Ahaz – Ahitob

Ahaz

a'-haz ('achaz, "he has grasped," 2 Kings 16:1–20; 2 Chronicles 28:1–27; Isaiah 7:10 ff; Achaz).

1. Name:

The name is the same as Jehoahaz; hence appears on Tiglath-pileser's Assyrian inscription of 732 BC as Ia-u-ha-zi. The sacred historians may have dropped the first part of the name in consequence of the character of the king.

2. The Accession:

Ahaz was the son of Jotham, king of Judah. He succeeded to the throne at the age of 20 years (according to another reading 25). The chronology of his reign is difficult, as his son Hezekiah is stated to have been 25 years of age when he began to reign 16 years after (2 Kings 18:2). If the accession of Ahaz be placed as early as 743 BC, his grandfather Uzziah, long unable to perform the functions of his office on account of his leprosy (2 Chronicles 26:21), must still have been alive. (Others date Ahaz later, when Uzziah, for whom Jotham had acted as regent, was already dead.)

3. Early Idolatries:

Although so young, Ahaz seems at once to have struck out an independent course wholly opposed to the religious traditions of his nation. His first steps in this direction were the causing to be made and circulated of molten images of the Baalim, and the revival in the valley of Hinnom, south of the city, of the abominations of the worship of Moloch (2 Chronicles 28:2,2 Chronicles 28:3). He is declared to have made his own son "pass through the fire" (2 Kings 16:3); the chronicler puts it even more strongly: he "burnt his children in the fire" (2 Chronicles 28:3). Other acts of idolatry were to follow.

4. Peril from Syria and Israel:

The kingdom of Judah was at this time in serious peril. Rezin, king of Damascus, and Pekah, king of Samaria, had already, in the days of Jotham, begun to harass Judah (2 Kings 15:37); now a conspiracy was formed to dethrone the young Ahaz, and set upon the throne a certain "son of Tabeel" (Isaiah 7:6). An advance of the two kings was made against Jerusalem, although without success (2 Kings 16:5; Isaiah 7:1); the Jews were expelled from Elath (2 Kings 16:6), and the country was ravaged, and large numbers taken captive (2 Chronicles 28:5 ff). Consternation was universal. The heart of Ahaz "trembled, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the forest tremble with the wind" (Isaiah 7:2). In his extremity Ahaz appealed to the king of Assyria for help (2 Kings 16:7; 2 Chronicles 28:16).

5. Isaiah's Messages to the King:

Amid the general alarm and perturbation, the one man untouched by it in Jerusalem was the prophet Isaiah. Undismayed, Isaiah set himself, apparently single-handed, to turn the tide of public opinion from the channel in which it was running, the seeking of aid from Assyria. His appeal was to both king and people. By Divine direction, meeting Ahaz "at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, in the highway of the fuller's field," he bade him have no fear of "these two tails of smoking firebrands," Rezin and Pekah, for, like dying torches, they would speedily be extinguished (Isaiah 7:3 ff). If he would not believe this he would not be established (Isaiah 7:9). Failing to win the young king's confidence, Isaiah was sent a second time, with the offer from Yahweh of any sign Ahaz chose to ask, "either in the depth, or in the height above," in attestation of the truth of the Divine word. The frivolous monarch refused the arbitrament on the hypocritical ground, "I will not ask, neither will I tempt Yahweh" (Isaiah 7:10–12). Possibly his ambassadors were already dispatched to the Assyrian king. Whenever they went, they took with them a large subsidy with which to buy that ruler's favor (2 Kings 16:8). It was on this occasion that Isaiah, in reply to Ahaz, gave the reassuring prophecy of Immanuel (Isaiah 7:13 ff).

6. Isaiah's Tablet:

As respects the people, Isaiah was directed to exhibit on "a great tablet" the words "For Maher-shalal-hash-baz" ("swift the spoil, speedy the prey"). This was attested by two witnesses, one of whom was Urijah, the high priest. It was a solemn testimony that, without any action on the part of Judah, "the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be carried away before the king of Assyria" (Isaiah 8:1–4).

7. Fall of Damascus and Its Results:

It was as the prophet had foretold. Damascus fell, Rezin was killed (2 Kings 16:9), and Israel was raided (2 Kings 15:29). The action brought temporary relief to Judah, but had the effect of placing her under the heel of Assyria. Everyone then living knew that there could be no equal alliance between Judah and Assyria, and that the request for help, accompanied by the message, "I am thy servant" (2 Kings 16:7,2 Kings 16:8) and by "presents" of gold and silver, meant the submission of Judah and the annual payment of a heavy tribute. Had Isaiah's counsel been followed, Tiglath-pileser would probably, in his own interests, have been compelled to crush the coalition, and Judah would have retained her freedom.

