H0288 H0288
Ahimelech ('my brother is king'), a proper name borne by a priest at Nob and a Hittite warrior.
The name אֲחִימֶלֶךְ combines אָח (brother) and מֶלֶךְ (king), yielding 'my brother is king.' Its most prominent bearer is the priest at Nob who, not knowing David was fleeing Saul, gave him the consecrated bread and Goliath's sword (1 Sam 21:1-9). This act of hospitality led to the massacre of the priests of Nob by Doeg the Edomite at Saul's command (1 Sam 22:9-20) — a pivotal episode in the David narratives that Jesus himself references regarding the showbread (Mark 2:26). A second Ahimelech, a Hittite, served among David's companions (1 Sam 26:6). Transliterations remain close across languages: Spanish 'Ajimelec,' French 'Achimélec,' German 'Ahimelech.'
Senses
1. Ahimelech (proper name) — A Hebrew proper name meaning 'my brother is king,' referring primarily to the priest at Nob who provided David with the showbread and Goliath's sword (1 Sam 21:1-9), an act that led to Saul's slaughter of the priests of Nob (1 Sam 22:9-20). Jesus cites this episode in Mark 2:26. The name also belongs to a Hittite companion of David (1 Sam 26:6). Transliterations vary minimally across traditions: Spanish 'Ajimelec,' French 'Achimélec,' German 'Ahimelech,' all preserving the theophoric element. 17×
AR["أخيمالِكَ", "أَخيمَلِكَ", "أَخِيمَالِك", "لِـ-أَخِيمَالِك", "وَ-أَخِيمَالِكَ", "وَ-أَخِيمَالِكُ", "وَأَخيمالِكُ"]·ben["অহীমেলক", "অহীমেলককে", "অহীমেলকের", "অহীমেলেকের", "আর-অহীমেলেক", "এবং-অহীমেলেক"]·DE["Achimelech", "Ahimelech", "[ואחימלך]", "und-Ahimelech", "von-Achimelech", "zu-Achimelech"]·EN["Achimelech", "Ahimelech", "and-Achimelekh", "and-Ahimelech", "of-Achimelech", "to-Achimelech"]·FR["Achimélec", "Ahimelech", "Ahimélec", "[ואחימלך]", "de-Achimélec", "et-Ahimelech", "à-Achimélec"]·heb["אחימלך", "ו-אחימלך", "ל-אחימלך"]·HI["अचिमेलेख", "अचिमेलेख-क", "अचिमेलेख-के", "अचिमेलेख-को", "अचिमेलेख-ने", "अचिमेलेख-से", "अचिमेलेच-क", "अहीमेलेक", "अहीमेलेक-का", "अहीमेलेक-के", "और-अहीमेलेक"]·ID["Ahimelekh", "dan-Ahimelek", "dan-Ahimelekh", "kepada-Ahimelekh", "milik-Ahimelekh"]·IT["Achimelech", "Ahimelech", "[אחימלך]", "[ואחימלך]", "a-Achimelech", "di-Achimelech", "e-Ahimelech"]·jav["Ahimelekh", "Akhimèlèkh", "dhateng-Ahimelekh", "lan-Ahimèlèk"]·KO["그리고-아히멜렉", "그리고-아히멜렉이", "아히멜렉", "아히멜렉-의", "아히멜렉아", "아히멜렉에게", "아히멜렉을", "아히멜렉의", "아히멜렉이"]·PT["'Achimelekh", "'Achimeleque", "Aimeleque", "a-'Achimelekh", "de-'Achimelekh", "e-'Achimeleq", "e-Ahimeleq"]·RU["Ахимелех", "Ахимелеха", "Ахимелеху", "и-Ахимелех", "и-Ахимелехом"]·ES["Ajimelec", "Ajimelej", "Ajimélec", "a-Ajimélec", "de-Ajimélec", "y-Ajimelec"]·SW["Ahimeleki", "kwa-Ahimeleki", "na-Ahimeleki", "ya-Ahimeleki"]·TR["-Ahimelek'in", "Ahimelek", "Ahimelek'e", "Ahimelek'i", "Ahimelek'in", "Ahimelek-e", "ve-Ahimeleh", "ve-Ahimeleh'in", "ve-Ahimelek"]·urd["اخیملک", "اخیملک-سے", "اخیملک-نے", "اخیملک-کا", "اخیملک-کے", "اور-اخی-ملک", "اور-اخیملک"]
1 Sam 21:2, 1 Sam 21:2, 1 Sam 21:3, 1 Sam 21:9, 1 Sam 22:9, 1 Sam 22:11, 1 Sam 22:14, 1 Sam 22:16, 1 Sam 22:20, 1 Sam 23:6, 1 Sam 26:6, 1 Sam 30:7 (+5 more)
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)G2532 1. (8312×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)G3739 1. relative pronoun who/which/that (1149×)H1732 1. David (proper name) (1075×)H2088 1. this, this one (demonstrative) (1059×)G1063 1. (1047×)G3778 1. this thing, these things (1003×)H???? 2. (1002×)G2424 1. (924×)G3754 1. that (content clause) (881×)H2009 1. presentative particle: behold, look (881×)H0589 1. I (first person singular pronoun) (874×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† אֲחִימֶ֫לֶךְ n.pr.m. (brother of Melek, Ph. חמלך, חמלכת; v. also אחיהו supr.) 1. priest in Saul’s (Dvd’s) time 1 S 21:2(×2), 3, 9; 22:14, 16 (אֲחִימֶ֑לֶךְ) 1 Ch 24:31 ψ 52:2 (title); son of Ahitub 1 S 22:9, 11, (cf. 12), 20; father of Abiathar 1 S 23:6; 30:7; so also 2 S 8:17 𝔖 Ew We Th Dr; where MT אחימ׳ בן־אביתר; whence id. wrongly 1 Ch 24:6, cf. v 4 (אֲח׳ מִבְּנֵי אִיתָמָר) & 18:16 (where read אֲח׳ for אֲב׳). 2. a Hittite 1 S 26:6.