BibleWay
⌕

← People

Person · Tribe of Levi

Ahimelech

High Priest living at the time of United Monarchy

Ahimelech, the High Priest at Nob, gave David consecrated bread and Goliath's sword but was later killed by Saul for aiding David.

🗺 Places mentioned alongside Ahimelech on the map →

Also known as Ahimelek · Ahijah · Ahiah

Ahimelech, also known as Ahijah, was the priest at Nob during the reign of King Saul. He was the son of Ahitub and the father of Abiathar. When David was fleeing from Saul, he came to Ahimelech at Nob seeking help. Ahimelech, unaware of the conflict between David and Saul, provided David with the consecrated bread and the sword of Goliath. (1Sa.21.1-9)

Doeg the Edomite, one of Saul's servants, witnessed this interaction and reported it to Saul. Saul summoned Ahimelech and the other priests, accusing them of conspiring with David against him. Despite Ahimelech's defense of his actions, Saul ordered the execution of the priests. Doeg carried out the order, killing Ahimelech and eighty-four other priests. (1Sa.22.9-19).

Abiathar, Ahimelech's son, was the only one who escaped the massacre. He fled to David and brought with him the ephod, a priestly garment used for seeking God's guidance. (1Sa.22.20-23; 23.6; 30.7)

The story of Ahimelech's tragic fate is also referenced in Psalm 52, which is attributed to David when Doeg informed Saul about Ahimelech's assistance to David. The psalm reflects on the consequences of those who trust in evil and contrasts them with those who trust in God's steadfast love. (Psa.52.1)

Family

Father
Ahitub
Children
Abiathar

Connections

Part of: Kings, prophets and the house of David

Zadok and Abiathar: two priestly lines under David

WorkStated in the text

Abiathar, son of Ahimelech (Eli's line through Ithamar), escaped Saul's massacre of Nob and joined David. Zadok (line of Eleazar) served with him under David. Solomon's removal of Abiathar fulfilled the word against Eli's house and left Zadok's line as the principal priests.

ZadokA High PriestAbiatharA High PriestAhimelechA High PriestDavidKing of Judah
Where the text shows it: 1 Sam 22:18-23 — Saul kills the priests at Nob; Abiathar escapes2 Sam 8:17 — Zadok and Ahimelech son of Abiathar as priests1 Kgs 2:26-27 — Abiathar dismissed1 Chr 6:50-53 — Zadok's line from Eleazar

Sources: 1 Sam 22:18-23 · 2 Sam 8:17 · 1 Kgs 2:26-27 · 1 Chr 6:50-53

More background: search Wikipedia ↗

Bible dictionary

Ahimelech Easton Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897)

Brother of the king, the son of Ahitub and father of Abiathar (1 Sam. 22:20-23). He descended from Eli in the line of Ithamar. In 1 Chr. 18:16 he is called Abimelech, and is probably the same as Ahiah (1 Sam. 14:3, 18). He was the twelfth high priest, and officiated at Nob, where he was visited by David (to whom and his companions he gave five loaves of the showbread) when he fled from Saul (1 Sam. 21:1-9). He was summoned into Saul’s presence, and accused, on the information of Doeg the Edomite, of disloyalty because of his kindness to David; whereupon the king commanded that he, with the other priests who stood beside him (86 in all), should be put to death. This sentence was carried into execution by Doeg in the most cruel manner (1 Sam. 22:9-23). Possibly Abiathar had a son also called Ahimelech, or the two names, as some think, may have been accidentally transposed in 2 Sam. 8:17; 1 Chr. 18:16, marg.; 24:3, 6, 31.

Read the full entry →

Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.

Where Ahimelech appears

13 verses in 2 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H0288

1 Samuel12
Psalms1

Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.