A prayer of the Bible
The Prayer of Jabez
Prayed by Jabez · 1 Chronicles 4:10
The prayer of Jabez (1 Chronicles 4:10) is a brief, bold prayer by a man whose very name meant pain, asking God to bless him, enlarge his territory, keep his hand upon him, and keep him from harm. Scripture simply notes that God granted it.
The prayer
The moment, and what it teaches
It sits in the least-read part of the Bible, a long list of names in Chronicles, and then for one verse the list stops and lets a man speak. His mother named him Jabez, which sounds like the Hebrew for pain, 'because I bare him with sorrow.' A name like a wound to carry through life. And this is the man who prays one of the boldest short prayers in Scripture: bless me, enlarge my borders, keep your hand on me, keep me from harm.
It is easy to misread as a prayer for bigger and more. Read in context it is something braver: a man marked by sorrow from birth asking God to overrule the meaning of his name, to make his cramped and painful life larger under God's hand and God's protection. He does not ask to escape God; he asks for more of God's territory and God's hand. And the narrator adds four quiet words that have kept people praying it ever since: 'And God granted him that which he requested.'
A man whose name meant pain asked God to make his life larger, and God did.
Pray it yourself
These prayers were not written to be admired from a distance. They were prayed by frightened, hoping, ordinary people, and the same God still listens. The Living Bread is a quiet place to pray, to be prayed for, and to learn to talk with God honestly, at your own pace.
Jesus Christ is Lord.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the prayer of Jabez?
- It is a short prayer in 1 Chronicles 4:10 by a man named Jabez, meaning pain, who asked God to bless him, enlarge his territory, keep his hand on him, and keep him from harm. Scripture says God granted his request.
- Is it right to pray the prayer of Jabez?
- It can be, when prayed as Jabez did: not as a formula for wealth, but as an honest, bold request for more of God's blessing, presence, and protection over a life. Like all prayer, it is answered according to God's good will, not as a guaranteed transaction.