Abijah אבים
king of Judah for three years; he spoke from Mount Zemaraim
Abijah reigned only three years, and Kings speaks of him briefly and harshly: «he walked in all the sins of his father» (1 Kings 15:3). Chronicles gives something else — his speech before the battle with Jeroboam, delivered from Mount Zemaraim: he reminded the northerners that God had given the kingdom to David and his sons by a «covenant of salt», and that Judah still had its priests and its ordered service, while they had calves (2 Chronicles 13:4–12).
The battle ended in Jeroboam's defeat, and Judah took Bethel and its surroundings. Two books look at one man from opposite sides — and this reference keeps both. AM 2980–2983 traditionally, 913–911 BCE academically.
On the timeline
Sources
Tanakh
- Melachim I (1 Kings) 15:1–8 — the three-year reign and the harsh verdict
- 2 Chronicles 13 — the speech from Mount Zemaraim and the battle with Jeroboam
Basis: stated in the Tanakh.