The Meaning of 1 Chronicles 4:9 Explained

1 Chronicles 4:9

KJV: And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow.

YLT: And Jabez is honoured above his brethren, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, 'Because I have brought forth with grief.'

Darby: And Jabez was more honoured than his brethren; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bore him with pain.

ASV: And Jabez was more honorable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And Jabez  was more honourable  than his brethren:  and his mother  called  his name  Jabez,  saying,  Because I bare  him with sorrow. 

What does 1 Chronicles 4:9 Mean?

Chapter Summary: 1 Chronicles 4

1  The posterity of Judah by Caleb, the son of Hur
5  Of Ashur, the posthumous son Hezron
9  Of Jabez, and his prayer
11  The other families of the same stock
21  The sons of Shelah
24  The posterity and cities of Simeon
39  Their conquest of Gedor, and of the Amalekites in mount Seir

What do the individual words in 1 Chronicles 4:9 mean?

And was Jabez more honorable than his brothers and his mother called his name Jabez saying because I bore [him] in pain
וַיְהִ֣י יַעְבֵּ֔ץ נִכְבָּ֖ד מֵאֶחָ֑יו וְאִמּ֗וֹ קָרְאָ֨ה שְׁמ֤וֹ יַעְבֵּץ֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר כִּ֥י יָלַ֖דְתִּי בְּעֹֽצֶב

וַיְהִ֣י  And  was 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
יַעְבֵּ֔ץ  Jabez 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יַעְבֵּץ 
Sense: the head of a Calebite family.
נִכְבָּ֖ד  more  honorable 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: כָּבֵד  
Sense: to be heavy, be weighty, be grievous, be hard, be rich, be honourable, be glorious, be burdensome, be honoured.
מֵאֶחָ֑יו  than  his  brothers 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אָח  
Sense: brother.
וְאִמּ֗וֹ  and  his  mother 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אֵם  
Sense: mother.
קָרְאָ֨ה  called 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: קָרָא  
Sense: to call, call out, recite, read, cry out, proclaim.
שְׁמ֤וֹ  his  name 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: שֵׁם  
Sense: name.
יַעְבֵּץ֙  Jabez 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יַעְבֵּץ 
Sense: the head of a Calebite family.
לֵאמֹ֔ר  saying 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
כִּ֥י  because 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
יָלַ֖דְתִּי  I  bore  [him] 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: יָלַד 
Sense: to bear, bring forth, beget, gender, travail.
בְּעֹֽצֶב  in  pain 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֹצֶב 
Sense: pain, sorrow.