Abijah
Pronounced uh-BY-juh
- Meaning
- "My father is the LORD; The LORD is my father"
- Origin
- Hebrew
Abijah means "my father is the LORD" in Hebrew. Multiple biblical figures bear this name — both men and women — making it one of Scripture's most versatile names. The most notable Abijah was the king of Judah, son of Rehoboam. Despite being described as walking in his father's sins, Abijah delivered a remarkable sermon to the northern tribes before battle, arguing that Judah had remained faithful to the LORD while Israel had embraced golden calves. God honored Abijah's appeal and gave Judah a decisive military victory. Samuel's sons Joel and Abijah served as judges in Beersheba but "turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment" — a failure that prompted Israel to demand a king. Jeroboam's son Abijah died in childhood, fulfilling the prophet Ahijah's prophecy — yet God said of the child: "in him there is found some good thing toward the LORD." The name also belonged to a priestly division (1 Chronicles 24:10) — the division to which Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, belonged. This connection makes Abijah a link between the Old and New Testaments.
Spiritual meaning
Abijah — 'the LORD is my father' — declares the most intimate relationship possible with God. Across its many bearers, the name teaches that claiming God as Father is both a privilege and a responsibility.
Related verses (KJV)
"And Abijah stood up upon mount Zemaraim... and said, Hear me, thou Jeroboam, and all Israel; Ought ye not to know that the LORD God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to David for ever?"
2 Chronicles 13:4-5 (KJV) →"There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia."
Luke 1:5 (KJV) →