How Did Abijah Die?

How Did Abijah Die? Abijah, also spelled Abia, Hebrew Abiyyah, or Abiyyahu meaning “Yahweh Is My Father,” any of nine different persons mentioned in the Bible, of whom the most prominent are the following:

The son and successor of Rehoboam, king of Judah (II Chronicles 12:16, 13), who reigned only about three years (913–911 BC) in Judah before death took him.
The second son of Samuel (I Samuel 8:2; I Chronicles 6:28), who, with his brother Joel, served as a judge at Beersheba. The elders of Israel made the pair’s misconduct a pretext for demanding a king (I Samuel 8:4).
A son of Jeroboam I, king of Israel; he died young (I Kings 14).
Head of the eighth order of priests (I Chronicles 24:10), the order to which Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, belonged (Luke 1:5).

The Bible tells us that King Abijah, also called King Abijam or King Abiah, was the son of King Rehoboam and the father of King Asa. We are made to understand that Abijah was a wicked King throughout his reign. 1 Kings 15:3 says, “He committed all the sins his father had done before him; his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his forefather had been.” King Abijah’s attempt to reclaim the northern ten (10) tribes of Israel as part of his Kingdom led to war between him and Jeroboam throughout his reign (1 Kings 15:3). However, King Abijah had some victories over Israel to the north. 2 Chronicles 13 clearly describes a bloody battle in which Abijah and his 400,000 men triumphed over Jeroboam with his 800,000 men.

How Did Abijah Die?

With confidence, King Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim and spoke out to Jeroboam and Israel about God’s covenant with David, Jeroboam’s rebellion against Rehoboam, and Jeroboam’s ridding Israel of the Levites and allowing anyone to become a priest of false gods. Abijah concluded, “God is with us; he is our leader. His priests with their trumpets will sound the battle cry against you. People of Israel, do not fight against the Lord, the God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed” (2 Chronicles 13:12). The Scriptures also tell us how King Abijah took the towns of Ephron, Bethel, Jeshanah, and their surrounding villages from Jeroboam and his men.

Upon witnessing King Abijah’s victories, King Jeroboam’s strength lessened as we can read from 2 Chronicles 13:20–21 – “Jeroboam did not regain power during the time of Abijah. And the Lord struck him down and he died. But Abijah grew in strength. He married fourteen wives and had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.” Abijah’s mother was Maakah, and she apparently held a position of authority as queen mother throughout Abijah’s reign and into the reign of her grandson Asa. 2 Chronicles 14:1 tells us that after the death of King Abijah, there was peace between Israel and Judah for 10 years as Abijah’s son, King Asa, instituted wide reforms throughout Judah. One of such reforms was to depose his grandmother Maakah because of her promotion of Asherah worship (1 Kings 15:13). 2 Chronicles 14:2 says, “Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God.”

What The Scriptures Say

We are made to understand by the Scriptures that Abijah’s short reign was unfortunately marked by doing evil in the eyes of the Lord God Almighty. Even though God had granted him victory over Israel, Abijah continued the same error as his father, Jeroboam – not fully devoted to God and His Ways (2 Chronicles 12:14; 1 Kings 15:3). His disobedience to God led to his own downfall. However, his successor, King Asa, did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord God thereby obtaining His favor (2 Chronicles 14:2).

How Did Abijah Die?

2 Chronicles 13:1-22 – “In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah began to reign over Judah. He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Micaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. Now there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. Abijah went out to battle, having an army of valiant men of war, 400,000 chosen men. And Jeroboam drew up his line of battle against him with 800,000 chosen mighty warriors. Then Abijah stood up on Mount Zemaraim that is in the hill country of Ephraim and said, “Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel! Ought you not to know that the Lord God of Israel gave the kingship over Israel forever to David and his sons by a covenant of salt? …“

Luke 1:5 – “In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.“

2 Chronicles 29:1 – “Hezekiah began to reign when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abijah the daughter of Zechariah.”

