Abijah
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Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary
Abijah

the Lord is my father

ATS Bible Dictionary
Abijah

1. Called, in Luke 1:5, Abia; founder of a family among the posterity of Aaron. When David divided the priests into twenty-four courses, to perform the temple-service, in turn, the eighth class was called after him, 1 Chronicles 24:10. To this class of course Zacharias belonged.

2. Son of Jeroboam, the first king of Israel. He died young, and much beloved and lamented, for in him there was found some good thing towards the Lord, 1 Kings 14:1-18

3. Son of Rehoboam, the first king of Judah; called in, 1 Kings 22:53, Abijam. He came to the throne A.M. 3046, and reigned only three years. In war with Jeroboam he gained a signal victory, 2 Chronicles 13:1-22; yet he followed the evil example of his father. His mother Maachah, or Michaiah, was probably the granddaughter of Absalom, 1 Kings 15:2 2 Chronicles 11:20 13:2

4. The mother of King Hezekiah, 2 Chronicles 29:1.

Easton's Bible Dictionary
Father (i.e., "possessor or worshipper") of Jehovah.

(1.) 1 Chronicles 7:8.

(2.) 1 Chronicles 2:24.

(3.) The second son of Samuel (1 Samuel 8:2; 1 Chronicles 6:28). His conduct, along with that of his brother, as a judge in Beer-sheba, to which office his father had appointed him, led to popular discontent, and ultimately provoked the people to demand a royal form of government.

(4.) A descendant of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, a chief of one of the twenty-four orders into which the priesthood was divided by David (1 Chronicles 24:10). The order of Abijah was one of those which did not return from the Captivity (Ezra 2:36-39; Nehemiah 7:39-42; 12:1).

(5.) The son of Rehoboam, whom he succeeded on the throne of Judah (1 Chronicles 3:10). He is also called Abijam (1 Kings 14:31; 15:1-8). He began his three years' reign (2 Chronicles 12:16; 13:1, 2) with a strenuous but unsuccessful effort to bring back the ten tribes to their allegiance. His address to "Jeroboam and all Israel," before encountering them in battle, is worthy of being specially noticed (2 Chronicles 13:5-12). It was a very bloody battle, no fewer than 500,000 of the army of Israel having perished on the field. He is described as having walked "in all the sins of his father" (1 Kings 15:3; 2 Chronicles 11:20-22). It is said in 1 Kings 15:2 that "his mother's name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom;" but in 2 Chronicles 13:2 we read, "his mother's name was Michaiah, the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah." The explanation is that Maachah is just a variation of the name Michaiah, and that Abishalom is probably the same as Absalom, the son of David. It is probable that "Uriel of Gibeah" married Tamar, the daughter of Absalom (2 Samuel 14:27), and by her had Maachah. The word "daughter" in 1 Kings 15:2 will thus, as it frequently elsewhere does, mean grand-daughter.

(6.) A son of Jeroboam, the first king of Israel. On account of his severe illness when a youth, his father sent his wife to consult the prophet Ahijah regarding his recovery. The prophet, though blind with old age, knew the wife of Jeroboam as soon as she approached, and under a divine impulse he announced to her that inasmuch as in Abijah alone of all the house of Jeroboam there was found "some good thing toward the Lord," he only would come to his grave in peace. As his mother crossed the threshold of the door on her return, the youth died, and "all Israel mourned for him" (1 Kings 14:1-18).

(7.) The daughter of Zechariah (2 Chronicles 29:1; Comp. Isaiah 8:2), and afterwards the wife of Ahaz. She is also called Abi (2 Kings 18:2).

(8.) One of the sons of Becher, the son of Benjamin (1 Chronicles 7:8). "Abiah," A.V.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
ABIJAH

a-bi'-ja ('abhiyah or 'abhiyahu (2 Chronicles 13:20, 21), "my father is Yahweh," or "Yahweh is father"): The name of six or more men and two women in the Old Testament.

(1) The seventh son of Becher the son of Benjamin (1 Chronicles 7:8).

(2) The second son of the prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 8:2 1 Chronicles 6:28 (6:13)).

(3) The eighth among "the holy captains and captains of God" appointed by lot by David in connection with the priestly courses (1 Chronicles 24:10). Compare "Zacharias of the course of Abijah" (Luke 1:5).

