Abijah

Male and female name.

1. The second son of the prophet Samuel. Abijah and his elder brother Joel were appointed judges at Beersheba, but they were corrupt and perverted justice. This prompted the elders of Israel to urge the aging Samuel to designate a king (I Sam 8:1-5).

2. Hezron's wife, the mother of Ashur "the father of Tekoa" of the tribe of Judah.

3. A son of Becher. He was Benjamin's grandson and is listed seventh in the list of Becher's nine sons.

4. A descendant of Aaron and head of a family of priests. When King David divided the priesthood into twenty-four divisions, each to serve at the sanctuary for a one-week period every six months, Abijah was chosen by lot to head the eighth division (I Chr 24:1, 5, 10).

John the Baptist's father, the priest Zacharias, was "of the division of Abijah" (Luke 1:5).

5. King of Judah (911-908 B.C.) also called Abijam. He was the son of King Rehoboam and Maacah, the granddaughter of Absalom (I Kgs 14:31; 15:1-2). Rehoboam designated him "to be leader among his brothers; for he intended to make him king" (II Chr 11:20-22). Abijah succeeded his father and reigned for three years, following Rehoboam's sinful ways (I Kgs 15:3). However, he is shown as a pious king during the warfare with King Jeroboam of Israel, with whom he was in conflict throughout his reign. Abijah fought valiantly and wrested territory from the king of Israel, annexing Bethel, Jeshanah and Ephron (I Kgs 15:6-7; II Chr 13:1-19).

Abijah had 14 wives who bore him 22 sons and 16 daughters. When he died he was buried in the City of David, and was succeeded by his son Asa (II Chr 13:21-22; 14:1).

6. The son of King Jeroboam of Israel, who died in his youth as a punishment from the Lord because his father practiced idolatry. When Abijah became desperately sick, the king sent his wife in disguise to Shiloh, to consult the blind prophet Ahijah. But Ahijah, having recognized Jeroboam's wife, predicted that every male child of Jeroboam's would die, and none of his offspring would have a decent burial. Only Abijah would come to the grave "because in him there is found something good toward the Lord God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam" (I Kgs 14:1-18).

7. The daughter of a certain Zechariah (II Chr 29:1). She was the wife of King Ahaz of Judah and the mother of King Hezekiah (II Kgs 18:2 where her name is given in an abbreviated form as Abi).

8. A priest (perhaps identical with Abijah No. 9) who returned to Jerusalem and was among those who sealed the covenant to "walk in God's Law", in the time of Nehemiah (Neh 10:1-8, 29).

9. One of the family heads of the Levites who returned to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel from Exile in Babylon (Neh 12:1, 4, 17, 26).

Concordance
ABIJAH 1: I Sam 8:2. I Chr 6:28
ABIJAH 2: I Chr 2:24
ABIJAH 3: I Chr 7:8
ABIJAH 4: I Chr 24:10. Luke 1:5
ABIJAH 5: I Chr 3:10. II Chr 11:20,22; 12:16; 13:1-4, 15, 17,19:20-22; 14:1. Matt 1:7
ABIJAH 6: I Kgs 14:1
ABIJAH 7: II Chr 29:1
ABIJAH 8: Neh 10:7
ABIJAH 9: Neh 12:4, 17