The Mother of Abijah by John Nevins Andrews

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jan 13, 1876

The Mother of Abijah.

By John Nevins Andrews

The following from the Cyclopedia of M'Clintock and Strong, vol. 1, p. 17, is worthy of notice:—

“There is a difficulty connected with the maternity of Abijah. In 1 Kings 15:2, we read, ‘His mother's name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom’ (comp. 2 Chron. 11:20, 22); but in 2 Chron. 13:2, ‘His mother's name was Michaiah, the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. Maachah and Michaiah are variations of the same name; and Abishalom is in all likelihood Absalom, the son of David. The word both rendered ‘daughter’ (q. v.), is applied in the Bible, not only to a man's child, but to his niece, granddaughter, or great-granddaughter. It is therefore possible that Uriel of Gibeah married Tamar, the beautiful daughter of Absalom (2 Sam. 14:27), and by her had Maachah, who was thus the daughter of Uriel and granddaughter of Absalom.”

In the same work, volume 5, page 593, we read of Abijah's mother as follows:—

“In 2 Chron. 13:2, she is called, ‘Michaiah, the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah.’ But Josephus says that she was the daughter of Tamar, the daughter of Absalom (Antiquities, viii, 10, 1), and consequently his granddaughter. This seems not unlikely, and in that case this Tamar must have been the wife of Uriel.” J. N. A.