8. Sun-Dial of Ahaz:

The political storm having blown over for the present, with the final loss of the important port of Elath on the Red Sea (2 Kings 16:6), Ahaz turned his attention to more congenial pursuits. The king was somewhat of a dilettante in matters of art, and he set up a sun-dial, which seems to have consisted of a series of steps arranged round a short pillar, the time being indicated by the position of the shadow on the steps (compare 2 Kings 20:9–11; Isaiah 38:8). As it is regarded as possible for the shadow to return 10 steps, it is clear that each step did not mark an hour of the day, but some smaller period.

9. The Lavers and Brazen Sea:

Another act of the king was to remove from the elaborate ornamental bases on which they had stood (compare 1 Kings 7:27–39), the ten layers of Solomon, and also to remove Solomon's molten sea from the 12 brazen bulls which supported it (compare 1 Kings 7:23–26), the sea being placed upon a raised platform or pavement (2 Kings 16:17). From Jeremiah 52:20, where the prophet sees "the 12 brazen bulls that were under the bases," it has been conjectured that the object of the change may have been to transfer the layers to the backs of the bulls.

10. The Damascus Altar:

To this was added a yet more daring act of impiety. In 732 Ahaz was, with other vassal princes, summoned to Damascus to pay homage to Tiglath-pileser (2 Kings 16:10; his name appears in the Assyrian inscription). There he saw a heathen altar of fanciful pattern, which greatly pleased him. A model of this was sent to Urijah the high priest, with instructions to have an enlarged copy of it placed in the temple court. On the king's return to Jerusalem, he sacrificed at the new altar, but, not satisfied with its position, gave orders for a change. The altar had apparently been placed on the east side of the old altar; directions were now given for the brazen altar to be moved to the north, and the Damascus altar to be placed in line with it, in front of the temple giving both equal honor. Orders were further given to Urijah that the customary sacrifices should be offered on the new altar, now called "the great altar," while the king reserved the brazen altar for himself "to inquire by" (2 Kings 16:15).

11. Further Impieties:

Even this did not exhaust the royal innovations. We learn from a later notice that the doors of the temple porch were shut, that the golden candlestick was not lighted, that the offering of incense was not made, and other solemnities were suspended (2 Chronicles 29:7). It is not improbable that it was Ahaz who set up `the horses of the sun' mentioned in 2 Kings 23:11, and gave them accommodation in the precincts of the temple. He certainly built the "altars .... on the roof of the upper chamber of Ahaz," perhaps above the porch of the temple, for the adoration of the heavenly bodies (verse 12). Many other idolatries and acts of national apostasy are related regarding him (2 Chronicles 28:22 ff).

12. Recurrence of Hostilities:

In the later years of his unhappy reign there was a recurrence of hostilities with the inhabitants of Philistia and Edom, this time with disaster to Judah (see the list of places lost in 2 Chronicles 28:18,2 Chronicles 28:19). New appeal was made to Tiglath-pileser, whose subject Ahaz, now was, and costly presents were sent from the temple, the royal palace, and even the houses of the princes of Judah, but without avail (2 Chronicles 28:19–21). The Assyrian `distressed' Ahaz, but rendered no assistance. In his trouble the wicked king only "trespassed yet more" (2 Chronicles 28:22).

13. Death of Ahaz:

Ahaz died in 728, after 16 years of misused power. The exultation with which the event was regarded is reflected in Isaiah's little prophecy written "in the year that King Ahaz died" (Isaiah 14:28–32). The statement in 2 Kings 16:20 that Ahaz "was buried with his fathers in the city of David" is to be understood in the light of 2 Chronicles 28:27, that he was buried in Jerusalem, but that his body was not laid in the sepulchers of the kings of Israel. His name appears in the royal genealogies in 1 Chronicles 3:13 and Matthew 1:9.

W. Shaw Caldecott

Ahaz, Dial Of

See DIAL OF AHAZ.

Ahaziah

a-ha-zi'-a ('achazyah and 'achazyahu, "Yah holds, or sustains"):

I. Ahaziah.

Son of Ahab and Jezebel, eighth king of Israel (1 Kings 22:51–1:18).

1. His Reign:

Ahaziah became king over Israel in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, and he reigned two years, 854-853 BC. There is, here an incongruity between the synchronism and the length of the reigns of the kings. Jehoshaphat began to reign in the fourth year of Ahab (1 Kings 22:41), and he reigned 22 years (1 Kings 16:29). Accordingly Ahaziah's first year, in the twenty-second year of Ahab, would fall in the nineteenth year of Jehoshaphat. The chronological statement in 2 Kings 1:17 is probably taken from the Syriac, and both are in harmony wrath a method of computation followed by certain Greek manuscripts.

