Abijah
“My father is Jehovah”
Summary
A name meaning "my father is Jehovah," borne by several Old Testament figures including a king of Judah and a son of Jeroboam, as well as designating a priestly course to which Zacharias belonged.
☩King of Judah
Abijah (also called Abijam) was the second king of the separate kingdom of Judah, son of Rehoboam and grandson of Solomon. He reigned for three years beginning around 920 BC. Though described in Kings as walking in the sins of his father, Chronicles records his vigorous attempt to recover the ten tribes, culminating in a significant victory over Jeroboam despite being outnumbered two to one. His speech before the battle appealed to the legitimacy of the Davidic dynasty and the proper temple worship in Jerusalem.
☩Son of Jeroboam
Another Abijah was the son of King Jeroboam I of Israel. When the child fell seriously ill, Jeroboam sent his wife in disguise to consult the prophet Ahijah. Though blind with age, the prophet recognized her and announced that because there was found in this child alone "some good thing toward the Lord," he would be the only member of Jeroboam's house to come to his grave in peace. The child died as prophesied, and all Israel mourned for him.
☩Priestly Course
Abijah was also the name of the chief of one of the twenty-four courses into which David divided the priesthood. The course of Abijah was the eighth. Though this course was not among the four that returned from Babylon, the returning priests were redistributed into the original twenty-four divisions with their ancient names. Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, belonged to this course.
Related Verses20 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Abijah," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. I (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Abijah," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. I (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.James Hastings (ed.), "Abijah," in Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels, vol. I (T. & T. Clark, 1906–1908).
- 4.George Morrish, "Abijah," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).