Bible Strands
1 Kings 15:1
In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijam became king of Judah,
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records a regnal synchronism immediately following the death and burial of Rehoboam in the City of David. The text addresses readers tracking the political timeline of Judah relative to the northern kingdom of Israel.
The words — שְׁמֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה (she.mo.Neh 'es.Reh) translates literally to eight-teen, establishing the eighteenth year. מָלַךְ (ma.Lakh) means he became king, marking the formal accession of Abijam.
The thread — This regnal dating formula appears in 2 Chronicles 13:1, which records the same accession year for Abijah under parallel chronicle traditions.
Why it lands — The verse requires the reader to anchor Judah’s monarchy to a fixed chronological marker tied to Jeroboam’s reign. It establishes the historical framework for evaluating subsequent kings against a standardized timeline.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam the son of Nebat reigned Abijam over Judah.
Cross-references
- 1 Kings 14:31 And Rehoboam rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the City of David; his mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite. And his son Abijam reigned in his place.
- 2 Chronicles 13:1 In the eighteenth year of Jeroboam’s reign, Abijah became king of Judah,