2. His Character:

A good name does not insure a good character. Ahaziah, the "God-sustained," served Baal and worshipped him, and provoked to anger Yahweh, the God of Israel, Just as his father before him had done. He appears to have been weak and unfortunate, and calamities in quick succession pursued him.

3. The Revolt of Moab:

Ahab had sought the good and became an enemy to the best. His house and the nation suffered the consequences. "Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab." Ahaziah appears to have been too weak to offer resistance. The Moabite Stone dates the revolt in the days of Ahab. No doubt it began at the time of Ahab's last campaign against Syria.

4. His Maritime Alliance:

According to 1 Kings 22:48 f Ahaziah attempted to form an alliance with Jehoshaphat of Judah to revive the ancient maritime traffic, but failed. According to 2 Chronicles 20:35–37 the alliance was consummated, in consequence of which the enterprise came to nothing. See JEHOSHAPHAT.

5. His Sickness and Death:

Ahaziah suffered a severe accident by falling through the lattice in his upper apartment in Samaria, and lay sick. As a worthy son of Jezebel and Ahab, he sent messengers to consult Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, regarding his recovery. But Israel belonged to Yahweh. Accordingly the messengers were met by the prophet Elijah who for the last time warns against the corrupting moral influences of the Baal religion. "Thus saith Yahweh, Is it because there is no God in Israel, that thou sendest to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? therefore thou shalt not come down from the bed whither thou art gone up, but shalt surely die" was the message which he sent back to the embassy, and the death of the king speedily followed.

II. Ahaziah.

Sixth king of Judah (2 Kings 8:25–29; 2 Kings 9:16 f = 2 Chronicles 22:1–9); also written Jehoahaz (2 Chronicles 21:17; 2 Chronicles 25:23), which is merely a transposition of the component parts of the compound. The form "Azariah" (2 Chronicles 22:6) is an error, fifteen Hebrew manuscripts and all the versions reading Ahaziah.

1. His Brief Reign:

Ahaziah, youngest son of Jehoram, began to reign in the twelfth year (2 Kings 8:25) of Jehoram of Israel. In 2 Kings 9:29 it is stated as the eleventh. The former is probably the Hebrew, the latter the Greek method of computation, the Septuagint Luc also reading eleventh in 8:25. He was 22 years old when he began to reign and he reigned one year (2 Kings 8:26). The reading "forty two" (2 Chronicles 22:2) is a scribal error, since according to 2 Chronicles 21:5,2 Chronicles 21:20 Jehoram the father was only 40 years old at the time of his death. Syriac, Arabic and Luc read 22, Septuagint Codex Vaticanus 20.

See CHRONOLOGY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT.

2. His Character:

(Compare 2 Kings 8:27; 2 Chronicles 22:3,2 Chronicles 22:4.) In view of the disaster which befell the royal house (2 Chronicles 21:16,2 Chronicles 21:17), the inhabitants of Jerusalem placed Ahaziah the youngest son upon the throne. That "he walked in the way of the house of Ahab" is exemplified by Chronicles to the effect that his mother, the daughter of Jezebel, counseled him in the ways of wickedness and that the house of Ahab led him to his destruction. The influence of Jezebel was at work in Judah. Ahaziah dedicated "hallowed things" to Yahweh (2 Kings 12:18), but he did evil in Yahweh's eyes.

3. His Alliance with Jehoram of Israel:

(Compare 2 Kings 8:28,2 Kings 8:29; 2 Chronicles 22:5,2 Chronicles 22:6.) Ahaziah cultivated the relations which had been established between the two kingdoms by Ahab. Accordingly he joined his uncle Jehoram of Israel in an expedition against Hazael, king of Syria. Ramoth-gilead was captured and held for Israel against the king of Syria (2 Kings 9:14). However, Jehoram of Israel was wounded and returned to Jezreel to be healed of his wounds. It appears that the army was left in charge of Jehu at Ramoth-gilead. Ahaziah apparently went to Jerusalem and later went down to Jezreel to visit Jehoram. In the meantime Jehu formed a conspiracy against Jehoram.

4. His Death:

The death of Ahaziah, as told in 2 Kings 9:16 f, differs from the account in 2 Chronicles 22:7–9. According to the account in Kings, Ahaziah who is visiting Jehoram, joins him in a separate chariot to meet Jehu. Jehoram suspecting treachery turns to flee, but an arrow from the bow of Jehu pierces his heart and he dies in his chariot. Ahaziah tries to escape, but is overtaken near Ibleam and mortally wounded by one of Jehu's men. He fled to the fortress of Megiddo, where he died. His servants conveyed his body in a chariot to Jerusalem, where he was buried. According to the Chronicler, this account is very much abbreviated (2 Chronicles 22:7 f). His destruction is of God because of his alliance with Jehoram. Jehu, who was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, first slew the kinsmen of Ahaziah. He then sought Ahaziah who was hiding in Samaria. When he was found, he was brought to Jehu and put to death. He was buried, but where and by whom we are not told.