(4) A son of Jeroboam I of Israel (1 Kings 14:1-18). The narrative describes his sickness and his mother's visit to the prophet Ahijah. He is spoken of as the one member of the house of Jeroboam in whom there was "found some good thing toward Yahweh." With his death the hope of the dynasty perished.

(5) The son and successor of Rehoboam king of Judah (1 Chronicles 3:10 2 Chronicles 11:20-14:1). As to the variant name Abijam (1 Kings 14:31; 1 Kings 15:1, 7, 8) see ABIJAM.

The statements concerning Abijah's mother afford great opportunity for a person who is interested in finding discrepancies in the Bible narrative. She is said to have been Maacah the daughter of Absalom (1 Kings 15:2 2 Chronicles 11:20, 21, 22). As more than 50 years elapsed between the adolescence of Absalom and the accession of Rehoboam, the suggestion at once emerges that she may have been Absalom's daughter in the sense of being his granddaughter. But Maacha the daughter of Absalom was the mother of Asa, Abijam's son and successor (1 Kings 15:10, 13 2 Chronicles 15:16). Further we are explicitly told that Absalom had three sons and one daughter (2 Samuel 14:27). It is inferred that the three sons died young, inasmuch as Absalom before his death built him a monument because he had no son (2 Samuel 18:18). The daughter was distinguished for her beauty, but her name was Tamar, not Maacah. Finally, the narrative tells us that the name of Abijah's mother was "Micaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah" (2 Chronicles 13:2).

It is less difficult to combine all these statements into a consistent account than it would be to combine some pairs of them if taken by themselves. When all put together they make a luminous narrative, needing no help from conjectural theories of discrepant sources or textual errors. It is natural to understand that Tamar the daughter of Absalom married Uriel of Gibeah; that their daughter was Maacah, named for her great-grandmother (2 Samuel 3:3 1 Chronicles 3:2); that Micaiah is a variant of Maacah, as Abijah is of Abijam. Maacah married Rehoboam, the parties being second cousins on the father's side; if they had been first cousins perhaps they would not have married. Very likely Solomon, through the marriage, hoped to conciliate an influential party in Israel which still held the name of Absalom in esteem; perhaps also he hoped to supplement the moderate abilities of Rehoboam by the great abilities of his wife. She was a brilliant woman, and Rehoboam's favorite (2 Chronicles 11:21). On Abijah's accession she held at court the influential position of king's mother; and she was so strong that she continued to hold it, when, after a brief reign, Abijah was succeeded by Asa; though it was a position from which Asa had the authority to depose her (1 Kings 15:13 2 Chronicles 15:16).

The account in Chronicles deals mainly with a decisive victory which, it says, Abijah gained over northern Israel (2 Chronicles 13), he having 400,000 men and Jeroboam 800,000, of whom 500,000 were slain. It is clear that these numbers are artificial, and were so intended, whatever may be the key to their meaning. Abijah's speech before the battle presents the same view of the religious situation which is presented in Kings and Amos and Hosea, though with fuller priestly details. The orthodoxy of Abijah on this one occasion is not in conflict with the representation in Kings that he followed mainly the evil ways of his father Rehoboam. In Chronicles coarse luxury and the multiplying of wives are attributed to both father and son.

(6) A priest of Nehemiah's time, who sealed the covenant (Nehemiah 10:7). Conjecturally the same with the one mentioned in Nehemiah 12:4, 17.

(7) The wife of Judah's grandson Hezron, to whom was traced the origin of Tekoa (1 Chronicles 2:24).

(8) The mother of King Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 29:1), called Abi in 2 Ki. See ABI.

Willis J. Beecher

Greek
7. Abia -- Abijah, Abia, the name of two Israelites
... Abijah, Abia, the name of two Israelites. Part of Speech: Proper Noun, Indeclinable
Transliteration: Abia Phonetic Spelling: (ab-ee-ah') Short Definition ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/7.htm - 6k

760. Asaph -- Asa, a king of Judah
... Part of Speech: Proper Noun, Indeclinable Transliteration: Asaph Phonetic Spelling:
(as-ah') Short Definition: Asa Definition: Asa, son of Abijah and father of ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/760.htm - 6k

