1 Chronicles 4:9
And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow. And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow.
The verse stands in the genealogies that form the first division of Chronicles, within 1 Chronicles 1 to 4. Such extensive genealogies were preserved because after the exile strict legal proof of hereditary descent was needed to return the land to its hereditary owners and to restore the temple service to those whose hereditary duty it was. In that setting the record pauses to note a single family history of sorrow turned to honor.
His mother called his name Jabez because she bore him with sorrow, so that his birth was marked by the sorrow it brought her. Yet Jabez was more honourable than his brethren. His life did not match his sorrowful name, for he was richly blessed by God and became the glory of his household. The following verse records his prayer for blessing, for enlarged borders, for God's presence with him, and for protection from evil, and states that God granted his request.
What is first marked by sorrow can therefore lead to a life of blessing, good, and later joy. Present troubles are not to be feared and discouragement is not to cast down, since grief over sin and conflict with temptation can mark the beginning of a deep Christian life, while a faith that begins too easily may not grow into strong Christlike character. Costly work, anxiety, and self-denial can lead to enlarged results, and present sorrow over a child or another soul may yet turn to joy.