That there were other traditions respecting the death of Ahaziah, is proved by Josephus, who says that when Ahaziah was wounded he left his chariot and fled on horseback to Megiddo, where he was well cared for by his servants until he died (Ant., IX, vi, 3). S. K. Mosiman

Ahban

a'-ban ('achban, "brother of an intelligent one"(?) Achbar): The son of Abishur of the tribe of Judah (1 Chronicles 2:29).

Aher

a'-her ('acher, "another"; Aer): A man of Benjamin (1 Chronicles 7:12), apparently a contracted form, perhaps the same as Ahiram (King James Version) (Numbers 26:38) or Aharah (1 Chronicles 8:1).

Ahi

a'-hi ('achi, "my brother," or perhaps a contraction from AHIJAH, which see): (1) A member of the tribe of Gad (1 Chronicles 5:15). (2) A member of the tribe of Asher (1 Chronicles 7:34).

Ahi; Ah

In proper names ('achi or 'ach "brother"): The usage is practically the same with that of 'abh, 'abhi. See ABI; NAMES, PROPER.

Ahiah

a-hi'-a: A variant in the King James Version (1 Samuel 14:3,1 Samuel 14:18; 1 Kings 4:3; 1 Chronicles 8:7) for AHIJAH, which see. Also in the Revised Version (British and American) (Nehemiah 10:26).

Ahiam

a-hi'-am ('achi'am, "mother's brother"): One of David's thirty heroes. He was the son of Sharar (2 Samuel 23:33) or according to 1 Chronicles 11:35 of Sacar, the Hararite.

Ahian

a-hi'-an ('achyan, "brotherly"): A son of Shemida of the tribe of Manasseh (1 Chronicles 7:19).

Ahiezer

a-hi-e'-zer ('achi`ezer, "brother is help"):

(1) A son of Ammishaddai, a Danite prince, who acted as representative of his tribe on several occasions. (See Numbers 1:12; Numbers 2:25; Numbers 7:66,Numbers 7:71; Numbers 10:25.)

(2) One of the mighty men or warriors, who joined David at Ziklag when a furtive before Saul (1 Chronicles 12:3).

Ahihud

a-hi'-hud ('achihudh, "brother is majesty"):

(1) One of the chief men of the tribe of Asher. He was selected by Moses to help divide the land west of the Jordan (Numbers 34:27).

(2) A son of Ehud of the tribe of Benjamin (1 Chronicles 8:6,1 Chronicles 8:7). The text here is obscure and probably corrupt.

Ahijah

a-hi'-ja ('achiyah or 'achiyahu, "brother of Yahweh," "my brother is Yahweh," "Yah is brother." In the King James Version the name sometimes appears as Ahiah):

(1) One of the sons of Jerahmeel the great-grandson of Judah (1 Chronicles 2:25).

(2) A descendant of Benjamin (1 Chronicles 8:7).

(3) The son of Ahitub, priest in the time of King Saul (1 Samuel 14:3,1 Samuel 14:18). Either he is the same with Ahimelech, who is mentioned later, or he is the father or brother of Ahimelech. He is introduced to us when Saul has been so long on the throne that his son Jonathan is a man grown and a warrior. He is in attendance upon Saul, evidently as an official priest, "wearing an ephod." When Saul wishes direction from God he asks the priest to bring hither the ark; but then, without waiting for the message, Saul counts the confusion in the Philistine camp a sufficient indication of the will of Providence, and hurries off to the attack. Some copies of the Greek here read "ephod" instead of "ark," but the documentary evidence in favor of that reading is far from decisive. If the Hebrew reading is correct, then the seclusion of the ark, from the time of its return from Philistia to the time of David, was not so absolute as many have supposed. See AHIMELECH, i.

(4) One of David's mighty men, according to the list in 1 Chronicles 11:36. The corresponding name in the list in 2 Samuel 23:34 is Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite.

(5) A Levite of David's time who had charge of certain treasures connected with the house of God (1 Chronicles 26:20). The Greek copies presuppose the slightly different text which would give in English "and their brethren," instead of Ahijah. This is accepted by many scholars, and it is at least more plausible than most of the proposed corrections of the Hebrew text by the Greek.

(6) Son of Sinsha and brother of Elihoreph (1 Kings 4:3). The two brothers were scribes of Solomon. Can the scribes Ahijah and Shemaiah (1 Chronicles 24:6) be identified with the men of the same names who, later, were known as distinguished prophets? Sinsha is probably the same with Shavsha (1 Chronicles 18:16; compare 2 Samuel 8:17; 2 Samuel 20:25), who was scribe under David, the office in this case descending from father to son.

