Boy Old & New Testament Rare
Abijah
the Lord is my father
אֲבִיָּה Ἀβιά a.viy.yah
Abijah (Hebrew: אֲבִיָּה, a.viy.yah) means “the Lord is my father”, by traditional interpretation. Seven people in scripture bear the name; the best attested is a king. In 2025 it was given to 12 children in the United States. Use is falling away. Appears with Aaron in Luke 1.
Which Abijah?
Seven men in scripture bear this name. Here is each of them.
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Abijah
son of Rehoboam; daughter of Uriel; son of Zechariah
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Abijah
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Abijah
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Abijah
son of King
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Abijah
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Abijah
Show all 7 bearers
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Abijah
descendant of Benjamin; son of Becher
Scripture against society
The two measures, side by side
At a glance
- Verses
- 30 across 7 books
- Bearers
- 7 distinct people in scripture
- Testament
- Both
- Era
- Divided Kingdom
Using it today
Based on 2025 births across the United States.
| Measure | Value | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Given in 2025 | 12 | Falling |
| All-time total | 421 | Since records begin in 1880 |
| Peak | 26 in 2013 | Its highest year on record |
In scripture
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First appears | 1 Samuel 8:2 |
| Last appears | Luke 1:5 |
| Cross-references | 275 linked passages |
Names connected to this one
- Maacah co-occurrence Appears with Maacah in 2 Chronicles 11.
- Ziza co-occurrence Appears with Ziza in 2 Chronicles 11.
- Shelomith co-occurrence Appears with Shelomith in 2 Chronicles 11.
- Uriel co-occurrence Appears with Uriel in 2 Chronicles 13.
- Attai co-occurrence Appears with Attai in 2 Chronicles 11.
- Joel co-occurrence Appears with Joel in 1 Chronicles 6.
- Mijamin co-occurrence Appears with Mijamin in Nehemiah 12.
- Anathoth co-occurrence Appears with Anathoth in 1 Chronicles 7.
Origin & meaning
A man living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Ch.24.10
Also named: Abia (Ἀβιά "Abijah" G0007H)
§ Abia or Abiah or Abijah = "Jehovah is (my) father"
1) king of Judah, son and successor of Rehoboam
2) second son of Samuel
3) son of Jeroboam the first, king of Israel
4) son of Becher, a Benjamite
5) head of a priestly house (one of the 24 Levite groups)
6) head of a priestly house (after the exile)
7) wife of Hezron
8) mother of Hezekiah (cf H021)
Abijah was the head of the eighth priestly division established during King David's reign, and Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, belonged to this division.
The biblical story
Abijah was the head of one of the twenty-four priestly divisions established during the reign of King David (1Ch.24.10). These divisions were responsible for serving in the temple in rotation. The priests were divided into twenty-four groups, each headed by a leading priest, and they would serve in the temple for a week at a time, twice a year.
In the New Testament, Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, is mentioned as belonging to the priestly division of Abijah (Luk.1.5). This indicates that the priestly division named after Abijah continued to function even during the time of Jesus, several centuries after its establishment. Zechariah was serving in the temple when he received the announcement from the angel Gabriel that his wife Elizabeth would bear a son, John the Baptist, who would prepare the way for the Messiah (Luk.1.8-17).
Key verses
Abijah appears in 2 verses. Here are some of the most notable:
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The seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah,
1 Chronicles 24:10 -
There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
Luke 1:5
Show all 2 references
1 Chronicles (1)
- 1 Chronicles 24:10
Luke (1)
- Luke 1:5