Maacah מַעֲכָה
Daughter of Abishalom; wife of Rehoboam; mother of Abijah
Who is Maacah in the Bible?
Maacah, also known as Micaiah, was the daughter of Abishalom (likely Absalom, son of David) and the wife of King Rehoboam of Judah (1 Kings 15:2; 2 Chronicles 11:20-21). She served as mother to Abijah, who became king after Rehoboam, and held the influential position of queen mother during their reigns. However, her tenure as queen mother ended when her grandson King Asa removed her from office because she had created an obscene image dedicated to the goddess Asherah (1 Kings 15:13; 2 Chronicles 15:16). Maacah's account demonstrates both the political power wielded by queen mothers in Judah's monarchy and the religious reforms implemented by later kings to eliminate idolatry from the kingdom.
Biography
Maacah, also referred to as Micaiah, was the daughter of Abishalom (likely Absalom, the son of David) and the wife of King Rehoboam of Judah (1Ki.15.2; 2Ch.11.20-21). She was the mother of Abijah, who succeeded Rehoboam as king (1Ki.15.2; 2Ch.11.22; 13.2). Maacah held the influential position of queen mother during the reigns of Rehoboam and Abijah. However, she was removed from this role by her grandson, King Asa, because she had made an obscene image of Asherah (1Ki.15.13; 2Ch.15.16). Maacah's story illustrates the political significance of the queen mother in the Judean monarchy and the religious reforms undertaken by King Asa to purge idolatry from the land.
Family
Parents
Partners
Offspring
- Abijah MaleHead of a priestly division during David's reignView full profile →
- Attai Tribe of JudahSon of RehoboamSon of King Rehoboam and MaacahView full profile →
- Ziza Tribe of SimeonSon of ShiphiSon of Shiphi, a SimeoniteView full profile →
- Shelomith Tribe of LeviSon of IzharLevite descendant of IzharView full profile →
In Scripture
2 biblical books1 Kings 3 verses
- 1 Kings 15:2
"and he reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother’s name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom."
- 1 Kings 15:10
"and he reigned in Jerusalem forty-one years. His grandmother’s name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom."
- 1 Kings 15:13
"He also removed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made a detestable Asherah pole. Asa chopped down the pole and burned it in the Kidron Valley."
2 Chronicles 5 verses
- 2 Chronicles 11:20
"After her, he married Maacah daughter of Absalom, and she bore to him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith."
- 2 Chronicles 11:21
"Rehoboam loved Maacah daughter of Absalom more than all his wives and concubines. In all, he had eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and he was the father of twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters."
- 2 Chronicles 11:22
"Rehoboam appointed Abijah son of Maacah as chief prince among his brothers, intending to make him king."
- 2 Chronicles 15:16
"King Asa also removed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made a detestable Asherah pole. Asa chopped down the pole, crushed it, and burned it in the Kidron Valley."
- 2 Chronicles 13:2
"and he reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother’s name was Micaiah daughter of Uriel; she was from Gibeah. And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam."
Names & Aliases
| Form | Language | Script | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Named | Hebrew | מַעֲכָה | Maakah (or Maakath), the name of a place in Syria, also of a Mesopotamian, of three Israelites, and of four Israelitesses and one Syrian woman |
| Named | Hebrew | מִיכָיָ֫הוּ | — |