Jabez (biblical figure)
Jabez is a man appearing in the Book of Chronicles. He is implied to be ancestor of the Kings of Judah, although not explicitly included in the lineage. Jabez's birth is difficult; for this reason, his mother names him Jabez (Hebrew יַעְבֵּץ ), meaning "he makes sorrowful". Jabez's most important action is to conquer new territory with divine sanction. Although the textual description of Jabez is brief, some Targumim elaborate that Jabez also established a religious institution for the Levite children of Zipporah: "And he was called Jabez, because in his council he instituted a school  of 31 disciples; they were called "Tirathim", because in their hymns their voice was like trumpets; and "Shimaathim", because in hearing they lifted up their faces, i.e., in prayer; and "Suchathim", because they were overshadowed by the Spirit of prophecy." In Arabic and Persian, Jabez is transliterated as "Yabis" or "Yabiz" ( يَعْبِيصَ ). However, Syriac and Arabic translations use a substantially different transliteration of "ainei" or "aina", cognate with Hebrew עיני . Jabez is also mentioned in , possibly as a place name.