Strong's Hebrew
29. Abiyyah -- "Yah is my father," an Israelite name
... "Yah is my father," an Israelite name. Transliteration: Abiyyah Phonetic Spelling:
(ab-ee-yaw') Short Definition: Abijah. ... name NASB Word Usage Abijah (25). ...
/hebrew/29.htm - 6k

38. Abiyyam -- "father of (the) sea," an Israelite name
... name NASB Word Usage Abijam (5). Abijam. From 'ab and yam; father of (the) sea
(ie Seaman); Abijam (or Abijah), a king of Judah -- Abijam. see HEBREW 'ab. ...
/hebrew/38.htm - 6k

Library

Concerning the Death of a Son of Jeroboam. How Jeroboam was Beaten ...
... CHAPTER 11. Concerning The Death Of A Son Of Jeroboam. How Jeroboam Was Beaten By
Abijah Who Died A Little Afterward And Was Succeeded In His Kingdom By Asa. ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 11 concerning the death.htm

The Secret of victory
... These words are the summing-up of the story of a strange old-world battle between
Jeroboam, the adventurer who rent the kingdom, and Abijah, the son of the ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/the secret of victory.htm

Concerning Rehoboam, and How God Inflicted Punishment Upon Him for ...
... to him, he married also another of his own kindred, who was daughter of Absalom
by Tamar, whose name was Maachah, and by her he had a son, whom he named Abijah ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 10 concerning rehoboam and.htm

Annunciation to Zacharias of the Birth of John the Baptist.
... Of these courses that of Abijah was the eighth] of Abijah: and he had a wife of
the daughters of Aaron [The Baptist was of the priestly race by both parents, a ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/v annunciation to zacharias of.htm

Genealogy of Jesus According to Matthew.
... a wise but sinful king] begat Rehoboam [a foolish king, from whose kingdom of twelve
tribes God cut off ten tribes]; and Rehoboam begat Abijah [a sinful king ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/iii genealogy of jesus according.htm

Jeroboam
... Toward the close of a troubled reign of twenty-two years, Jeroboam met with a
disastrous defeat in a war with Abijah, the successor of Rehoboam. ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 7 jeroboam.htm

Treatise i. On the Unity of the Church.
... On the other hand, again, when at Solomon's death his kingdom and people were divided,
Abijah the prophet, meeting Jeroboam the king in the field, divided his ...
/.../cyprian/the treatises of cyprian/treatise i on the unity.htm

Letter vi. In My Last Two Letters I have Given the State of the ...
... that THE LOVE OF GOD TOWARD US WAS MANIFESTED IN SENDING HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON INTO
THE WORLD, THAT WE MIGHT LIVE THROUGH HIM (1 John 4:9). Or, Abijah is said ...
/.../coleridge/confessions of an inquiring spirit etc/letter vi in my last.htm

Receiving Agents.
... NEW-HAMPSHIRE. Hanover, George Wheeler, PM Cornish, William Whittlesey, PM Keene,
Abijah Kingsbury, Concord, John West. Portsmouth, Childs & March. VERMONT. ...
/.../leland/the national preacher vol 2 no 7 dec 1827/receiving agents.htm

The Kingdom Op Judah.
... In 955 Abijah came to the throne instead of Rehoboam, and was permitted to gain
a great victory over Jeroboam, but he died at the end of three years, and was ...
//christianbookshelf.org/yonge/the chosen people/lesson vii the kingdom op.htm

Thesaurus
Abijah (32 Occurrences)
... The order of Abijah was one of those which did not return from the Captivity (Ezra
2:36-39; Nehemiah 7:39-42; 12:1). ... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. ABIJAH. ...
/a/abijah.htm - 25k

Abijah's (3 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Abijah's (3 Occurrences). 1 Kings 15:6 Now there was war
between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life. (See NIV). ...
/a/abijah's.htm - 7k

Abi'jah (26 Occurrences)
Abi'jah. Abijah, Abi'jah. Abijah's . ... Matthew 1:7 and Solomon begat Rehoboam,
and Rehoboam begat Abijah, and Abijah begat Asa, (See RSV). ...
/a/abi'jah.htm - 12k

Abijam (4 Occurrences)
... Father of the sea; ie, "seaman" the name always used in Kings of the king of Judah,
the son of Rehoboam, elsewhere called Abijah (1 Kings 15:1, 7, 8). (see ...
/a/abijam.htm - 9k