(7) The distinguished prophet of Shiloh, who was interested in Jeroboam I. In Solomon's lifetime Ahijah clothed himself with a new robe, met Jeroboam outside Jerusalem, tore the robe into twelve pieces, and gave him ten, in token that he should become king of the ten tribes (1 Kings 11:29–39). Later, when Jeroboam had proved unfaithful to Yahweh, he sent his wife to Ahijah to ask in regard to their sick son. The prophet received her harshly, foretold the death of the son, and threatened the extermination of the house of Jeroboam (1 Kings 14:1–31). The narrative makes the impression that Ahijah was at this time a very old man (1 Kings 14:4). These incidents are differently narrated in the long addition at 1 Kings 12:24 found in some of the Greek copies. In that addition the account of the sick boy precedes that of the rent garment, and both are placed between the account of Jeroboam's return from Egypt and that of the secession of the ten tribes, an order in which it is impossible to think that the events occurred. Further, this addition attributes the incident of the rent garment to Shemaiah and not to Ahijah, and says that Ahijah was 60 years old.

Other notices speak of the fulfillment of the threatening prophecies spoken by Ahijah (2 Chronicles 10:15; 1 Kings 12:15; 1 Kings 15:29). In 2Ch "the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite" is referred to as a source for the history of Solomon (2 Chronicles 9:29).

(8) The father of Baasha king of Israel (1 Kings 15:27,1 Kings 15:33; 1 Kings 21:22; 2 Kings 9:9).

(9) A Levite of Nehemiah's time, who sealed the covenant (Nehemiah 10:26 the King James Version).

Willis J. Beecher

Ahikam

a-hi'-kam ('achiqam, "my brother has risen up"): A prominent man of the time of King Josiah and the following decades (2 Kings 22:12,2 Kings 22:14; 2 Kings 25:22; 2 Chronicles 34:20; Jeremiah 26:24; Jeremiah 39:14; Jeremiah 40:5 Jeremiah 41:1 Jeremiah 43:6). He was the son of Shaphan, who very likely is to be identified with Shaphan the scribe, who was at that time so prominent. Ahikam was the father of Gedaliah, whom, on the capture of Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar made governor of the land. Ahikam was a member of the deputation sent by Josiah to the prophetess Huldah to consult her concerning the contents of the Book of the Law which had been found. Under Jehoiakim he had sufficient influence to protect Jeremiah from being put to death. On the capture of Jerusalem Nebuchadnezzar committed Jeremiah into the care of Gedaliah. It is clear that both Shaphan and his son, like Jeremiah, belonged to the party which held that the men of Judah were under obligation to keep the oath which they had sworn to the tang of Babylon.

Willis J. Beecher

Ahilud

a-hi'-lud ('achiludh, "child's brother," perhaps): The father of Jehoshaphat, who is mentioned as "recorder" in both the earlier and the later lists under David, and in the list under Solomon (2 Samuel 8:16, 1 Chronicles 18:15; 2 Samuel 20:24; 1 Kings 4:3). In the absence of proof we may assume that the father of Baana, one of Solomon's district superintendents, was the same Ahilud (1 Kings 4:12).

Ahimaaz

a-hi-ma'-az, a-him'-a-az ('achima`ats, perhaps "my brother is rage," or "brother of rage"):

(1) Father of Ahinoam the wife of King Saul (1 Samuel 14:50).

(2) The son of Zadok the high priest (1 Chronicles 6:8,1 Chronicles 6:9,1 Chronicles 6:53). With his father he remained loyal to David in the rebellions both of Absalom and of Adonijah. With Jonathan the son of Abiathar he carried information to Dared when he fled from Absalom (2 Samuel 15:27,2 Samuel 15:36; 2 Samuel 17:17,2 Samuel 17:20). At his own urgent request he carried tidings to David after the death of Absalom (2 Samuel 18:19 ff). He told the king of the victory, and also, through his reluctance to speak, informed him of Absalom's death. By his reluctance and his sympathy he softened a little the message, which the Cushite presently repeated more harshly.

That Ahimaaz did not succeed his father as high priest has been inferred from the fact that in the Solomon list of heads of departments (1 Kings 4:2) Azariah the son of Zadok is mentioned as priest. It is assumed that this Azariah is the one who appears in the genealogy as the son of Ahimaaz, and that for some reason Ahimaaz was left out of the succession. These inferences are not Justified by the record, though possibly the record does not absolutely disprove them. As the list stands it makes Zadok and Abiathar the high priests. Azariah and Zabud, the son of Nathan (1 Kings 4:2,1 Kings 4:5), are spoken of as holding priestly offices of a different kind. Ahimaaz may have died early, or may have followed some other career, but the simple fact is that we do not know.

