Abijah

Abijah, the son of King Jeroboam I, fell ill and died in childhood, as prophesied by Ahijah the prophet.

Abijah was the son of Jeroboam I, the first king of the northern kingdom of Israel after the division of the united monarchy. When Abijah fell sick, Jeroboam sent his wife in disguise to the prophet Ahijah to inquire about the child's fate (1Ki 14:1-3).

Ahijah, guided by God, recognized Jeroboam's wife and delivered a message of judgment against Jeroboam's house for his idolatry and disobedience. The prophet also revealed that Abijah would die, and indeed, as soon as Jeroboam's wife returned home, the child died (1Ki 14:12-17).

Ahijah prophesied that Abijah would be the only one of Jeroboam's family to receive a proper burial because he was the only one in whom God found something good (1Ki 14:13). The death of Abijah was a sign of God's judgment against Jeroboam and his dynasty.

A son of Jeroboam, the first king of Israel. On account of his severe illness when a youth, his father sent his wife to consult the prophet Ahijah regarding his recovery. The prophet, though blind with old age, knew the wife of Jeroboam as soon as she approached, and under a divine impulse he announced to her that inasmuch as in Abijah alone of all the house of Jeroboam there was found “some good thing toward the Lord,” he only would come to his grave in peace. As his mother crossed the threshold of the door on her return, the youth died, and “all Israel mourned for him” (1 Kings 14:1-18).