Ahijah is a significant figure in the Old Testament, known primarily for his role as a prophet during the reigns of Solomon and Jeroboam. His account is primarily found in the books of 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles.

Name and Meaning

The name Ahijah (Hebrew: אֲחִיָּה) means "brother of Yahweh" or "Yahweh is my brother." This name reflects the close relationship and covenantal bond between God and His people, a theme that is evident in Ahijah's prophetic ministry.

Role and Ministry

Ahijah the Shilonite is first introduced in 1 Kings 11:29-39. He is a prophet from Shiloh, a city with historical significance as the location of the Tabernacle before the construction of the Temple in Jerusalem. Ahijah's most notable act was his prophecy concerning the division of the united kingdom of Israel.

Prophecy to Jeroboam

Ahijah's encounter with Jeroboam, a servant of King Solomon, is a pivotal moment in Israel's history. In 1 Kings 11:29-31, Ahijah meets Jeroboam on the road and performs a symbolic act by tearing a new cloak into twelve pieces. He gives ten pieces to Jeroboam, signifying that God would give him rule over ten of the twelve tribes of Israel. This act was a divine judgment against Solomon's idolatry and disobedience, as stated in 1 Kings 11:33 : "For they have forsaken Me and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the Ammonites. They have not walked in My ways, nor done what is right in My eyes, nor kept My statutes and judgments as did David, Solomon’s father."

Role in the Reign of Jeroboam

Ahijah's influence continued into the reign of Jeroboam, the first king of the northern kingdom of Israel. In 1 Kings 14, Jeroboam's wife visits Ahijah to inquire about their sick son. Despite his old age and blindness, Ahijah delivers a harsh prophecy against Jeroboam's house, foretelling the death of the child and the eventual downfall of Jeroboam's dynasty due to the king's sins and idolatry. As recorded in 1 Kings 14:9-10 , Ahijah declares, "You have done more evil than all who came before you. You have made for yourself other gods and molten images to provoke Me to anger, and you have cast Me behind your back. Because of all this, I am about to bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam."

Legacy and Significance

Ahijah's prophecies were instrumental in shaping the course of Israel's history. His messages emphasized the importance of faithfulness to God and the dire consequences of idolatry and disobedience. Ahijah's role as a prophet underscores the biblical theme of God's sovereignty and His active involvement in the affairs of nations and leaders. His life and ministry serve as a reminder of the power of God's word and the fulfillment of His promises, both of blessing and judgment.Ahijah

same with Ahiah

Ahijah

[AHIAH, OR AHIJAH]

Ahijah

A prophet and chronicler of the times of Solomon and Jeroboam, 1 Kings 11:29 2 Chronicles 9:29. He is thought to be the person who spoke in God's name to Solomon while building the temple, 1 Kings 6:11; and again after he fell into sin, 1 Kings 11:11. He notified Jeroboam of the separation of Israel from Judah, and of the foundation of his house-the ruin of which he afterwards foretold, 1 Kings 14:1-14.

Brother (i.e., "friend") of Jehovah.

(1.) One of the sons of Bela (1 Chronicles 8:7, R.V.). In A.V. called "Ahiah."

(2.) One of the five sons of Jerahmeel, who was great-grandson of Judah (1 Chronicles 2:25).

(3.) Son of Ahitub (1 Samuel 14:3, 18), Ichabod's brother; the same probably as Ahimelech, who was high priest at Nob in the reign of Saul (1 Samuel 22:11). Some, however, suppose that Ahimelech was the brother of Ahijah, and that they both officiated as high priests, Ahijah at Gibeah or Kirjath-jearim, and Ahimelech at Nob.

(4.) A Pelonite, one of David's heroes (1 Chronicles 11:36); called also Eliam (2 Samuel 23:34).

(5.) A Levite having charge of the sacred treasury in the temple (1 Chronicles 26:20).

(6.) One of Solomon's secretaries (1 Kings 4:3).

(7.) A prophet of Shiloh (1 Kings 11:29; 14:2), called the "Shilonite," in the days of Rehoboam. We have on record two of his remarkable prophecies, 1 Kings 11:31-39, announcing the rending of the ten tribes from Solomon; and 1 Kings 14:6-16, delivered to Jeroboam's wife, foretelling the death of Abijah the king's son, the destruction of Jeroboam's house, and the captivity of Israel "beyond the river." Jeroboam bears testimony to the high esteem in which he was held as a prophet of God (1 Kings 14:2, 3).

