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Praying with Jabez by Gary D. Collier |
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A friend of mine recently wrote to me about a popular little book, The Prayer of Jabez : Breaking Through to the Blessed Life by Bruce Wilkinson (Multnomah Publishers). Maybe you have seen it. If not, I recommend it. The book encourages Christians to follow the example of a man named Jabez in 1 Chron. 4:10 who prays a short prayer and is blessed by God. My friend liked this idea, but was concerned about some of the ways he has seen people applying the book. He commented, “Some people seem to think that if you repeat the prayer two or three times a day, God will magically and dutifully answer your every wish, like a genie from a bottle!” This left him uneasy and he wanted to know more about the prayer itself: “Is this really a selfish prayer, like some people seem to be using it, or is Jabez asking God to help him live rightly so he doesn't hurt anyone as his name seems to convey?” This is a great question, and I thought others might be interested as well. Here is the prayer in the KJV: (1 Chron. 4:9-10) 9 And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow. 10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep [me] from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested. We should note that this prayer is not depicted as a selfish prayer. Verse 9 calls Jabez an "honorable man, more than his brothers" (or perhaps, "better known than his brothers" -- the Hebrew text can mean either of these), and the last part of v. 10 says, "God granted his request." Every English translation I checked (ASV, NASV, KJV, NIV, RSV, NRSV, NJB, Webster, Darby, and a couple of others) states this clearly. The NJB Now, having said that, the NJB (New Jerusalem Bible) does sound, at first glance, a bit more like a selfish demand than other translations: If you truly bless me, you will extend my lands, your hand will be with me, you will keep harm away, and my distress will cease. It almost sounds impertinent, as if Jabez is telling God what to do! However, this is actually quite a good translation of the Hebrew text for several reasons. First, it links the word "distress" in v. 9 (“in distress I gave him birth”) with the word "distress" in v. 10 (“my distress will cease”). In other words, in Hebrew, both v. 9 and v. 10 have exactly the same word. There is an intentional link between the "distress" at Jabez’s birth (v. 9) and the "distress" he wants God to remove (v. 10). Some translations (following the KJV) obscure this link just a bit by using two different English words: KJV v. 9 = sorrow v. 10 = grieve (also Webster) Darby v. 9 = pain v. 10 = grieve BBE v. 9 = sorrow v. 10 = troubled Other translations are more careful to translate the word the same way in both verses, preserving the link: ASV. v. 9 = sorrow v. 10 = sorrow NIV. v. 9 = pain v. 10 = pain (also RSV. , NRSV. ) GWT v. 9 = pain v. 10 = painful NJB v. 9 = distress v. 10 = distress (Incidentally, the word “Jabez” itself is linked to the word “distress” by a wordplay, since in Hebrew the letters of the two words are the same, though in different order. In English, it would be like naming your son, “Bill” because of the bill you receive from the doctor.) A second reason the NJB translation is commendable here is it preserves the starkness of the Hebrew wording. This prayer is stated in a typical Hebrew idiom (way of saying things) which indicates strong desire on the part of the person making the prayer. This same kind of directness can be found in the Psalms (which are mostly prayers). Sometimes a Psalmist almost appears (in English) to be accusing God of abandonment (e.g., Pss. 79, 88). But the forceful language is meant to express depth of desire for God's help. Such language will be incorrectly interpreted if it is seen as a selfish demand. This is in stark contrast to the self-centeredness found in the boast of Lamech to his two wives in Gen. 4:23. The prayer of Jabez is not like this at all. A third way in which the NJB (along with other translations) is helpful is the translation, "keep harm away" (NJB) instead of "keep me from evil" (ASV, KJV, Darby, Webster, and others). Although these are all fine versions worthy of continued use, the translation of the Hebrew word, "Ra' " as "evil" is a little misleading. Christian people tend to read "evil" to mean "moral or ethical evil, sin, or something caused by Satan." Sometimes the Hebrew word means just that, but not usually, and not here. Standard Hebrew dictionaries show that the word usually means, "misery, distress, injury, harm, pain (of travail), and hurtful way (of any wicked habit). The phrases “increase my borders” (prosperity) and “your hand might be with me” (power) make it likely that the point here is not ethics or morals, but protection from the bad things that happen to us in life (thus, “harm, misery, pain, injury, etc.). Certainly, harm or misery may involve ethical or moral evil, but that is not the point. The Hebrew word does not necessarily refer to “moral evil” any more than the phrases “bad things” or “hurtful things.” In this text, Jabez is likely praying for freedom from pain, misery, harm, and the like. We can all identify with that. Who wants to live a life of misery? Finally and most importantly is the manner in which the NJB lays out its translation of this verse. This is very subtle, yet subtlety can make a difference. English translations often spell out four requests: bless me, enlarge my border, let your hand be with me, and keep me from evil/harm. A fifth item, “so that it might not hurt me” is either related to the fourth request (e.g., KJV, ASV, NIV, RSV, and others), or is a separate request altogether (NEB). The NRSV breaks with this tradition and simply combines four and five to say, “and that you would keep me from hurt and harm!” Now, what this means is that the translators are having some difficulty knowing exactly how to relate all the phrases, so they paraphrase a bit. But what the NJB does is to offer a solution to the problem by paying more attention to the subtleties of the Hebrew text. And what the translators end up with is both more directly literal and more wonderfully refreshing. Once again the NJB reads as follows: If you truly bless me, you will extend my lands, your hand will be with me, you will keep harm away, and my distress will cease. Instead of seeing four or five separate requests, as in other translations, there is one guiding and faithful expectation: that God will bless him. And there is one ultimate result: relief from the distress of his (entire) life. The physical blessings he receives are all representative of larger realities showing that God cares. So, “extend my lands” refers to prosperity; “your hand will be with me” indicates the power of God to live and do; and “keep harm away” represents God’s protection. These physical blessings are merely the visible signs of God’s interest in Jabez’s life, not the reason for which he is now living. Much Ado about Something Now, all of this detail may seem much ado about nothing. And, let’s be honest. It is doubtful that we will lose our way in this life (or the next) if we don’t know all the details of this little text. On the other hand, there is a wonderful subtlety – a gentle blessing – available to those who are attentive and who have the patience to learn from the fine points of a biblical text. Jabez began life enwrapped in misery and was ever-reminded of it by his very name. He sought relief from that human fate through God’s blessings. He did not, like his brothers, seek that relief through all the normal channels people choose, through low-grade, selfish, or base avenues. How do we know? Because we are told so. He was more honorable than they. He chose a different route. And we may paraphrase the forceful language and the impacting nature of his prayer, bringing into English wording the force of ancient Hebrew idiom: O God, when you give me prosperity, power, and protection, you are lavishing upon me one blessing after another! And your unbounded blessing purges the distress of my human existence! Make it so with me, O God! Jabez’s prayer is neither selfish nor demanding. Nor is it a genie’s lamp granting our cravings for fame and fortune. It is a promise, a faithful expression of understanding, that when God blesses us in physical ways, he is reaching out to our human condition. Jabez prayed that he might have the good sense to keep this perspective close to him. And God blessed him for it and answered his prayer. We stand to learn a lot from this prayer. Should we memorize and repeat it? Daily? Hourly? Well, that depends. If we think by saying it over and again that prosperity will overtake us, and power will fill us, and we will become invincible, then perhaps we should stop altogether. But if this prayer, or one like it, flows from a heart focused on praising God for his boundless mercy, then perhaps we should pray such a prayer without ceasing. Is the example of Jabez the only place we learn about prayer? Well, of course not. But learning about one man’s prayer that was blessed by God should hold our attention for at least a little while, don’t you think?
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