1 Kings 14:1 – “At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick.”

Group 1 – How Did Abijah Die

1 Chronicles 24:1-31 – “The divisions of the sons of Aaron were these. The sons of Aaron: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. But Nadab and Abihu died before their father and had no children, so Eleazar and Ithamar became the priests. With the help of Zadok of the sons of Eleazar, and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, David organized them according to the appointed duties in their service. Since more chief men were found among the sons of Eleazar than among the sons of Ithamar, they organized them under sixteen heads of fathers’ houses of the sons of Eleazar, and eight of the sons of Ithamar. They divided them by lot, all alike, for there were sacred officers and officers of God among both the sons of Eleazar and the sons of Ithamar. …“

2 Chronicles 13:2 – “He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Micaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. Now there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.“

1 Chronicles 24:10 – “The seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah,”

1 Kings 15:3 – “And he walked in all the sins that his father did before him, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father.”

2 Chronicles 12:16 – “And Rehoboam slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David, and Abijah his son reigned in his place.”

Group 2 – How Did Abijah Die

1 Samuel 8:2 – “The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba.”

1 Chronicles 3:10 – “The son of Solomon was Rehoboam, Abijah his son, Asa his son, Jehoshaphat his son,“

1 Kings 15:2 – “He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom.”

1 Chronicles 6:28 – “The sons of Samuel: Joel his firstborn, the second Abijah.“

2 Kings 18:2 – “He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah.”

1 Chronicles 2:24 – “After the death of Hezron, Caleb went in to Ephrathah, the wife of Hezron his father, and she bore him Ashhur, the father of Tekoa.”

2 Chronicles 11:20 – “After her he took Maacah the daughter of Absalom, who bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith.”

Group 3 – How Did Abijah Die

1 Chronicles 7:8 – “The sons of Becher: Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Abijah, Anathoth, and Alemeth. All these were the sons of Becher.”

Nehemiah 12:4 – “Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah,“

1 Chronicles 2:1-55 – “These are the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. The sons of Judah: Er, Onan and Shelah; these three Bath-shua the Canaanite bore to him. Now Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the sight of the Lord, and he put him to death. His daughter-in-law Tamar also bore him Perez and Zerah. Judah had five sons in all. The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul. …“

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2 Chronicles 11:20-23 – “After her he took Maacah the daughter of Absalom, who bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. Rehoboam loved Maacah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and concubines (he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and fathered twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters). And Rehoboam appointed Abijah the son of Maacah as chief prince among his brothers, for he intended to make him king. And he dealt wisely and distributed some of his sons through all the districts of Judah and Benjamin, in all the fortified cities, and he gave them abundant provisions and procured wives for them.”

Group 4 – How Did Abijah Die

1 Chronicles 2:29 – “The name of Abishur’s wife was Abihail, and she bore him Ahban and Molid.“

Nehemiah 10:7 – “Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,“

1 Kings 15:13 – “He also removed Maacah his mother from being queen mother because she had made an abominable image for Asherah. And Asa cut down her image and burned it at the brook Kidron.”

Matthew 1:7 – “And Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph,”

2 Samuel 14:27 – “There were born to Absalom three sons, and one daughter whose name was Tamar. She was a beautiful woman.”

Esther 1:3 – “In the third year of his reign he gave a feast for all his officials and servants. The army of Persia and Media and the nobles and governors of the provinces were before him,“

Group 5 – How Did Abijah Die

1 Kings 14:1-18 – “At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick. And Jeroboam said to his wife, “Arise, and disguise yourself, that it not be known that you are the wife of Jeroboam, and go to Shiloh. Behold, Ahijah the prophet is there, who said of me that I should be king over this people. Take with you ten loaves, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what shall happen to the child.” Jeroboam’s wife did so. She arose and went to Shiloh and came to the house of Ahijah. Now Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were dim because of his age. And the Lord said to Ahijah, “Behold, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to inquire of you concerning her son, for he is sick. Thus and thus shall you say to her.” …“

