Person Old and New Testament
Abiathar
Abiathar, son of Ahimelech, was a high priest who served during the reigns of David and Solomon. Mentioned in 29 verses across 5 books, first at 1 Samuel 22:20.
Why it matters. High priest during the reigns of David and Solomon
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Abiathar
Abiathar was the son of Ahimelech, a priest at Nob. When King Saul ordered the execution of the priests at Nob, Abiathar was the only one who escaped and fled to David (1Sa.22.20-23). He brought with him the ephod, a sacred priestly garment used for seeking God's will (1Sa.23.6,9). Abiathar remained loyal to David throughout his reign, serving as one of his chief priests (2Sa.8.17; 15.24-36; 19.11; 20.25). However, near the end of David's life, Abiathar supported Adonijah's attempt to become king instead of Solomon (1Ki.1.7,19,25). When Solomon became king, he removed Abiathar from the priesthood, fulfilling the prophecy against the house of Eli (1Ki.2.26-27,35). Abiathar is also mentioned in the New Testament by Jesus, who referred to an incident during Abiathar's time as high priest (Mrk.2.26).
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
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Family
Family links from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0). Where the dataset marks an identification as uncertain, the mark is kept. Matthew and Luke give different genealogies for Jesus; see the Lineage page, which never merges them.
- Parents
- Ahimelech
Appears in Scripture
Named in 29 verses across 5 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.