Boy Old Testament Known
Jabin
Jabneh, he that understands; building
יָבִין ya.vin
Jabin (Hebrew: יָבִין, ya.vin) means “Jabneh, he that understands; building”, by traditional interpretation. Two men in scripture bear the name; the best attested is a king. In 2025 it was given to 5 children in the United States. Use is falling away. Appears in the same passages as Anak.
Which Jabin?
Two men in scripture bear this name. Here is each of them.
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Jabin
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Jabin
Scripture against society
The two measures, side by side
At a glance
- Verses
- 9 across 3 books
- Bearers
- 2 distinct people in scripture
- Testament
- Old
- Era
- Judges
Using it today
Based on 2025 births across the United States.
| Measure | Value | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Given in 2025 | 5 | Falling |
| All-time total | 626 | Since records begin in 1880 |
| Peak | 41 in 2001 | Its highest year on record |
In scripture
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First appears | Joshua 10:33 |
| Last appears | Psalms 83:9 |
| Cross-references | 142 linked passages |
Names connected to this one
- Jobab co-occurrence Appears with Jobab in Joshua 11.
- Sisera co-occurrence Appears with Sisera in Judges 4.
- Horam co-occurrence Appears with Horam in Joshua 10.
- Heber co-occurrence Appears with Heber in Judges 4.
- Jael co-occurrence Appears with Jael in Judges 4.
- Arba co-occurrence Appears in the same passages as Arba.
- Debir co-occurrence Appears in the same passages as Debir.
- Anak co-occurrence Appears in the same passages as Anak.
Origin & meaning
A man living before Israel's Monarchy, first mentioned at Jdg.4.2
§ Jabin = "whom God observes"
1) a king of Hazor who organised a confederacy of the northern princes against Joshua; confederacy routed by the waters of Merom
2) another king of Hazor whose general, Sisera, was defeated by Barak
Jabin, a Canaanite king of Hazor, oppressed Israel for twenty years until he was defeated by Deborah and Barak.
The biblical story
Jabin, a Canaanite king of Hazor, is mentioned in the book of Judges as an oppressor of Israel. During this time, the Israelites had done evil in the sight of the Lord, and as a result, God allowed Jabin to overpower them. Jabin had a commander named Sisera, who led a powerful army with nine hundred chariots of iron (Jdg.4.2-3).
For twenty years, Jabin oppressed the Israelites, until they cried out to the Lord for help (Jdg.4.3). God raised up Deborah, a prophetess and judge, to deliver Israel. Deborah summoned Barak and instructed him to gather an army to fight against Sisera (Jdg.4.6-7).
Barak agreed to go only if Deborah would accompany him, to which she consented, but warned that the honor of the victory would go to a woman (Jdg.4.8-9). Deborah and Barak led the Israelite army against Sisera, and with the Lord's help, they defeated the Canaanite forces (Jdg.4.14-16).
Sisera fled on foot and sought refuge in the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite. Jael invited him in and covered him with a blanket, but while he slept, she drove a tent peg through his temple, killing him (Jdg.4.17-22).
On that day, God subdued Jabin before the Israelites, and they eventually destroyed him (Jdg.4.23-24). The defeat of Jabin and Sisera is also mentioned in Psalm Jdg.83.9 as an example of God's power to deliver His people from their enemies.
This account demonstrates the consequences of Israel's disobedience and the importance of crying out to God in times of oppression. It also highlights the role of women, such as Deborah and Jael, in God's plan of deliverance for His people.
Key verses
Jabin appears in 6 verses. Here are some of the most notable:
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And the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera, which dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles.
Judges 4:2 -
And I will draw unto thee to the river Kishon Sisera, the captain of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into thine hand.
Judges 4:7 -
Howbeit Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite: for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite.
Judges 4:17 -
So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel.
Judges 4:23 -
And the hand of the children of Israel prospered, and prevailed against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.
Judges 4:24
Show all 6 references
Judges (5)
- Judges 4:2
- Judges 4:7
- Judges 4:17
- Judges 4:23
- Judges 4:24
Psalms (1)
- Psalms 83:9