1 Kings 15:18 – “Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house and gave them into the hands of his servants. And King Asa sent them to Ben-hadad the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, who lived in Damascus, saying,“

Matthew 23:35 – “So that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of innocent Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.“

Group 6 – How Did Abijah Die

Nehemiah 7:39-42 – “The priests: the sons of Jedaiah, namely the house of Jeshua, 973. The sons of Immer, 1,052. The sons of Pashhur, 1,247. The sons of Harim, 1,017.“

2 Chronicles 15:1 – “The Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded,“

2 Chronicles 14:1-2 – “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 had rest for ten years. And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God.“

Isaiah 40:3 – “A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”

Psalm 46:1 – “To the choirmaster. Of the Sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A Song. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

Nehemiah 12:17 – “Of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin, of Moadiah, Piltai;“

Ezra 2:36-39 – “The priests: the sons of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, 973. The sons of Immer, 1,052. The sons of Pashhur, 1,247. The sons of Harim, 1,017.”

Group 7 – How Did Abijah Die

2 Chronicles 11:22 – “And Rehoboam appointed Abijah the son of Maacah as chief prince among his brothers, for he intended to make him king.”

2 Chronicles 13:3 – “Abijah went out to battle, having an army of valiant men of war, 400,000 chosen men. And Jeroboam drew up his line of battle against him with 800,000 chosen mighty warriors.”

1 Chronicles 2:16 – “And their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. The sons of Zeruiah: Abishai, Joab, and Asahel, three.”

2 Chronicles 13:4 – “Then Abijah stood up on Mount Zemaraim that is in the hill country of Ephraim and said, “Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel!“

2 Chronicles 13:1-2 – “In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah began to reign over Judah. He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Micaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. Now there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.”

2 Chronicles 13:1 – “In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah began to reign over Judah.”

Group 8 – How Did Abijah Die

1 Samuel 25:13 – “And David said to his men, “Every man strap on his sword!” And every man of them strapped on his sword. David also strapped on his sword. And about four hundred men went up after David, while two hundred remained with the baggage.“

1 Kings 4:2 – “And these were his high officials: Azariah the son of Zadok was the priest;“

2 Samuel 3:3 – “And his second, Chileab, of Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel; and the third, Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur;“

1 Kings 15:1 – “Now in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijam began to reign over Judah.”

1 Kings 18:19 – “Now therefore send and gather all Israel to me at Mount Carmel, and the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”

1 Kings 15:10 – “And he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom.“

Group 9 – How Did Abijah Die

Exodus 20:14 – “You shall not commit adultery.”

Genesis 26:34 – “When Esau was forty years old, he took Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite to be his wife, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite,“

Nehemiah 12:1 – “These are the priests and the Levites who came up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,“

Matthew 5:16 – “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.“

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Exodus 25:1-40 – “The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the people of Israel, that they take for me a contribution. From every man whose heart moves him you shall receive the contribution for me. And this is the contribution that you shall receive from them: gold, silver, and bronze, blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, goats’ hair, tanned rams’ skins, goatskins, acacia wood, ...”

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Group 10 – How Did Abijah Die

Matthew 7:1-29 – “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. …“

Malachi 3:1 – “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.”

Matthew 5:1-48 – “Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. …“

Group 11 – How Did Abijah Die

Isaiah 8:2 – “And I will get reliable witnesses, Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah, to attest for me.”

2 Chronicles 14:1 – “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 had rest for ten years.”

2 Chronicles 13:19 – “And Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took cities from him, Bethel with its villages and Jeshanah with its villages and Ephron with its villages.“

1 Kings 15:6 – “Now there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life.”

1 Kings 14:31-15:1 – “And Rehoboam slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite. And Abijam his son reigned in his place. Now in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijam began to reign over Judah.“

1 Kings 15:20 – “And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel and conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, and all Chinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali.”

