Jeroboam's wife

Last updated
Depiction of Ahijah and Jeroboam's wife, by Charles Horne, 1909. Ahijah and Jeroboam's wife.jpg
Depiction of Ahijah and Jeroboam's wife, by Charles Horne, 1909.

Jeroboam's wife is a character in the Hebrew Bible. She is unnamed in the Masoretic Text, but according to the Septuagint, she was an Egyptian princess called Ano:

And Sousakim gave to Jeroboam Ano the eldest sister of Thekemina his wife, to him as wife; she was great among the king's daughters... [1]

She is mentioned in 1 Kings 14, which describes how she visited the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite. Her son Abijah was sick, and on her husband Jeroboam's instructions she disguised herself and went to Ahijah. Although Ahijah was blind, God had told him that she was coming and had given him a message for her. This included the death of her son, who was to die as soon as Jeroboam's wife came back home to Tirzah. He would be the only one of Jeroboam's offspring who would be buried, "because something good was found in him, to Yhwh the God of Israel". According to 1 Kings 14:17, her son died as soon as she stepped over the threshold.

In the Septuagint, the story is found in I Kings 12 after verse 24, and differs somewhat from the Masoretic text.

According to the Jewish Encyclopedia the good that Abijah did: "Rabbinical Literature:The passage, I Kings, xiv. 13, in which there is a reference to "some good thing [found in him] toward the Lord God of Israel," is interpreted (M. Ḳ. 28b) as an allusion to Abijah's courageous and pious act in removing the sentinels placed by his father on the frontier between Israel and Judah to prevent pilgrimages to Jerusalem. Some assert that he himself undertook a pilgrimage." [2]

The wife of Jeroboam does not speak at all in the biblical narrative. Robin Gallaher Branch calls her "flat, vapid, and overwhelmingly sad", [3] while Adele Berlin says that she is "intentionally not portrayed as a real individual in her own right", but that her characterization should be viewed as "the effective use of an anonymous character to fill an important literary function". [4]

Branch also argues that Jeroboam's wife was abused by her husband. [5]

Related Research Articles

Abijah is a Biblical Hebrew unisex name which means "my Father is Yah". The Hebrew form Aviyahu also occurs in the Bible.

The Book of Kings is a book in the Hebrew Bible, found as two books in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. It concludes the Deuteronomistic history, a history of ancient Israel also including the books of Joshua, Judges, and Samuel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeroboam</span> Biblical figure and monarch

Jeroboam I was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the first king of the northern Kingdom of Israel following a revolt of the ten tribes against Rehoboam that put an end to the United Monarchy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rehoboam</span> Biblical figure; first monarch of the Kingdom of Judah

Rehoboam was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the first monarch of the Kingdom of Judah after the split of the united Kingdom of Israel. He was a son of and the successor to Solomon and a grandson of David. In the account of I Kings and II Chronicles, Rehoboam saw his rule limited to only the Kingdom of Judah in the south following a rebellion by the ten northern tribes of Israel in 932/931 BCE, which led to the formation of the independent Kingdom of Israel under the rule of Jeroboam in the north.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abijah of Judah</span> Second King of Judah according to the Hebrew Bible

Abijam was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the fourth king of the House of David and the second of the Kingdom of Judah. He was the son of Rehoboam and the grandson of Solomon. The Books of Chronicles refer to him as Abijah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jochebed</span> Mother of Aaron, Miriam, and Moses in the Bible

According to the Bible, Jochebed was a daughter of Levi and mother of Miriam, Aaron and Moses. She was the wife of Amram, as well as his aunt. No details are given concerning her life. According to Jewish legend, she is buried in the Tomb of the Matriarchs, in Tiberias. In the New Testament, she is praised for her faith in God.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nadab of Israel</span> King of Israel in the 10th century BCE

Nadab was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the second king of the northern Israelite Kingdom of Israel. He was the son and successor of Jeroboam.

Iddo was a biblical prophet. According to the Books of Chronicles, he lived during the reigns of King Solomon and his heirs, Rehoboam and Abijah, in the Kingdom of Judah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ahijah the Shilonite</span> Biblical prophet

Ahijah the Shilonite was a Levite prophet of Shiloh in the days of Solomon, as mentioned in the Hebrew Bible's First Books of Kings. Ahijah foretold to Jeroboam that he would become king.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Mount Zemaraim</span>