Iddo (14 Occurrences)
... (4.) Lovely. A prophet of Judah who wrote the history of Rehoboam and Abijah (2
Chronicles 12:15). He has been identified with Oded (2 Chronicles 15:1). ...
/i/iddo.htm - 14k

Maachah (19 Occurrences)
... 1 Kings 15:2). She is called "Michaiah the daughter of Uriel," who was the husband
of Absalom's daughter Tamar (2 Chronicles 13:2). Her son Abijah or Abijam ...
/m/maachah.htm - 16k

Rehobo'am (42 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Rehobo'am (42 Occurrences). Matthew 1:7 and Solomon begat
Rehoboam, and Rehoboam begat Abijah, and Abijah begat Asa, (See RSV). ...
/r/rehobo'am.htm - 18k

Zemaraim (2 Occurrences)
... Here the armies of Abijah and Jeroboam engaged in a bloody battle, which issued
in the total defeat of the king of Israel, who never "recovered strength again ...
/z/zemaraim.htm - 8k

Uriel (4 Occurrences)
... (3.) The father of Michaiah, one of Rehoboam's wives, and mother of Abijah (2
Chronicles 13:2). Int. ... There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. ...
/u/uriel.htm - 10k

Asa (54 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary Physician, son of Abijah and grandson of Rehoboam, was
the third king of Judah. ... He was the son of Abijah and grandson of Rehoboam. ...
/a/asa.htm - 29k

Resources
Who was King Abijah in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

Was Jesus actually born in September? | GotQuestions.org

Who was King Asa in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

Bible ConcordanceBible DictionaryBible EncyclopediaTopical BibleBible Thesuarus
Concordance
Abijah (32 Occurrences)

Matthew 1:7
Solomon became the father of Rehoboam. Rehoboam became the father of Abijah. Abijah became the father of Asa.
(WEB WEY ASV BBE YLT NAS NIV)

Luke 1:5
There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the priestly division of Abijah. He had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
(WEB WEY ASV BBE YLT NAS NIV)

1 Samuel 8:2
Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abijah: they were judges in Beersheba.
(WEB JPS ASV BBE DBY NAS NIV)

1 Kings 14:1
At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

1 Kings 14:31
And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and his mother's name was Naamah the Ammonitess. And Abijam his son reigned in his stead.
(See NIV)

1 Kings 15:1
Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam the son of Nebat began Abijam to reign over Judah.
(See NIV)

1 Kings 15:7
And the rest of the acts of Abijam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam.
(See NIV)

2 Kings 18:2
Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah.
(See NIV)

1 Chronicles 2:24
After that Hezron was dead in Caleb Ephrathah, then Abijah Hezron's wife bore him Ashhur the father of Tekoa.
(WEB ASV DBY YLT NAS NIV)

1 Chronicles 3:10
Solomon's son was Rehoboam, Abijah his son, Asa his son, Jehoshaphat his son,
(WEB JPS ASV BBE DBY YLT NAS NIV)

1 Chronicles 6:28
The sons of Samuel: the firstborn Joel, and the second Abijah.
(WEB ASV DBY YLT NAS NIV)

1 Chronicles 7:8
The sons of Becher: Zemirah, and Joash, and Eliezer, and Elioenai, and Omri, and Jeremoth, and Abijah, and Anathoth, and Alemeth. All these were the sons of Becher.
(WEB JPS ASV BBE DBY YLT NAS NIV)

1 Chronicles 24:10
the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah,
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

2 Chronicles 10:15
And the king hath not hearkened unto the people, for the revolution hath been from God, for the sake of Jehovah's establishing His word that He spake by the hand of Abijah the Shilonite unto Jeroboam son of Nebat.
(YLT)

2 Chronicles 11:20
After her he took Maacah the daughter of Absalom; and she bore him Abijah, and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

2 Chronicles 11:22
Rehoboam appointed Abijah the son of Maacah to be chief, even the prince among his brothers; for he was minded to make him king.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

2 Chronicles 12:16
Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David: and Abijah his son reigned in his place.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

2 Chronicles 13:1
In the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam began Abijah to reign over Judah.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

2 Chronicles 13:2
Three years reigned he in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Micaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

