4:9 Jabez was more respected than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, for she said, “I experienced pain when I gave birth to him.” 2
4:27 Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters. But his brothers did not have many sons, so their whole clan was not as numerous as the sons of Judah.
1 sn Perhaps this refers to the scattering of the people at Babel (Gen 11:1-9).
2 tn In Hebrew the name יַעְבֵּץ (ya’bets, “Jabez”) sounds like the noun עֹצֶב (’otsev) which means “pain.”
3 tn Heb “and [one] for a leader [was] from him.” This probably refers to the Davidic king.