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13:1 Abijah is called Abijam in Kings (e.g., 1 Kgs 15:1). Abijam, possibly the Canaanite form of his name, would mean “my father is Yam.” Yam was the Canaanite sea-god prominent in the Baal stories (see study note on Job 7:12). Abijah means “my father is Yah,” the usual short form for Yahweh, the God of Judah. Abijah reigned from 913 to 910 BC.
13:10-11 Abijah’s speech portrays him as concerned about the purity of worship at Jerusalem. The account in Kings says nothing of Abijah’s devotion (1 Kgs 15:3-4).
13:13-19 The example of God’s people turning to him and his helping them, even after the kingdom had been disrupted, provided hope for the original readers in a similar situation.
13:19 The Lord granted the kingdom of Judah a miraculous victory. Abijah took the territories surrounding Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephron from Israel (13:19). Together with Zemaraim (13:4), these towns in the hill country on the northern border of Judah formed a geographical unit (see Josh 18:22-23). The subsequent history of this territorial gain is not known;...
13:19 The Lord granted the kingdom of Judah a miraculous victory. Abijah took the territories surrounding Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephron from Israel (13:19). Together with Zemaraim (13:4), these towns in the hill country on the northern border of Judah formed a geographical unit (see Josh 18:22-23). The subsequent history of this territorial gain is not known; by the time of Amos (about 760 BC), Bethel was a major pagan shrine in Israel.
leviticus 2:13
joshua 18:22
joshua 18:22-23
2 samuel 24:9
1 kings 15:1
1 kings 15:3-4
1 kings 15:9
2 kings 19:37