Illustration created for this project.
Ahijah
A prophet of Shiloh who tore his cloak into twelve pieces to foretell the division of the kingdom.
What we know — and how we know it
Bible — stated in scripture (with verse) · 1
Ancient writers — non-biblical testimony · 1
Scholarly — supported scholarly belief · 1
Origin & birthplace
Prophecy & fulfilment
Scan by NYPL — Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)
Ancient writersJosephus recounts Ahijah the Shilonite tearing his garment into pieces and delivering the oracle that Jeroboam would rule the ten northern tribes. His narrative is a retelling dependent on 1 Kings, not an independent witness.
Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 8.205-214.
Name & titles
Scholarly"Ahijah" (Hebrew Ahiyahu/Ahiyah) is a theophoric name meaning "Yah(weh) is my brother" or "my brother is Yahweh." Both the name and its -yahu element are common in Iron Age II Hebrew seals and ostraca, though none is tied to the prophet of Shiloh specifically.
Hebrew onomastics: 'ah ("brother") + Yahu; name-type well attested epigraphically, no seal linked to this individual.
Where in scripture
1 KingsAt that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the way; now Ahijah had clad himself with a new garment; and they two were alone in the field.
1 Kings 11:29 — Tears his cloak
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, a public-domain translation.
In art
