And Abijam slept with his fathers ,.... That is, died as they did: and they buried him in the city of David , in the sepulchre of his royal ancestors, David, Solomon, and Rehoboam: and Asa his son reigned in his stead ; who perhaps was the eldest of his twenty two sons, 2 Chronicles 13:21 . read more
The succession of Abijam to the throne of Judah appears to have had one limiting principle, viz; that the successor should be of the house and lineage of David (see 2 Chronicles 13:8 ). Within this limit it seems— I. IT WAS DETERMINED BY THE WILL OF THE REIGNING KING . 1 . The principle of primogeniture was not considered . 2 . Abijam represented Rehoboam by walking in his sins . II. THE CHOICE OF REHOBOAM HAD THE DIVINE SANCTION ( ... read more
Beloved for the father's sake. I. THE STORY OF A MISUSED OPPORTUNITY . Even in a three years' reign much might have been done. Israel had its troubles, the past its lessons of wisdom; but there was no ear to hear the one, and no heart to attempt redress of the other. 1 . The secret of failure . 2 . The sinful was also a troubled reign : "there was war, " etc; and it was war with brethren. 3 . The opportunity was soon ended : "he reigned three years."... read more
And Abijam slept with his fathers; and they buried him in the city of David [This fact alone should negative Lightfoot's theory as to his name; see note on 1 Kings 14:31 ]: and Ass his son reigned in his stead. The Reign of Asa . read more
Rehoboam’s policies continued (15:1-8)Both Rehoboam and his son Abijam (Abijah) who succeeded him were unfaithful to God, though not to the extent that Jeroboam was. False religion had official recognition in the north through the new system that Jeroboam had established, but in the south it was rather a corruption that existed alongside the orthodox worship of God (15:1-5).Abijam thought that, because the kingdom of Judah still practised the ancient religion that God had given Israel through... read more
slept with his fathers. See note on 1 Kings 14:20 . read more
4. Abijam’s evil reign in Judah 15:1-8Abijam (or Abijah, lit. my father is Yah[weh]) reigned from 913 to 911 B.C. while Jeroboam ruled over Israel. [Note: Various charts of the kings, including those referred to previously, visualize their overlapping reigns.] "The accession formulae from this reign onwards make cross-references between Judah and Israel. It is not clear whether this was to correlate the sources for the reader or to emphasize the essential unity which should have marked both... read more
The Reigns of Abijam and Asa, Nadab and Baasha2. Abishalom] i.e. Absalom. In 2 Chronicles 13:2 his mother is called Micaiah, the daughter of Uriel, and if this is correct, Absalom was probably her grandfather, and her mother the Tamar mentioned in 2 Samuel 14:27. 4. A lamp] see on 1 Kings 11:36. The divine promise made to David prevented Abijam’s sins from being punished by the transfer of the throne to another line.6. There was war.. life] a repetition of 1 Kings 14:30. 2 Chronicles 13:2 has... read more
1THE EARLIER KINGS OF JUDAH1 Kings 14:21-31; 1 Kings 15:1-24THE history of "the Jews" begins, properly speaking, from the reign of Rehoboam, and for four centuries it is mainly the history of the Davidic dynasty.The only records of the son of Solomon are meager records of disaster and disgrace. He reigned seventeen years, and his mother, the Ammonitess Naamah, occupied the position of queen-mother. She was, doubtless, a worshipper in the shrine which Solomon had built for her national god,... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Kings 15:1-8
We have here a short account of the short reign of Abijam the son of Rehoboam king of Judah. He makes a better figure, 2 Chron. 13:1-22, where we have an account of his war with Jeroboam, the speech which he made before the armies engaged, and the wonderful victory he obtained by the help of God. There he is called Abijah?My father is the Lord, because no wickedness is there laid to his charge. But here, where we are told of his faults, Jah, the name of God, is, in disgrace to him, taken away... read more