Person Old Testament
Ahimelech
Also known as Ahimelech =ESV, KJV; Ahimelek =NIV, Ahimelech =ESV; Ahimelek =NIV; Abimelech =KJV
Ahimelech, son of Abiathar, served as a priest during the reign of King David. Mentioned in 5 verses across 2 books, first at 2 Samuel 8:17.
Why it matters. Son of Abiathar, a priest during David's reign
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Ahimelech
Ahimelech, the son of Abiathar, was a priest who served during the reign of King David. He is mentioned alongside Zadok, another prominent priest, suggesting that they held important positions in the priestly hierarchy. (2Sa.8.17; 1Ch.18.16)
In the context of organizing the priestly divisions, Ahimelech is listed among the descendants of Ithamar, one of Aaron's sons. The priests were divided into groups to carry out their duties in the tabernacle and later in the temple. (1Ch.24.3,6).
Ahimelech's father, Abiathar, had a significant role in David's life, supporting him during his flight from Saul and later serving as a priest and advisor to David. (1Sa.22.20-23; 2Sa.15.24-29)
Although not much is recorded about Ahimelech's specific actions, his position as a priest during David's reign indicates that he played a role in the religious life of Israel and in serving the king.
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
No reviewed connections yet.
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.
Appears in Scripture
Named in 5 verses across 2 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.