Group 12 – How Did Abijah Die

2 Chronicles 11:18 – “Rehoboam took as wife Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David, and of Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse,“

2 Chronicles 11:20-22 – “After her he took Maacah the daughter of Absalom, who bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. Rehoboam loved Maacah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and concubines (he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and fathered twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters). And Rehoboam appointed Abijah the son of Maacah as chief prince among his brothers, for he intended to make him king.“

2 Chronicles 13:15 – “Then the men of Judah raised the battle shout. And when the men of Judah shouted, God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.“

2 Chronicles 13:14 – “And when Judah looked, behold, the battle was in front of and behind them. And they cried to the Lord, and the priests blew the trumpets.”

1 Chronicles 3:2 – “The third, Absalom, whose mother was Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur; the fourth, Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith;“

Group 13 – How Did Abijah Die

1 Kings 14:31-15:8 – “And Rehoboam slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite. And Abijam his son reigned in his place. Now in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijam began to reign over Judah. He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. And he walked in all the sins that his father did before him, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father. Nevertheless, for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, setting up his son after him, and establishing Jerusalem, …“

1 Kings 15:7-8 – “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. And Abijam slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place.”

1 Kings 14:17 – “Then Jeroboam’s wife arose and departed and came to Tirzah. And as she came to the threshold of the house, the child died.“

1 Samuel 17:5 – “He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze.“

Group 14 – How Did Abijah Die

Joshua 10:12 – “At that time Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, “Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.”

John 1:1-51 – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. ...”

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Jeremiah 51:27 – “Set up a standard on the earth; blow the trumpet among the nations; prepare the nations for war against her; summon against her the kingdoms, Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz; appoint a marshal against her; bring up horses like bristling locusts.”

Matthew 28:1 – “Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.“

2 Chronicles 13:20-21 – “Jeroboam did not recover his power in the days of Abijah. And the Lord struck him down, and he died. But Abijah grew mighty. And he took fourteen wives and had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.”

Group 15 – How Did Abijah Die

1 Kings 4:30 – “So that Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt.“

2 Samuel 18:18 – “Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up for himself the pillar that is in the King’s Valley, for he said, “I have no son to keep my name in remembrance.” He called the pillar after his own name, and it is called Absalom’s monument to this day.”

1 Samuel 8:1 – “When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel.”

Genesis 17:3 – “Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him,“

1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Luke 24:21 – “But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened.”

Luke 3:23 – “Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli,”

Group 16 – How Did Abijah Die

Isaiah 1:1-31 – “The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the Lord has spoken: “Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me. The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.” Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the Lord, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged. Why will you still be struck down? Why will you continue to rebel? The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.” …

Matthew 1:1-25 – “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, ...”

Group 17 – How Did Abijah Die

Nehemiah 12:36 – “And his relatives, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God. And Ezra the scribe went before them.”

Ezra 4:7 – “In the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam and Mithredath and Tabeel and the rest of their associates wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia. The letter was written in Aramaic and translated.”

2 Chronicles 13:21 – “But Abijah grew mighty. And he took fourteen wives and had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.”

2 Chronicles 28:18 – “And the Philistines had made raids on the cities in the Shephelah and the Negeb of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages. And they settled there.“

Ezra 4:6 – “And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.”

Group 18 – How Did Abijah Die

Esther 1:1 – “Now in the days of Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces,”

Nehemiah 12:46 – “For long ago in the days of David and Asaph there were directors of the singers, and there were songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.”

Esther 1:10 – “On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha and Abagtha, Zethar and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus,“

2 Chronicles 22:2 – “Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Athaliah, the granddaughter of Omri.”

2 Chronicles 16:1 – “In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and built Ramah, that he might permit no one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.”

2 Chronicles 13:22 – “The rest of the acts of Abijah, his ways and his sayings, are written in the story of the prophet Iddo.”