Hebrew word · H281

אֲחִיָּ֫הוּ

'achiyahu

Ahijah

A personal name built from 'brother' and the short form of God's name, Yah: 'My brother is the LORD' or 'Brother of the LORD'. It was borne by several men (a prophet from Shiloh, priests, officials), and the form ending in -yah could be used for a woman too (compare Abijah, Hezron's wife, in 2:24).

Appears 24 times in 23 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

A prophet living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Ki.11.29

§ Ahiah or Ahijah = "brother of Jehovah (Yahu)"

1) grandson of Phinehas

2) scribe of Solomon

3) a prophet who predicted the revolt of the Northern tribes

4) father of Baasha, who usurped the Northern throne

5) grandson of Hezron (or mother of 1-4 above)

6) a Benjamite, son of Ehud

7) one of David's heroes

8) a Levite during David's time

9) a chief man under Nehemiah

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of 1 Chronicles 2:25

Range of meaning

A personal name built from 'brother' and the short form of God's name, Yah: 'My brother is the LORD' or 'Brother of the LORD'. It was borne by several men (a prophet from Shiloh, priests, officials), and the form ending in -yah could be used for a woman too (compare Abijah, Hezron's wife, in 2:24).

Against the English

Every English version reads 'and Ahijah' as the last of five sons and supplies an 'and' that the Hebrew lacks.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Septuagint appears to read 'his brother' (adelphos autou) at this point. Commentators such as Williamson, Japhet and Klein discuss whether to read 'from Ahijah', which would identify the mother.

From the study of 1 Chronicles 26:20

Range of meaning

A common personal name meaning 'my brother is Yah' or 'brother of Yah'. Several different men bear it (e.g. the prophet Ahijah of Shiloh, 1 Kgs 11).

Against the English

KJV/WEB/YLT/ESV keep 'Ahijah'. BSB/NIV/NRSV read 'their fellow Levites', following the Greek.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Septuagint has 'their brothers' (adelphoi autōn), which reflects Hebrew ʾaḥeihem. The Latin Vulgate has the name Achias, which follows the Hebrew.

From the study of 1 Kings 12:15

Range of meaning

Personal name, 'Yahweh is my brother/kinsman', together with a description of where he came from, Shiloh in Ephraim.

Against the English

No real translation difference. The importance of 'Shilonite' is lost on readers who do not know Shiloh's history.

Used elsewhere in the period

Shiloh was Israel's central sanctuary before the monarchy (Joshua 18:1; 1 Samuel 1–4) and the home of Eli's priestly house. Solomon banished Abiathar, the last of that line (1 Kings 2:26–27). Ahijah reappears in 1 Kings 14 to condemn Jeroboam in turn.

Where it appears

1 Samuel · 2
  1. 1 Samuel 14:3 וַאֲחִיָּ֣ה and Ahijah

    including Ahijah, who was wearing an ephod. He was the son of Ichabod’s brother Ahitub son of Phinehas, the son of Eli the priest of the LORD in Shiloh. But the troops did not know that Jonathan had left.

  2. 1 Samuel 14:18 לַֽאֲחִיָּ֔ה to Ahijah

    Then Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the ark of God.” (For at that time it was with the Israelites.)

1 Kings · 14
  1. 1 Kings 4:3 וַאֲחִיָּ֛ה and Ahijah

    Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, were secretaries; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the recorder;

  2. 1 Kings 11:29 אֲחִיָּה֩ Ahijah

    During that time, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met Jeroboam on the road as he was going out of Jerusalem. Now Ahijah had wrapped himself in a new cloak, and the two of them were alone in the open field.

  3. 1 Kings 11:30 אֲחִיָּ֔ה Ahijah

    And Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing, tore it into twelve pieces,

  4. 1 Kings 12:15 אֲחִיָּ֣ה Ahijah

    So the king did not listen to the people, and indeed this turn of events was from the LORD, to fulfill the word He had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite.

    Here: The name means 'Yahweh is my brother/kinsman'. He is the prophet who tore his new cloak into twelve pieces and gave ten to Jeroboam (11:29–31).

  5. 1 Kings 14:2 אֲחִיָּ֣ה Ahijah

    and Jeroboam said to his wife, “Now get up, disguise yourself so they will not recognize you as my wife, and go to Shiloh. For Ahijah the prophet is there; it was he who spoke about my kingship over this people.