(3) Ahimaaz, in Naphtali, was one of Solomon's twelve commissary officers (1 Kings 4:15), who married Basemath the daughter of Solomon. It is not impossible that he was Ahimaaz the son of Zadok, though there is no proof to that effect.

Willis J. Beecher

Ahiman

a-hi'-man ('achiman, perhaps, "brother of fortune," or, "my brother is fortune"):

(1) One of the names given as those of the three "children of the Anak" (Numbers 13:22; Joshua 15:14; Numbers 13:28; 2 Samuel 21:16,2 Samuel 21:18), or the three "sons of the Anak" (Joshua 15:14; Judges 1:20). The three names (Ahiman, Sheshai, Talmai) also occur together in Judges 1:10. The word Anak in the Hebrew Bible has the definite article except in Numbers 13:33 and Deuteronomy 9:2. Its use is that of a common noun denoting a certain type of man, rather than as the proper name of a person or a clan, though this need not prevent our thinking of the Anakim as a clan or group of clans, who regarded Arba as their founder. The question is raised whether Ahiman and Sheshai and Talmai are to be thought of as persons or as clans. The most natural understanding of the Bible statements is certainly to the effect that they were personal leaders among the Anakim of Kiriath-arba (Hebron). They were smitten and dispossessed by the tribe of Judah, with Caleb for leader.

(2) A Levite, one of the gatekeepers of the latest Bible times (1 Chronicles 9:17). He is associated with Akkub and Talmon and their brethren: compare Nehemiah 11:19.

Willis J. Beecher

Ahimelech

a-him'-e-lek ('achimelekh, "brother of a king," or, "my brother is king," or, "king is brother"):

(1) The father of David's high priest Abiathar: son of Ahitub, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli (1 Samuel 21:1,1 Samuel 21:2,1 Samuel 21:8; 1 Samuel 22:9–20; 1 Samuel 23:6; 1 Samuel 30:7). Ahijah the son of Ahitub (1 Samuel 14:3,1 Samuel 14:18) was either the same person under another name, or was Ahimelech's father or brother. See AHIJAH, 3. Ahimelech is an interesting person, especially because he stands for whatever information we have concerning the priestly office in Israel during the period between Eli and David. Whether the Deuteronomic law for a central sanctuary originated with Moses or not, its provisions were very imperfectly carried out during the times of the Judges. This was particularly the case after the capture of the ark by the Philistines, and the deaths of Eli and his sons. From that time to the middle of the reign of David the ark was in the custody of the men of Kiriath-jearim "in the hill," or "in Gibeah" (1 Samuel 7:1; 2 Samuel 6:2,2 Samuel 6:3).

As a general proposition Israel "sought not unto it" (1 Chronicles 13:3), though there is nothing to forbid the idea that it may, on occasion, have been brought out from its seclusion (1 Samuel 14:18). Before and after the accession of Saul some of the functions of the national sanctuary were transacted, of course very incompletely, at Gilgal (1 Samuel 10:8; 1 Samuel 11:14,1 Samuel 11:15; 1 Samuel 13:7; 1 Samuel 15:12,1 Samuel 15:21,1 Samuel 15:33). Whether there was a priesthood, with Ahitub the grandson of Eli as high priest, is a matter on which we have no information; but we may remind ourselves that the common assumption that such men as Samuel and Saul performed priestly offices is nothing but an assumption. After Saul has been king for a good many years we find Ahijah in his retinue, acting as priest and wearing priestly vestments. A few years later Ahimelech is at the head of the very considerable priestly establishment at Nob. The scale on which it existed is indicated by the fact that 85 robed priests perished in the massacre (1 Samuel 22:18).

They had families residing at Nob (1 Samuel 22:19). They were thought of as priests of Yahweh, and were held in reverence (1 Samuel 22:17). It was a hereditary priesthood (1 Samuel 22:11,1 Samuel 22:15). Men deposited votive offerings there, the sword of Goliath, for example (1 Samuel 21:9). There seems to have been some kind of police authority, whereby a person might be "detained" (1 Samuel 21:7). It was customary to inquire of Yahweh there (1 Samuel 22:10,1 Samuel 22:15). A distraction was made between the common and the holy (1 Samuel 21:4–6). The custom of the shewbread was maintained (1 Samuel 21:6). In fine, Jesus is critically correct in calling the place "the house of God" (Mark 2:26). The account does not say that the ark was there, or that the burnt-offering of the morning and evening was offered, or that the great festivals were held. The priestly head of the establishment at Nob is represented to have been the man who had the right to the office through his descent from Aaron. It is gratuitous to assume that there were other similar sanctuaries in Israel, though the proposition that there were none might be, like other negative propositions, hard to establish by positive proof.

