Ahimelech

A priest at Nob who helped David when he was running from Saul (1 Samuel 21:1–9). When David asked for food, all he had was the holy bread from the tabernacle (Jesus spoke about this in Matthew 12:1–8). Doeg the Edomite told Saul what he saw, who ordered Ahimelech to be killed. But Saul’s guards did not want to kill a priest. Doeg killed Ahimelech and 84 other priests, along with their families and animals (1 Samuel 22:9–19). Only Abiathar, Ahimelech’s son, escaped and went to David for protection (1 Samuel 22:20–23). David wrote Psalm 52 about what Doeg had done.

A Hittite who joined David’s fighting men during his escape from Saul (1 Samuel 26:6).

The son of Abiathar and grandson of his father, Ahimelech. He helped his father in the priesthood under King David (2 Samuel 8:17; 1 Chronicles 24:3, 5, 31; compare with 1 Chronicles 18:16, where some translations call him Abimelech).