (son of Perez, son of Judah and Tamar) (2:9 – 3:24)
b’. Descendants of Perez (son of Judah and Tamar) (4:1-20)
a’. Descendants of Shelah (legitimate son of Judah) (4:21-23)

It is clear that this structure draws attention to the large middle section, the line leading back to David. And again, it is striking that attention is also given to other descendants of Judah and other descendants of Perez, who are not in this line leading back to David.
The large middle section itself also has a remarkable structure. Hezron had three sons: Jerahmeel, Ram, and Caleb. The descendants of all three sons are mentioned:
a. Descendants of Ram until the time of David (1:10-17)
b. Descendants of Caleb (2:18-24)
c. Descendants of Jerahmeel (2:25-41)
b’. Descendants of Caleb (2:42-55)
a’. Descendants of Ram from David (3:1-24)

The emphasis is clearly on the line from Ram through David to the descendants at the time of the writer of Chronicles. However, the interruption with the description of the descendants of Caleb and Jerahmeel creates a striking structure.
It is noteworthy that a total of exactly 70 descendants of Judah are mentioned, which corresponds to the number of nations on earth.

Third block: other descendants of Israel (4:24 – 8:40)

Next, an overview is given of Judah's brothers. You might expect the eleven brothers to be discussed one after the other. However, that turns out not to be the case. The order is as follows:
Simeon (4:24-43)
Reuben (5:1-10)
Gad (4:11-22)
half tribe of Manasseh (4:23-26)
Levi (5:27 – 6:66)
Issachar (7:1-5)
Benjamin (7:6-12)
Naphtali (7:13)
Manasseh (7:14-19)
Ephraim (7:20-29)
Asher (7:30-40)
Benjamin (8:1-40)
Two things are immediately apparent. Both Manasseh and Benjamin are mentioned twice. It's also notable that the three tribes on the eastern side of the Jordan—Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh—are clearly considered a group. According to the text (1 Chron. 5:18), they had a joint army. Based on this, the following structure, with two groups of five tribes, is clearly visible.

It is noteworthy that the description of the descendants of the Levites fills a large portion of the text in Chronicles. Levi had no territory, but was crucial to maintaining the temple service. Levi is in the middle of the first row. In the middle of the second row is Ephraim, the tribe known for its wickedness. When the Books of Kings speak of the apostasy of the northern kingdom, the northern kingdom is often referred to as Ephraim, even though they were not the only tribe in the north.
The second thing that is noteworthy is that Dan and Zebulun are not mentioned. At the time of the Judges, Dan had no territory of his own (Judg. 18:1). Zebulun is mentioned in Judges along with Naphtali (Judg. 4:6-10; 5:14-18).

Meaning of the genealogical register

Chronicles was written after the return of the exiles from Babylon. The emphasis of this book is on the continuous line of God's faithfulness to His people. That line runs from Abraham, through Jacob (Israel), to David of the tribe of Judah. ​​And after the exile, God continues with the tribe of Judah in particular.
That is why the writer begins with Abraham. Then, God chooses not Ishmael, the firstborn, but Isaac. And not Esau, the firstborn, but Jacob. Then the emphasis is on the tribe of Judah. ​​King David came from that tribe, and after the exile, God continues with this tribe.

The Prayer of Jabez

We know virtually nothing about Jabez. He appears in 1 Chronicles, and turns out to be a Judah native. At first, it seems as if he prays for land and blessings, and God simply grants them to him:
Jabez was held in higher esteem than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, “because,” she said, “I bore him in pain.” Jabez prayed to the God of Israel, “Bless me, enlarge my coast, and keep me from evil, that I may not grieve.” God granted him his request (1 Chronicles 4:9-10).
This text has indeed been interpreted in this way. But then we fail to grasp the larger context. God had promised the twelve tribes that they would receive land. Land to settle. And that is what happens. But when we read Judges, it becomes clear that much of the land God had allocated to Israel remained unoccupied. As a result, the idols of Israel's enemies became a snare. That is why Chronicles places so much importance on the repossession of the land. In the third block of the genealogy, where the other tribes are listed, we read about the cities and territories the tribes possessed. And the core of the return from exile is the repossession of the land and the restoration of temple worship in Jerusalem.
We must read Jabez's prayer in this context. He essentially asks God for nothing more than what God has promised. He asks God to bless him if he does what God wants, namely, to take possession of the entire promised land. He then prays for protection from evil. This brings to mind the prayer Jesus taught us, which also includes "Deliver us from the clutches of evil." This aligns with God's promise to those who serve Him wholeheartedly.
In short, this prayer should not be interpreted to mean that if we serve God, we will also be materially blessed or automatically enjoy good health. The point is that if we wish to serve God, we can ask God to fulfill His promises and expect God's blessing and protection from evil.

Bas Krins