AHIJAH THE SHILONITE

AHIJAH THE SHILONITE
AHIJAH THE SHILONITE (Heb. אֲחִיָּה הַשִּׁלֹנִי), Israelite prophet during the latter part of Solomon's reign and during the concurrent reigns of rehoboam and jeroboam . Jeroboam son of Nebat of Zeredah (which, according to the Septuagint, I Kings 12:24, was near Shiloh), enjoyed the support of Ahijah, whose main antagonism against Solomon was due to the tolerance shown by the king to foreign cults. At a secret meeting with Jeroboam outside Jerusalem he tore Jeroboam's new garment (or his own – the text is ambiguous) into 12 pieces as a symbol of the 12 tribes and gave him ten. The kingdom of Israel would be divided; only one other tribe (Benjamin), beside Judah, would remain loyal to the House of David (ibid. 11:29–39). Not improbably, Ahijah expected Jeroboam to restore the ancient central sanctuary of his native Shiloh. When Jeroboam, instead, set up golden calves in sanctuaries at Beth-El and Dan, the estrangement between him and Ahijah became inevitable. When Jeroboam's son Abijah fell ill, the king who no longer dared to face the old seer, by now almost blind, sent his wife in disguise to inquire about the child's fate. He not only foretold her son's death but predicted a dire end for the House of Jeroboam (ibid. 14:1–18). In II Chronicles 9:29 Ahijah, in accordance with the Chronicler's practice, is cited, along with the other two prophets who were active in the reign of Solomon, as an author of the books of Kings' account of Solomon's reign. In rabbinic tradition, Ahijah was a Levite at Shiloh. He was the sixth of seven men whose lifetimes following one another encompass all time (BB 121b) and is given a life span of more than 500 years. (On this basis Maimonides, in the introduction to his Code, makes him an important link in the early tradition of the Oral Law.) Ahijah was reputed to be a great master of the secret lore (Kabbalah), and ḥasidic legend makes him a teacher of Israel Ba'al Shem Tov . He is said to have died a martyr's death at the hands of Abijah, son of Rehoboam and king of Judah. -BIBLIOGRAPHY: Bright, Hist, 208 ff.; Kaufmann, Religion, 270 ff.; J. Morgenstern, Amos Studies, 1 (1941), 202 ff.; E. Auerbach, Wueste und gelobtes Land, 2 (1936), index; Yeivin, in: Sefer Dinaburg (1949), 30 ff.; Caquot, in: Semitica, 11 (1961), 17–27 (Fr.); Ginzberg, Legends, 4 (1913), 180.

Encyclopedia Judaica. 1971.

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  • Ahijah the Shilonite — (Hebrew Name 1|אחיה השילוני|Ahiya Hashiloni) was a prophet of Shiloh (bibleverse|1|Kings|11:29|HE; bibleverse nb|1|Kings|14:2|HE) in the days of Rehoboam. The Bible records two of his remarkable prophecies: *bibleverse|1|Kings|11:31 39|HE,… …   Wikipedia

  • Ahijah the Shilonite — (fl. 10th cent BCE)    Israelite prophet. He prophesied during Solomon s reign and the concurrent reigns of Rehoboam and Jeroboam (I Kings 11 14) …   Dictionary of Jewish Biography

  • Ahijah — () is a name of several Biblical individuals:# Ahijah the Shilonite, the Biblical prophet who divided the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah.# One of the sons of Bela (1 Chr. 8:7, R.V.). In A.V. called Ahiah. # One of the five sons of Jerahmeel, who… …   Wikipedia

  • Shilonite —    Ahijah the prophet, whose home was in Shiloh, is so designated (1 Kings 11:29; 15:29). The plural form occurs (1 Chr. 9:5), denoting the descendants of Shelah, Judah s youngest son …   Easton's Bible Dictionary

  • Prophecy of Ahijah — The Prophecy of Ahijah is a lost text that may have been written by the Biblical prophet Ahijah. The book is described in bibleref|2Chronicles|9:29. The passage reads: Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not written in… …   Wikipedia

  • Ahijah —    Brother (i.e., friend ) of Jehovah.    1) One of the sons of Bela (1 Chr. 8:7, R.V.). In A.V. called Ahiah.    2) One of the five sons of Jerahmeel, who was great grandson of Judah (1 Chr. 2:25).    3) Son of Ahitub (1 Sam. 14:3, 18), Ichabod… …   Easton's Bible Dictionary

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  • Visions of Iddo the Seer — The book called the Visions of Iddo the Seer is a lost text that was probably written by the Biblical Prophet Iddo, who lived at the time of Rehoboam. The book is described at bibleref|2Chronicles|9:29. The passage reads: Now the rest of the acts …   Wikipedia

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