Jacob prophesied that his third son, Judah, would become the leader of the Israelites. Through him God would provide the promised blessing to come (Gen. 49:8-12). The Davidic dynasty was one branch of Jacob's descendants, so the writer had special interest in Judah.
"Many unrelated fragments have been brought together here in the interests of completeness."25
Jabez's prayer (v. 10) shows that prayer and a prayer-answering God can overcome the threat of evil.26This writer believe in the efficacy of prayer, and he emphasized prayer much in his narrative.
"As a Judahite and ancestor of David, it seems quite likely that Jabez was a type of David and that his fervent appeal was made in anticipation of God's selection and blessing of the yet unborn house of David."27