(2) A son of Abiathar (2 Samuel 8:17; 1 Chronicles 18:16; 1 Chronicles 24:6), and grandson of the above. In a list of the heads of departments under David, a list belonging later than the middle of David's 40 years, and in which David's sons appear, this Ahimelech, the son of David's friend, is mentioned as sharing with Zadok a high position in the priesthood. In this capacity, later, he shared with David and Zadok in the apportionment of the priests into 24 ancestral classes, 16 of the house of Eleazar, and 8 of the house of Ithamar (1 Chronicles 24:1–31). In this account Ahimelech is mentioned three times, and with some detail. It is alleged as a difficulty that Abiathar was then living, and was high priest along with Zadok (1 Chronicles 15:11; 2 Samuel 15:29; 2 Samuel 19:11; 2 Samuel 20:25; 1 Kings 2:27,1 Kings 2:35; 1 Kings 4:4, etc.). But surely there is no improbability in the affirmation that Abiathar had a son named Ahimelech, or that this son performed prominent priestly functions in his father's lifetime.

Many regard "Ahimelech the son of Abiathar" (Mt gives Ahimelech) as an inadvertent transposition for "Abiathar the son of Ahimelech." This is rather plausible in the passage in 2 Samuel 8:1–18 and the duplicate of it in 1 Chronicles 18:16, but it has no application in the detailed account in 1 Chronicles 24:1–31. One must accept Ahimelech the son of Abiathar as historical unless, indeed, one regards the testimony of Ch to a fact as evidence in disproof of that fact. See ABIATHAR.

(3) A Hittite, a companion and friend of David, when he was hiding from Saul in the wilderness (1 Samuel 26:6).

Willis J. Beecher

Ahimoth

a-hi'-moth ('achimoth, "brother of death," or, "my brother is death"): A descendant of Kohath the son of Levi (1 Chronicles 6:25); ancestor of Elkanah the father of Samuel. The name Mahath holds a similar place in the list that follows (1 Chronicles 6:35).

Ahinadab

a-hin'-a-dab ('achinadhabh, "brother of willingness," or, "my brother is willing"): Decidedly the ordinary use of the stem nadhabh is to denote willingness rather than liberality or nobleness One of Solomon's twelve commissary officers (1 Kings 4:14). He was the son of Iddo, and his district was Mahanaim.

Ahinoam

a-hi-no'-am, a-hin'-o-am ('achino`am, "my brother is pleasantness"):

(1) Daughter of Ahimaaz, and wife of King Saul (1 Samuel 14:50).

(2) The woman from Jezreel whom David married after Saul gave Michal to another husband. She and Abigail, the widow of Nabal, seem to have been David's only wives prior to the beginning of his reign in Hebron. His marriage to Abigail is mentioned first, with some details, followed by the statement, easily to be understood in the pluperfect, that he had previously married Ahinoam (1 Samuel 25:39–44). Three times they are mentioned together, Ahinoam always first (1 Samuel 27:3; 1 Samuel 30:5; 2 Samuel 2:2), and Ahinoam is the mother of David's first son and Abigail of his second (2 Samuel 3:2; 1 Chronicles 3:1). Ahinoam's son was Amnon. The record really represents David's polygamy as a series of bids for political influence; the names of Amnon, Absalom, Adonijah suggest that the method was not finally a success.

Willis J. Beecher

Ahio

a-hi'-o ('achyo, variously explained as "his brother," "brotherly," "brother of Yahweh," "my brother is Yah"): Proper names containing a similar form of the name of Yahweh are found on the ostraca recently exhumed at Samaria. The word is always treated as a common noun in the ordinary Greek copies, being rendered either "brother" or "brothers," or "his brother" or "his brothers"; but this is probably to be taken as an instance of the relative inferiority of the Greek text as compared with the Massoretic Text. See OSTRACA.

(1) One of the sons of Beriah, the son of Elpaal, the son of Shaharaim and Hushim, reckoned among the families of Benjamin (1 Chronicles 8:14). Beriah and Shema are described as `ancestral heads' "of the inhabitants of Aijalon, who put to flight the inhabitants of Gath."

(2) A descendant of Jeiel ("the father of Gibeon") and his wife Maacah (1 Chronicles 8:31; 1 Chronicles 9:37). King Saul apparently came from the same family (1 Chronicles 8:30,1 Chronicles 8:33; 1 Chronicles 9:39).

(3) One of the men who drove the new cart when David first attempted to bring the ark from the house of Abinadab to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:3,2 Samuel 6:4; 1 Chronicles 13:7). In Samuel Uzza and Ahio are called sons of Abinadab. By the most natural understanding of the Biblical data about 100 years had elapsed since the ark was brought to the house; they were sons of that Abinadab in the sense of being his descendants. Whether he had a successor of the same name living in David's time is a matter of conjecture.

