- ABIJAH was King of Judah, and Successor to Rehoboam: His Mother’s Name Compare 2 Chr. xi. 20. and 2 Chr. xiii. 2.was Maachah or Micaiah, the Daughter of Uriel or Absalom. Rehoboam had eighteen Wives and sixty Concubines, but Maachah had most of his Affection. Her Son Abijah he advanced above all his other Sons, whom he had by so great a Number of Wives. Abijah succeeded his Father in the Year of the World 3046, before Jesus Christ 954, before the vulgar Æra 958. He reigned three Years, and imitated the Impiety and bad Conduct of his Father. He died in the Year of the World 3049, before Jesus Christ 951, before the vulgar Æra 955.
Abijah, King of Judah, and Jeroboam1 Kings xv. 5. 2 Chr. xiii. 1, 2, 3, 4, &c. There are many MSS. and printed Bibles that read only 40 and 80 thousand instead of 400 and 800 thousand Men, as we read in the Vulgate: But the Heb. and LXX, Josephus and the best Latin Bibles, both MSS. and printed, agree in this Place with the Vulgate., the first King of Israel, were at War with one another. Abijah having got together an Army of four hundred thousand Men of Judah and Benjamin, incamped upon Mount Zemaraim, upon which Samaria afterwards was built. Jeroboam march’d against him at the Head of eight hundred thousand Men, collected out of all his Dominions. Abijah was willing to harangue the Enemies Army, with the Hopes of engaging them by this Means to submit themselves once more to the House of David, and return to the Worship of the Lord. But while he was speaking, Jeroboam order’d Part of his Troops to file off behind the Mountain without the Enemy’s perceiving it, with a Design to hem in Abijah’s Army, which was much inferior in Number. Abijah and his People saw what was doing, and began to cry unto the Lord, and implore his Assistance. The Priests sounded the holy Trumpets; God struck the Hearts of the Enemy with Terror, and the Army of Judah attacked them with so much Fury, that they killed five hundred thousand upon the Spot. Abijah pursuing his Victory took several Cities from Jeroboam; among others Bethiel, Jeshanah, and Ephrain, and the Israelites were so much humbled under the Hand of Judah, that they had not the Courage to undertake any thing farther against them. The Rabbins reproach Abijah with neglecting to destroy the profane Altar which Jeroboam had erected at Bethel, and with not suppressing the Worship of the Golden Calves there. He was married to fourteen Wives, of whom he had two and twenty Sons and sixteen Daughters. Asa succeeded him, in the Year of the World 3049, before Jesus Christ 951, before the vulgar Æra 955.