Jibsam is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Jibsam was a descendant of Issachar, mentioned in the genealogies of the tribe in 1 Chronicles. He appears in the record of the sons of Tola, who was one of Issachar’s sons. The passage lists Jibsam alongside his brothers Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, and Shemuel, identifying them as “heads of their father’s house, to wit, of Tola.”
These men were reckoned as “valiant men of might in their generations,” a description that speaks to their strength and standing within the tribe. The chronicler notes that their number “was in the days of David two and twenty thousand and six hundred,” indicating that the descendants of Tola, including the line of Jibsam, grew into a substantial fighting force. This genealogy served to document the tribal structure and military capacity of Issachar during the era of King David’s reign.
Jibsam himself is not recorded as performing any particular deed or holding any specific office beyond being named as one of the heads of his father’s house. His significance lies in his place within the family line of Tola and the broader tribe of Issachar. The single verse that mentions him preserves his name among those counted as mighty men, a testimony to the strength of his clan in their generation.
The Name
The name Jibsam appears only once in the King James Bible, and its meaning is not clearly established from the biblical text itself. Hebrew names often carry meanings related to circumstances of birth, character traits, or theological statements, but Scripture does not provide an interpretation of this name. Some scholars have suggested possible connections to Hebrew roots, but no consensus exists, and any proposed meaning remains speculative. It is better to acknowledge plainly that the meaning of Jibsam is not clearly recoverable than to assign it a definition that the text does not support.
A Closing Thought
Jibsam’s brief appearance in Scripture reminds us that faithfulness is not measured by how much is recorded about us, but by our place in God’s unfolding purposes. He is named among the valiant, counted in the generations of his people, and remembered in the chronicles of Israel. Most of us will not have our deeds written in history books, yet we are known to God and numbered among His people. Like Jibsam, we can serve faithfully in our generation, trusting that the Lord remembers those who belong to Him.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: Old
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- 1 Chronicles 7:2 — And the sons of Tola; Uzzi, and Rephaiah, and Jeriel, and Jahmai, and Jibsam, and Shemuel, heads of their father’s house, to wit, of Tola: they were valiant men of might in their generations; whose number was in the days of David two and twenty thousand and…