Ahijah

Ahijah (meaning brother of Jehovah or friend of the Lord) is the name of several men in the Old Testament, the most significant being Ahijah the Shilonite, the prophet who played a decisive role in the division of the kingdom. He encountered Jeroboam on the road outside Jerusalem, tore his own new garment into twelve pieces, and gave ten to Jeroboam as a sign that God would tear the kingdom from Solomon and give ten tribes to him on account of Solomon's idolatry (1 Kings 11:29–39). The prophecy also promised Jeroboam a dynasty like David's if he would obey God.

Later, when Jeroboam's son fell ill, the king sent his wife in disguise to Ahijah — by then old and blind — to inquire about the child's fate. Ahijah pronounced judgment on Jeroboam's house for the sin he had caused Israel to commit and foretold the child's death (1 Kings 14). Other men named Ahijah include the son of Ahitub the priest (1 Samuel 14:3, 18), one of Solomon's secretaries (1 Kings 4:3), and several figures in the Davidic court genealogies.