Abiathar

Who is Abiathar?

Abiathar, in the Hebrew Bible, son of Ahimelech or Ahijah, High Priest at Nob, the fourth in descent from Eli and the last of Eli's House. The only one of the priests to escape from Saul's massacre, he fled to David at Keilah, taking with him the ephod and other priestly regalies. He was of great service to David, especially at the time of the rebellion of Absalom. In 1 Kings 4:4 Zadok and Abiathar are found acting together as priests under Solomon. In 1 Kings 1:7, 19, 25, however, Abiathar appears as a supporter of Adonijah, and in 2:22 and 26 it is said that he was deposed by Solomon and banished to Anathoth. In 2 Sam. 8:17 Abiathar, the son of Achimelech should be read, with the Syriac, for Achimelech, the son of Abiathar. A similar confusion occurs in Gospel of Mark 2:26: in reporting Jesus' words, the evangelist used the name Abiathar when we might expect to see Jesus mention his father Ahimelech. Suggestions made to resolve the difficulty — e.g. that father and son each bore the same double name, or that Abiathar officiated during his father's lifetime and in his father's stead—have been supported by great names, but have not been fully accepted.