Abijah of Judah
| Abijam / Abijah | |
|---|---|
| King of Judah | |
Abijam from Guillaume Rouillé's Promptuarii Iconum Insigniorum, 1553
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| Reign | c. 913 - 911 BC |
| Predecessor | Rehoboam, his father |
| Successor | Asa, his son |
| Born | Jerusalem |
| Died | 911 BC possibly Jerusalem |
| Burial | Jerusalem |
| Spouse | 14 wives |
| Issue | 22 sons and 16 daughters |
| Hebrew name |
אבים בן-רחבעם ’Aviyam ben Rehav’am |
| House | House of David |
| Father | Rehoboam |
| Mother | Maacah, or Micaiah, daughter of Uriel of Gibeah, and granddaughter of Absalom (Abishalom) |
| Religion | Jewish |
Abijam (Hebrew: אֲבִיָּם, ʼĂḇiyyām; meaning "father of the sea" or "my father is the sea"; Greek: Αβιου; Latin: Abiam) was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the fourth king of the House of David and the second of the Kingdom of Judah. He was the son of Rehoboam, the grandson of Solomon and the great-grandson of David. The Chronicler refers to him as Abijah (Hebrew: אֲבִיָּה, ʼĂḇiyyāh; "my father is Yah"; Greek: Αβια; Latin: Abia).
His mother's name was Maacah, or Micaiah, the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah, and the granddaughter of the infamous Absalom (Abishalom). Abijah married fourteen wives, and had 22 sons and 16 daughters.
Following the death of Rehoboam, his son Abijah succeeded the throne as King of Judah. He began his three-year reign (2 Chr. 12:16; 13:1, 2) with a strenuous but unsuccessful effort to bring back the ten tribes of the northern Kingdom of Israel to their allegiance.
Following Abijah's ascension to the throne in the 18th year of King Jeroboam I of Israel, he marched north with the purpose of winning Israel back to the Davidic kingdom. Jeroboam surrounded Abijah's army, engaging in the battle of Mount Zemaraim. Abijiah captured the Israelite cities of Jeshanah, Ephron (et-Taiyibeh) and Bethel.
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