AHIMELECH brother of the king i. e., the kings ; Sept. Apti.44Xex; Cod.
Alex. 'AxqztXex), son of Ahitub, and brother of Ahiah, who was most probably his predecessor in the high-priesthood [AHIAH]. When David fled from Saul, he went to Nob, a city of the priests in Benjamin, where the tabernacle then was ; and by representing himself as on pressing business from the king, he obtained from Ahimelech, who had no other, some of the sacred bread which had been removed from the presence-table. He was also furnished with the sword which he had himself taken from Goliath, and which had been laid up as a trophy in the tabernacle (I Sam. xxi. 1-9). These circumstances were witnessed by Doeg, en Edomite in the service of Saul, and were so reportod by him to the jealous king as to appear acts of connivance at, and support to, David's imagined disloyal designs. Saul immediately sent for Ahime lech and the other priests then at Nob, and laid this treasonable offence to their charge ; .but they
declared their ignorance of any hostile designs on the part of David towards Saul or his kingdom.
This, however, availed them not ; for the king commanded his guard to slay them. Their refusal to fall upon persons invested with so sacred a character might have brought even Saul to reason ; but he repeated the order to Doeg himself, and was too readily obeyed by that malignant person, who, with the men under his orders, not only slew the priests then present, eighty-six in number, but marched to Nob, and put to the sword every living creature it contained. The only priest that escaped was Abiathar, Ahimelech's son, who fled to David, and afterwards became high priest (I Sam. xxii.) [AntaTHAR].—J. K.