AHIJAH

a-hi'-ja ('achiyah or 'achiyahu, "brother of Yahweh," "my brother is Yahweh," "Yah is brother." In the King James Version the name sometimes appears as Ahiah):

(1) One of the sons of Jerahmeel the great-grandson of Judah (1 Chronicles 2:25).

(2) A descendant of Benjamin (1 Chronicles 8:7).

(3) The son of Ahitub, priest in the time of King Saul (1 Samuel 14:3, 18). Either he is the same with Ahimelech, who is mentioned later, or he is the father or brother of Ahimelech. He is introduced to us when Saul has been so long on the throne that his son Jonathan is a man grown and a warrior. He is in attendance upon Saul, evidently as an official priest, "wearing an ephod." When Saul wishes direction from God he asks the priest to bring hither the ark; but then, without waiting for the message, Saul counts the confusion in the Philistine camp a sufficient indication of the will of Providence, and hurries off to the attack. Some copies of the Greek here read "ephod" instead of "ark," but the documentary evidence in favor of that reading is far from decisive. If the Hebrew reading is correct, then the seclusion of the ark, from the time of its return from Philistia to the time of David, was not so absolute as many have supposed. See AHIMELECH, i.

(4) One of David's mighty men, according to the list in 1 Chronicles 11:36. The corresponding name in the list in 2 Samuel 23:34 is Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite.

(5) A Levite of David's time who had charge of certain treasures connected with the house of God (1 Chronicles 26:20). The Greek copies presuppose the slightly different text which would give in English "and their brethren," instead of Ahijah. This is accepted by many scholars, and it is at least more plausible than most of the proposed corrections of the Hebrew text by the Greek.

(6) Son of Sinsha and brother of Elihoreph (1 Kings 4:3). The two brothers were scribes of Solomon. Can the scribes Ahijah and Shemaiah (1 Chronicles 24:6) be identified with the men of the same names who, later, were known as distinguished prophets? Sinsha is probably the same with Shavsha (1 Chronicles 18:16; compare 2 Samuel 8:17; 2 Samuel 20:25), who was scribe under David, the office in this case descending from father to son.

(7) The distinguished prophet of Shiloh, who was interested in Jeroboam I. In Solomon's lifetime Ahijah clothed himself with a new robe, met Jeroboam outside Jerusalem, tore the robe into twelve pieces, and gave him ten, in token that he should become king of the ten tribes (1 Kings 11:29-39). Later, when Jeroboam had proved unfaithful to Yahweh, he sent his wife to Ahijah to ask in regard to their sick son. The prophet received her harshly, foretold the death of the son, and threatened the extermination of the house of Jeroboam (1 Kings 14). The narrative makes the impression that Ahijah was at this time a very old man (1 Kings 14:4). These incidents are differently narrated in the long addition at 1 Kings 12:24 found in some of the Greek copies. In that addition the account of the sick boy precedes that of the rent garment, and both are placed between the account of Jeroboam's return from Egypt and that of the secession of the ten tribes, an order in which it is impossible to think that the events occurred. Further, this addition attributes the incident of the rent garment to Shemaiah and not to Ahijah, and says that Ahijah was 60 years old.

Other notices speak of the fulfillment of the threatening prophecies spoken by Ahijah (2 Chronicles 10:15 1 Kings 12:15; 1 Kings 15:29). In 2 Chronicles "the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite" is referred to as a source for the history of Solomon (2 Chronicles 9:29).

(8) The father of Baasha king of Israel (1 Kings 15:27, 33; 1 Kings 21:22 2 Kings 9:9).

(9) A Levite of Nehemiah's time, who sealed the covenant (Nehemiah 10:26 the King James Version).

