Study notes
Abijah is called Abijam in Kings (for example, 1 Kings 15:1). Abijam, possibly the Canaanite version of his name, means “my father is Yam.” Yam was the Canaanite sea god featured in the Baal stories (see study note on Job 7:12). Abijah means “my father is Yah,” the common short form for Yahweh, the God of Judah. Abijah ruled from 913 to 910 BC.
2 Chronicles records a story about Abijah that wasn’t included in 2 Kings. This story describes a time when Abijah was faithful to God.
Abijah didn’t want to fight against Jeroboam and the army of the northern kingdom. He wanted the northern kingdom to come back together with the southern kingdom. He wanted them to be one nation again with only one king. That king would be from David’s family line. He wanted all 12 tribes of Israel to worship only God. They would all follow the laws in the Mount Sinai covenant about worshipping God.
Abijah spoke to Jeroboam and his army about all of this. The northern kingdom opposed the southern kingdom. Abijah explained that this meant that the northern kingdom was fighting against God. This is because the southern kingdom worshipped God faithfully.
When the battle began and Abijah’s army cried out to God, God took action. He saved them from Jeroboam’s army. God saved them even though Jeroboam’s army was much bigger.
The conflict between Rehoboam and Jeroboam (see 2 Chronicles 12:15) continued into Abijah's reign. Abijah might have tried to reunite the north and south, as suggested by his speech (2 Chronicles 13:5–12). The large number of soldiers on each side is similar to David’s census (2 Samuel 24:9). Israel's larger army highlights God's help for Judah (2 Chronicles 13:14–19).
Mount Zemaraim: This town was on the northern border of Benjamin (see Joshua 18:22), about five miles northeast of Bethel. Benjamin served as a buffer and battleground between the northern and southern kingdoms.
a covenant of salt: Salt was needed with a grain offering (Leviticus 2:13). The social and religious background for this phrase is unknown. However, salt was used to preserve food, making it a good metaphor for a permanent covenant.
Abijah's speech criticized the northerners for not supporting David's kingdom.
Abijah’s speech highlighted two main points about the northern rebellion: The north rejected:
The rightful king
The true place of worship
The northerners' revolt, where they expelled the proper priestly order, contrasts sharply with us (2 Chronicles 13:10). The most objectionable issues were the worship of the calves and the role of unauthorized priests.
Abijah’s speech shows he cares about keeping worship pure in Jerusalem. The account in Kings does not mention Abijah’s devotion (1 Kings 15:3–4).
When God's people turned to him, he helped them, even after their kingdom was disrupted. This gave hope to the original readers in similar situations.
The Lord gave Judah a miraculous victory. Abijah took the areas around Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephron from Israel (2 Chronicles 13:19). Along with Zemaraim (2 Chronicles 13:4), these towns in the hill country on Judah's northern border formed a geographical unit (see Joshua 18:22–23). We do not know what happened to this territory later. By the time of Amos, which was around 760 BC, Bethel was a major pagan shrine in Israel.
Jeroboam lived longer than Abijah (see 1 Kings 15:9). The account of his death appears with his defeat, which was common for defeated warriors (see 2 Kings 19:37).
Verse notes: Adapted by Mission Mutual (Aquifer Open Study Notes) from Tyndale Open Study Notes © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. CC BY-SA 4.0. Section notes: Biblica Study Notes © 2023 Biblica, Inc. CC BY-SA 4.0, via BibleAquifer. About the sources