The great Battle of Mount Zemaraim was reported in the Bible to have been fought in Mount Zemaraim, when the army of the Kingdom of Israel led by the king Jeroboam I encountered the army of the Kingdom of Judah led by the king Abijah I. About 500,000 Israelites were said to have lain dead after this single engagement, though most modern commentators consider the numbers to be either wildly exaggerated or symbolic, and some have even questioned its fundamental historicity. A chronology proposed by Edwin Thiele suggests the battle would have taken place around 913 BC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hosea 1</span>

Hosea 1 is the first chapter of the Book of Hosea in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. This book contains the prophecies attributed to the prophet Hosea, son of Beeri, and this chapter especially sets forth the spiritual whoredom of Israel by symbolical acts. It is a part of the Book of the Twelve Minor Prophets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2 Kings 1</span> A chapter in the Second Book of Kings

2 Kings 1 is the first chapter of the second part of the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the Second Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter focuses on Ahaziah of Israel, the son of Ahab, and the acts of Elijah the prophet who rebuked the king and prophesied the king's death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2 Chronicles 9</span> Second Book of Chronicles, chapter 9

2 Chronicles 9 is the ninth chapter of the Second Book of Chronicles the Old Testament in the Christian Bible or of the second part of the Books of Chronicles in the Hebrew Bible. The book is compiled from older sources by an unknown person or group, designated by modern scholars as "the Chronicler", and had the final shape established in the late fifth or fourth century BCE. This chapter belongs to the section focusing on the kingship of Solomon. The focus of this chapter is Solomon's fame and wealth with the visit of the queen of Sheba and the list of his treasures, ending with the report of his death and the history books containing his activities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2 Chronicles 12</span> Second Book of Chronicles, chapter 12

2 Chronicles 12 is the twelfth chapter of the Second Book of Chronicles the Old Testament in the Christian Bible or of the second part of the Books of Chronicles in the Hebrew Bible. The book is compiled from older sources by an unknown person or group, designated by modern scholars as "the Chronicler", and had the final shape established in late fifth or fourth century BCE. This chapter belongs to the section focusing on the kingdom of Judah until its destruction by the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar and the beginning of restoration under Cyrus the Great of Persia. The focus of this chapter is the kingdom of Israel's division in the beginning of Rehoboam's reign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2 Chronicles 13</span> Second Book of Chronicles, chapter 13

2 Chronicles 13 is the thirteenth chapter of the Second Book of Chronicles the Old Testament in the Christian Bible or of the second part of the Books of Chronicles in the Hebrew Bible. The book is compiled from older sources by an unknown person or group, designated by modern scholars as "the Chronicler", and had the final shape established in late fifth or fourth century BCE. This chapter belongs to the section focusing on the kingdom of Judah until its destruction by the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar and the beginning of restoration under Cyrus the Great of Persia. The focus of this chapter is the reign of Abijah, king of Judah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1 Kings 11</span> 1 Kings, chapter 11

1 Kings 11 is the eleventh chapter of the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the First Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter belongs to the section focusing on the reign of Solomon over the unified kingdom of Judah and Israel. The focus of this chapter is Solomon's decline and death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1 Kings 12</span> 1 Kings, chapter 12

1 Kings 12 is the twelfth chapter of the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the First Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. 1 Kings 12:1 to 16:14 documents the consolidation of the kingdoms of northern Israel and Judah: this chapter focusses on the reigns of Rehoboam and Jeroboam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1 Kings 14</span> 1 Kings, chapter 14

1 Kings 14 is the fourteenth chapter of the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the First Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. 1 Kings 12:1 to 16:14 documents the consolidation of the kingdoms of northern Israel and Judah: this chapter focusses on the reigns of Jeroboam and Nadab in the northern kingdom and Rehoboam in the southern kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1 Kings 15</span> 1 Kings, chapter 15

1 Kings 15 is the fifteenth chapter of the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the First Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. 1 Kings 12:1-16:14 documents the consolidation of the kingdoms of northern Israel and Judah. This chapter focusses on the reigns of Abijam and Asa in the southern kingdom, as well as Nadab and Baasha in the northern kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1 Kings 16</span> 1 Kings, chapter 16

1 Kings 16 is the sixteenth chapter of the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the First Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. 1 Kings 12:1-16:14 documents the consolidation of the kingdoms of northern Israel and Judah. This chapter focusses on the reigns of Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Omri and Ahab in the northern kingdom during the reign of Asa in the southern kingdom.

References

  1. 1 Kings 12:24e, New English Translation of the Septuagint
  2. Jewish Encyclopedia
  3. Robin Gallaher Branch, Jeroboam's Wife: The Enduring Contributions of the Old Testament's Least-Known Women, p. 6.
  4. Adele Berlin, "Wife of Jeroboam" in Women in Scripture, p. 272.
  5. Branch, Jeroboam's Wife, p. 96.