Willis J. Beecher

281. Achiyyah -- "brother of Yah," an Israelite name
... Achiyyah. 282 . "brother of Yah," an Israelite name. Transliteration: Achiyyah
Phonetic Spelling: (akh-ee-yaw) Short Definition: Ahijah. ... Ahiah, Ahijah. ...
/hebrew/281.htm - 6k

Asa
... His father was Ahijah, of whom it is sternly said, "He walked in all the sins of
his father, Rehoboam, which he had done before him." A worse bringing-up than ...
//christianbookshelf.org/milligan/men of the bible some lesser-known/asa.htm

A Ruler who Wronged his People
... Once upon a time, when Jeroboam went away from Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah
of Shiloh met him on the way and took him aside. Now ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/sherman/the childrens bible/a ruler who wronged his.htm

The New Garment Bent
... And it came to pass at that time when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet
Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way; and he had clad himself with ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/the new garment bent.htm

Concerning the Death of a Son of Jeroboam. How Jeroboam was Beaten ...
... who was called Abijah, he enjoined his wife to lay aside her robes, and to take
the garments belonging to a private person, and to go to Ahijah the prophet ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 11 concerning the death.htm

The Divided Kingdom.
... the people had turned away from Jehovah and engaged in the idolatrous worship of
other gods, especially those of the Zidonians, Moabites and Ahijah, the prophet ...
/.../tidwell/the bible period by period/chapter xiii the divided kingdom.htm

Jeroboam
... power, and won it. And these characteristics of his were gifts from God,
as Ahijah the prophet emphatically declared. We are far ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/milligan/men of the bible some lesser-known/jeroboam.htm

How Solomon Grew Rich, and Fell Desperately in Love with Women and ...
... And when about that time Jeroboam was once going out of Jerusalem, a prophet of
the city Shilo, whose name was Ahijah, met him and saluted him; and when he had ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 7 how solomon grew.htm

Synopsis. --The Gradual Narrowing of the Miraculous Element in the ...
... The forewarning which God is said to have given the prophet Ahijah of the visit
that the queen was about to pay him in disguise[6] is now recognized as one of ...
/.../miracles and supernatural religion/i synopsis the gradual narrowing of.htm

The Rending of the Kingdom
... the son of Nebat "the same Jeroboam who during Solomon's reign had been known as
"a mighty man of valor," and to whom the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite had ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 6 the rending of.htm

National Apostasy
... Nadab was slain, with all his kindred in the line of succession, "according unto
the saying of the Lord, which He spake by His servant Ahijah the Shilonite ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 8 national apostasy.htm

Ahijah (23 Occurrences)
... Some, however, suppose that Ahimelech was the brother of Ahijah, and that they both
officiated as high priests, Ahijah at Gibeah or Kirjath-jearim, and ...AHIJAH. ...
/a/ahijah.htm - 21k

Ahijah's (2 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Ahijah's (2 Occurrences). 1 Kings 14:4 And Jeroboam's
wife did so, and arose, and went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahijah. ...
/a/ahijah's.htm - 7k

Ahi'jah (22 Occurrences)
Ahi'jah. Ahijah, Ahi'jah. Ahijah's . Multi-Version Concordance Ahi'jah
(22 Occurrences). 1 Samuel 14:3 and Ahijah, the son of Ahitub ...
/a/ahi'jah.htm - 12k

Shilonite (7 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary Ahijah the prophet, whose home was in Shiloh,
is so designated (1 Kings 11:29; 15:29). The plural form ...
/s/shilonite.htm - 10k

Shi'lonite (6 Occurrences)
... 1 Kings 11:29 And it came to pass at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem,
that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way; now Ahijah had ...
/s/shi'lonite.htm - 8k

Baasha (26 Occurrences)
... the third king of the separate kingdom of Israel, and founder of its second dynasty
(1 Kings 15; 16; 2 Chronicles 16:1-6). He was the son of Ahijah of the ...
/b/baasha.htm - 16k

Jeroboam's (7 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Jeroboam's (7 Occurrences). 1 Kings 14:4 Jeroboam's wife
did so, and arose, and went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahijah. ...
/j/jeroboam's.htm - 9k

Ba'asha (26 Occurrences)
... 1 Kings 15:27 Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against
him; and Baasha struck him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines ...
/b/ba'asha.htm - 13k

Baasa (26 Occurrences)
... (See JPS). 1 Kings 15:27 And Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar,
conspired against him; and Baasha smote him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the ...
/b/baasa.htm - 13k

Nebat (25 Occurrences)
... the king didn't listen to the people; for it was a thing brought about of Yahweh,
that he might establish his word, which Yahweh spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite ...
/n/nebat.htm - 15k

Who was Ahijah in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

Who was King Jeroboam in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

What is the story of Rehoboam and Jeroboam? | GotQuestions.org

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