  6. 1 Kings 14:4 אֲחִיָּ֑ה וַאֲחִיָּ֙הוּ֙ Ahijah, and Ahijah

    Jeroboam’s wife did as instructed; she arose and went to Shiloh and arrived at Ahijah’s house. Now Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were dim because of his age.

  7. 1 Kings 14:5 אֲחִיָּ֗הוּ Ahijah

    But the LORD had said to Ahijah, “Behold, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to ask you about her son, for he is ill. You are to say such and such to her, because when she arrives, she will be disguised.”

  8. 1 Kings 14:6 אֲחִיָּ֜הוּ Ahijah

    So when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet entering the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam! Why are you disguised? For I have been sent to you with bad news.

  9. 1 Kings 14:18 אֲחִיָּ֥הוּ Ahijah

    And they buried him, and all Israel mourned for him, according to the word that the LORD had spoken through His servant Ahijah the prophet.

  10. 1 Kings 15:27 אֲחִיָּה֙ Ahijah

    Then Baasha son of Ahijah of the house of Issachar conspired against Nadab, and Baasha struck him down at Gibbethon of the Philistines while Nadab and all Israel were besieging the city.

  11. 1 Kings 15:29 אֲחִיָּ֥ה Ahijah

    As soon as Baasha became king, he struck down the entire household of Jeroboam. He did not leave to Jeroboam anyone who breathed, but destroyed them all according to the word that the LORD had spoken through His servant Ahijah the Shilonite,

  12. 1 Kings 15:33 אֲחִיָּ֤ה Ahijah

    In the third year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Baasha son of Ahijah became king of all Israel, and he reigned in Tirzah twenty-four years.

  13. 1 Kings 21:22 אֲחִיָּ֑ה Ahijah

    I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like that of Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have provoked My anger and caused Israel to sin.’

2 Kings · 1
  1. 2 Kings 9:9 אֲחִיָּֽה׃ Ahijah

    I will make the house of Ahab like the houses of Jeroboam son of Nebat and Baasha son of Ahijah.

    Here: Baasha's father, of the tribe of Issachar (1 Kgs 15:27). He is not Ahijah the prophet from Shiloh who pronounced judgment on Jeroboam's house (1 Kgs 14). The two men share a common name.

1 Chronicles · 4
  1. 1 Chronicles 2:25 אֲחִיָּֽה׃ Ahijah

    The sons of Jerahmeel the firstborn of Hezron: Ram his firstborn, Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah.

    Here: Means 'My brother is Yah' or 'Brother of the LORD'. It stands without the word 'and' that comes before every other name, which is why some read it as a separate note, perhaps naming the mother. See the textual notes.

  2. 1 Chronicles 8:7 וַאֲחִיָּ֛ה and Ahijah

    Naaman, Ahijah, and Gera, who carried them into exile and who was the father of Uzza and Ahihud.

  3. 1 Chronicles 11:36 אֲחִיָּ֖ה Ahijah

    Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite,

  4. 1 Chronicles 26:20 אֲחִיָּ֗ה Ahijah

    Now their fellow Levites were in charge of the treasuries of the house of God and the treasuries of the dedicated things.

    Here: As the Hebrew stands, this names one man as head over both treasuries. No Levite treasurer called Ahijah appears anywhere else, and verses 21–28 name other men over these same storehouses. That is why the Greek reading 'their brothers' (one letter different) is widely preferred.

2 Chronicles · 2
  1. 2 Chronicles 9:29 אֲחִיָּ֣ה Ahijah

    As for the rest of the acts of Solomon, from beginning to end, are they not written in the Records of Nathan the Prophet, in the Prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the Visions of Iddo the Seer concerning Jeroboam son of Nebat?

  2. 2 Chronicles 10:15 אֲחִיָּ֣הוּ Ahijah

    So the king did not listen to the people, and indeed this turn of events was from God, in order that the LORD might fulfill the word that He had spoken through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.

    Here: The prophet's name means 'my brother is Yah'. He is the one who tore a new cloak into twelve pieces and gave Jeroboam ten.

Nehemiah · 1
  1. Nehemiah 10:26 וַאֲחִיָּ֥ה and Ahiah

    Ahijah, Hanan, Anan,

    Here: A personal name meaning roughly "my brother is Yah" or "brother of Yah" (Yah is the short form of Israel's God's name). The "and" at the front simply links him to the names in the previous verse in the running list.

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