Abijah

About Abijah

Abijah, also known as Abijam (1Ki.14.31), was the second king of Judah after the division of the united monarchy. He was the son of Rehoboam and Maacah, the daughter of Absalom (2Ch.11.20). Abijah reigned for three years in Jerusalem (2Ch.13.1-2; 1Ki.15.1-2).

During his reign, there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam, the king of Israel (2Ch.13.3). In a battle at Mount Zemaraim, Abijah addressed the Israelites, emphasizing the legitimacy of the Davidic dynasty and the importance of the Levitical priesthood (2Ch.13.4-12). Despite being outnumbered, Judah prevailed against Israel because they relied on the Lord (2Ch.13.13-18).

Abijah expanded his power, taking cities from Jeroboam and growing stronger (2Ch.13.19-21). However, like his father Rehoboam, Abijah did not fully follow the Lord and allowed idolatry to persist in Judah (1Ki.15.3). He walked in all the sins of his father and did not have a fully devoted heart like his ancestor David (1Ki.15.3).

Abijah had fourteen wives and fathered twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters (2Ch.13.21). After his death, his son Asa succeeded him as king (1Ki.15.8; 2Ch.14.1). Abijah is also mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus Christ in Mat.1.7.

Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.