1 Chronicles 4:1-23

1. The family of Judah 4:1-23

Jacob prophesied that his fourth son, Judah, would become the leader of the Israelites. Through him God would provide the greatest promised blessing to come (Genesis 49:8-12). The Davidic dynasty was one branch of Jacob’s descendants, so the writer had special interest in Judah.

"Many unrelated fragments have been brought together here in the interests of completeness." [Note: Williamson, p. 58.]

Jabez’s prayer (1 Chronicles 4:10) shows that prayer and a prayer-answering God can overcome the threat of evil. [Note: For an excellent exposition of this verse, see D. Edmond Hiebert, Working With God: Scriptural Studies in Intercession, pp. 68-76. See also David L. Cooper, "The Prayer of Jabez," Biblical Research Monthly 9:1 (January 1944):3-4. On 1 Chronicles 4:12, see C. H. Knights, "The Text of 1 Chronicles IV 12: A Reappraisal," Vetus Testamentum 37:3 (July 1987):375-77.] This writer believed in the efficacy of prayer, and he emphasized prayer much in his narrative.

"As a Judahite and ancestor of David, it seems quite likely that Jabez was a type of David and that his fervent appeal was made in anticipation of God’s selection and blessing of the yet unborn house of David." [Note: Merrill, "A Theology . . .," p. 185.]