2 Chronicles 13:3
Abijah joined battle with an army of valiant men of war, even four hundred thousand chosen men: and Jeroboam set the battle in array against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men, who were mighty men of valor.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

2 Chronicles 13:4
Abijah stood up on Mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, Hear me, Jeroboam and all Israel:
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

2 Chronicles 13:15
Then the men of Judah gave a shout: and as the men of Judah shouted, it happened, that God struck Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

2 Chronicles 13:17
Abijah and his people killed them with a great slaughter: so there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

2 Chronicles 13:19
Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took cities from him, Bethel with its towns, and Jeshanah with its towns, and Ephron with its towns.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

2 Chronicles 13:20
Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again in the days of Abijah: and Yahweh struck him, and he died.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

2 Chronicles 13:21
But Abijah grew mighty, and took to himself fourteen wives, and became the father of twenty-two sons, and sixteen daughters.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

2 Chronicles 13:22
The rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways, and his sayings, are written in the commentary of the prophet Iddo.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

2 Chronicles 14:1
So Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David; and Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land was quiet ten years.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

2 Chronicles 29:1
Hezekiah began to reign when he was twenty-five years old; and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

Nehemiah 10:7
Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

Nehemiah 12:4
Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah,
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

Nehemiah 12:17
of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin, of Moadiah, Piltai;
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

Subtopics

Abijah

Abijah or Abijam

Abijah: Son of Jeroboam

Related Terms

Abijah's (3 Occurrences)

Abi'jah (26 Occurrences)

Abijam (4 Occurrences)

Iddo (14 Occurrences)

Maachah (19 Occurrences)

Rehobo'am (42 Occurrences)

Zemaraim (2 Occurrences)

Uriel (4 Occurrences)

Asa (54 Occurrences)

Zacharias (11 Occurrences)

Maacah (30 Occurrences)

Jerobo'am (92 Occurrences)

Vashni (1 Occurrence)

Jo'el (19 Occurrences)

Jeshanah (3 Occurrences)

Ma'acah (22 Occurrences)

Michaiah (7 Occurrences)

Commentary (2 Occurrences)

Abi (2 Occurrences)

Abia (3 Occurrences)

Proper (62 Occurrences)

Rehoboam (42 Occurrences)

Ephron (13 Occurrences)

Zechari'ah (51 Occurrences)

Chronology

Queen (59 Occurrences)

Mother (2641 Occurrences)

Picked (43 Occurrences)

Micaiah (27 Occurrences)

Jeroboam (96 Occurrences)

Slept (74 Occurrences)

Rested (81 Occurrences)

Succeeded (81 Occurrences)

Beareth (108 Occurrences)

Defeated (88 Occurrences)

Mother's (102 Occurrences)

Books (16 Occurrences)

Names (133 Occurrences)

800000 (1 Occurrence)

Zicri (11 Occurrences)

Zemirah (1 Occurrence)

Zemira (1 Occurrence)

Zemara'im (2 Occurrences)

Ziza (4 Occurrences)

Zemi'rah (1 Occurrence)

Zichri (12 Occurrences)

Undisturbed (12 Occurrences)

U'riel (1 Occurrence)

Judea (50 Occurrences)

Jesha'nah (2 Occurrences)

Jer'emoth (8 Occurrences)

Jeremoth (9 Occurrences)

Losses (5 Occurrences)

Life-time (12 Occurrences)

Ginnethon (3 Occurrences)

Ginnethoi (1 Occurrence)

Ginnetho (1 Occurrence)

Gin'nethoi (1 Occurrence)

Inflicted (20 Occurrences)

Inquiry (15 Occurrences)

Formation (11 Occurrences)

Treatise (3 Occurrences)

Twenty-nine (8 Occurrences)

Twenty-two (26 Occurrences)

Twenty-five (36 Occurrences)

Retained (10 Occurrences)

Regain (12 Occurrences)

Revolution (6 Occurrences)

Elioenai (8 Occurrences)

Eighteenth (11 Occurrences)

Eli-oe'nai (7 Occurrences)

Ephrath (9 Occurrences)

Elizabeth (9 Occurrences)

Elie'zer (14 Occurrences)

Ephrathah (6 Occurrences)

Establishing (18 Occurrences)

Eliezar (2 Occurrences)

Eliezer (14 Occurrences)

Abi'hud
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