Biblical Profile: Abiathar

Abiathar

Abiathar was high priest during David’s reign and into Solomon’s reign. He first encountered David before David became king. When David fled from Saul, he stopped at the city of Nob. Pretending that he was acting on Saul’s orders, David got food and supplies from the priests there. Saul discovered what had happened and was so angry that he killed all but one of the priests; only Abiathar escaped.

Abiathar was among the first people from Saul’s administration to support David. His support was formidable; he represented the priesthood of Eli’s line and brought with him the holy ephod containing the Urim and Thummim (Exod 28:29-30), which allowed him to seek God’s will for David during crises (1 Sam 23:1-12; 30:7-8). After David became king, Abiathar served as priest along with Zadok, who was not a descendant of Eli (1 Chr 6:8; 18:16; 24:3). Both served David well; during Absalom’s rebellion, for example, they reported to David what was happening in the capital (2 Sam 15:27-37; 17:15-16).

In David’s old age, Abiathar wrongly supported Adonijah’s attempt to become king in his father’s place; Zadok remained loyal to David and supported Solomon (1 Kgs 1:5-8). As a result, once Solomon was on the throne, he removed Abiathar’s priestly authority and banished him to his estate in Anathoth (1 Kgs 2:26-27), a village about four miles northeast of Jerusalem. Zadok became the high priest, and that role passed to Zadok’s descendants rather than to Abiathar’s. This removal fulfilled “the prophecy the Lord had given at Shiloh concerning the descendants of Eli” (1 Kgs 2:27; see 1 Sam 2:27-36).