Greek word · G7

Ἀβιά

abia

Abijah

Abijah, 'my father is Yah(weh).' 1 Kings 15:1–8 gives him the form Abijam (ʾAviyyam). 2 Chronicles 13 calls him Abijah.

Appears 3 times in 2 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

Ἀβιά (Heb. אֲבִיָּה, אֲבִיָּהוּ), ὁ, indecl. (in FlJ, Ἀβίας, -α),

Abia, Abijah.

1. Son of Rehoboam (3Ki.14:1): Matthew 1:7.

2. A priest of the line of Eleazar (1 Chronicles 24:3, 10): Luke 1:5.

† (AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Matthew 1:7

Range of meaning

Abijah, 'my father is Yah(weh).' 1 Kings 15:1–8 gives him the form Abijam (ʾAviyyam). 2 Chronicles 13 calls him Abijah.

Against the English

KJV has 'Abia,' the Greek form. Modern versions have 'Abijah.' Readers who check Kings will find 'Abijam' and may think he is someone else. He is not.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Septuagint spells it Αβιου in Kings and Αβια in Chronicles. Matthew's spelling matches Chronicles. Luke 1:5 uses the same name for a priestly division ('of Abijah').

Where it appears

Matthew · 2

  1. Matthew 1:7 Ἀβιά· Ἀβιὰ Abijah;, Abijah

    Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asa.

    Here: The Greek form of Abijah ('my father is Yah[weh]'). 2 Chronicles 13 uses this name. 1 Kings 15 calls him Abijam.

Luke · 1

  1. Luke 1:5 Ἀβιά, of Abijah,

    In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah, and whose wife Elizabeth was a descendant of Aaron.

    Here: The eighth of the 24 priestly divisions (1 Chronicles 24:10). It was a recognised name but not a leading or elite group.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.