The Hebrew name Achiyyah (or Ahijah) is composed of ach (brother) and Yah (the shortened form of YHWH). It means 'brother of Yahweh' or 'Yahweh is my brother,' expressing intimate kinship with the covenant God. Several important figures in the Old Testament bore this name.
The most prominent Ahijah was the prophet from Shiloh who tore his garment into twelve pieces and gave ten to Jeroboam, signifying the division of the kingdom (1 Kings 11:29-31). This act of prophetic symbolism is one of the most dramatic in the Old Testament. Another Ahijah was the son of Ahitub, a priest in the time of Saul (1 Samuel 14:3). The name 'brother of Yahweh' captures the covenant intimacy at the heart of Israel's faith — that the Lord of heaven and earth would condescend to be in familial relationship with His people. Prophets like Ahijah were the mouthpiece of that covenant relationship.