Naming patterns in the Bible mostly reflected a state of mind, a situation (good or bad), a blessing, a divine direction among many others. While it seems that most names were given by the fathers, there are also instances in both the Old and New Testaments where mothers gave names to their children. We saw how Rachel named her son Ben-Oni (son of my trouble) but Jacob, the husband of Rachel changed the name to Benjamin (son of my right hand). Similarly, the wife of Phinehas gave birth in deep distress and named the son Ichabod (the glory had departed from Israel). These examples show mothers who transferred their pain and distress to their newborn babies. On the contrary mothers such as Hannah cried to God for a child and when she finally became pregnant and gave birth to a son she named him Samuel, saying, “Because I asked the Lord for him.” Samuel became a great prophet of the Lord. In this post, we shall consider another mother who got the opportunity to name her son but gave the son a name according to her current situation.
Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.” (1 Chronicles 4:9)
The Bible does not give the name of this woman. We shall call her the mother of Jabez or Mama Jabez. We are not informed of the occupation of Mama Jabez, nor do we know the nature of trouble or pain Mama Jabez faced. However, the story of Jabez was so important to the chronicler that in the list of different names being mentioned, there was the need for a break. The break was necessary because of the unusual story of Jabez. The descendants of Judah included Jabez. Now this is the story of Jabez as presented in 1 Chronicles 4:9, "Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.” First, we identify that the name Jabez means Pain and this pain was experienced by the mother. Mama Jabez went through a situation that made life uncomfortable. It could have been birth pains, losing a loved one, or even the difficulty of having another child, husband maltreatment among many others. It is highly unlikely that the baby brought all the pain on Mama Jabez. However, the best name Mama Jabez could give to a newborn is PAIN. This definitely sounds ridiculous and is quite unfortunate. It is like saying that you went into labour while seated on the potty so the child born should be called Potty. The reason behind Mama Jabez' intentions is flawed. She was only interested in herself, not the destiny of the baby. She passed on her pain to the child.
Imagine the boy Jabez growing up and being called Pain. The pain of hearing that your name is Pain in itself is painful. Jabez must have been mocked, ridiculed, and rejected by many. Afterall, who wants to be associated with Pain. The emotional trauma of bearing a name that only brings pain is unpleasant. Mama Jabez left a good son in the destiny of pain and for many years, Jabez had to deal with the pain of his name. We are not told whether Mama Jabez was alive as at the time Jabez prayed his prayer of liberation. Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. He was obviously a fine gentleman and a lover of God. Jabez knew that the curse of his name had become a snare on his life. So, Jabez prayed. He cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain" (1 Chronicles 4:10a). Jabez knew that to advance beyond his painful experiences and name, he needed the blessing of God. He prayed for blessing and enlargement; pain brings sadness and stagnation. He prayed for the hand of God to be on him; curses invite evil spirits and unfortunate incidents. He prayed to be kept from harm; pain makes one liable to more pain and resentment. Jabez also prayed that he will be free from pain; names have powerful effects to influence one's life and destiny. 1 Chronicles 4:10b states that, "And God granted his request."
Mama Jabez was definitely in error to name her son Pain. However, Jabez did not glorify the mother's error. He nullified it. The prayer of Jabez is an indication that we can change evil destinies by prayer.
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