Rehoboam’s son and his successor as king of Judah. He ruled from 913–910 BC (1 Chronicles 3:10). He was also called “Abijah” (2 Chronicles 11:18–22; 12:16; 13:1–22; 14:1).
The main event of Abijam's rule was his war with King Jeroboam I of Israel (2 Chronicles 13:1–3). Before an important battle, Abijam stood on Mount Zemaraim and shouted criticisms of Jeroboam’s dividing of the country and worshipping idols (2 Chronicles 13:4–12). Abijam and his army prayed for God’s help in the battle. Even though Jeroboam's army was twice as big, Abiham's army escaped an ambush and won a surprise victory (2 Chronicles 13:13–19).
Abijam’s reign over Judah was not described kindly in 1 Kings 15:1–8: “And Abijam walked in all the sins that his father before him had committed, and his heart was not as fully devoted to the LORD his God as the heart of David his forefather had been.” (1 Kings 15:3). But God had promised to keep David’s descendants on the throne in Jerusalem (1 Kings 11:36), so Abijam’s son Asa became king after him.
Abijam was a member of David’s family, so he was an ancestor of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:7, called “Abijah”).