Willis J. Beecher

Ahira

a-hi'-ra ('achira`, "brother of evil," or, "my brother is evil"): A man of Naphtali, contemporary with Moses. He is five times mentioned as the son of Enan. He was the representative of his tribe who assisted Moses in the census (Numbers 1:15). He was the hereditary "prince" of the tribe; he made the tribal offering (Numbers 2:29; Numbers 7:78; compare Numbers 7:83), and was commander of the tribal host when on the march (Numbers 10:27).

Ahiram

a-hi'-ram ('achiram, "exalted brother," or "my brother is exalted"):

A son of Benjamin. Mentioned third of the five in Numbers 26:38,Numbers 26:39. In 1 Chronicles 8:1 five sons are likewise mentioned, being explicitly numbered; the third name, Aharah ('achrach), is conjectured to be either a corruption of Ahiram or a different name for the same person. In 1 Chronicles 7:6 ff is a fuller list of Benjamite names, but it is fragmentary and not clear. In it occurs Aher ('acher), which may be either Ahiram or Aharah with the end of the word lost. In Genesis 46:21 ten sons of Benjamin are mentioned, some being there counted as sons who, in the other lists, are spoken of as more remote descendants. In this list Ehi ('echi) is perhaps Ahiram shortened. See AHARAH; AHER; EHI.

Willis J. Beecher

Ahiramite

a-hi'-ram-it ('achirami, "of the family of Ahiram"; Numbers 26:38). See AHIRAM.

Ahisamach

a-his'-a-mak ('achicamakh, "my brother supports"): A man of the tribe of Dan, father of Oholiab, who was the assistant of Bezalel in the building of the tent of meeting and preparing its furniture (Exodus 31:6; Exodus 35:34; Exodus 38:23).

Ahishahar

a-hish'-a-har ('achishachar, "brother of dawn"): One of the sons of Bilhan, the son of Jediael, the son of Benjamin (1 Chronicles 7:10).

Ahishar

a-hish'-ar ('achishar, "my brother has sung"): Mentioned in Solomon's list of heads of departments as "over the household" (1 Kings 4:6).

Ahithophel

a-hith'-o-fel ('achithophel, "brother of foolishness," perhaps): The real leader of the Absalom rebellion against David. He is described as "the king's counselor," in a context connected with events some of which are dated in the fortieth year of David (1 Chronicles 27:33,1 Chronicles 27:34; compare 1 Chronicles 26:31). Concerning him and his part in the rebellion we have rather full information (2 Samuel 15:12 ff).

Some hold that he was the grandfather of Bathsheba, and make much of this in forming their estimates of him. Does the evidence sustain this view? In the latter half of the list of David's mighty men, not among the older veterans with whom the list begins, appears "Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite" (2 Samuel 23:34), the corresponding name in the other copy of the list being "Ahijah the Pelonite" (1 Chronicles 11:36). It is assumed that this is the same Eliam who was father to Bath-sheba (2 Samuel 11:3). Apparently the Chronicler testifies (1 Chronicles 3:5) that the mother of Solomon was "Bath-shua the daughter of Ammiel."

Bathshua may easily be a variant of Bathsheba, and the names Eliam and Ammiel are made up of the same parts, only in reversed order. It is not strange that men have inferred that the son of Ahithophel was the father of Bathsheba. But the inference is really not a probable one. The record does not make the impression that Ahithophel was an older man than David. The recorded events of David's life after his misconduct with Bathsheba cannot have occupied less than about twenty years; that is, he cannot have been at the time older than about fifty years. That Ahithophel had then a married grand-daughter is less probable than that there were in Israel two Eliams. Further, Ahithophel was not the sort of man to conspire against the interests of his grand-daughter and her son, however he may, earlier, have resented the conduct of David toward her. Ahithophel's motive in the rebellion was doubtless ambition for personal power, though he very likely shared with many of his countrymen in the conviction that it was unjust to push aside an older son by elevating a younger son to the throne.

Ahithophel has a reputation for marvelous practical sagacity (2 Samuel 16:23). He did not show this in joining the conspiracy but it is in evidence in his management of the affair. According to the record the hearts of the people, in spite of the much fault they had to find, were all the time with David. Absalom's only chance of success was by the method of surprise and stampede. There must be a crisis in which everybody would join Absalom because everybody thought that everybody else had done so. Such a state of public sentiment could last only a very few days; but if, in those few days, David could be put out of the way, Absalom might hold the throne in virtue of his personal popularity and in default of a rival. The first part of the program was carried out with wonderful success; when it came to the second part, Ahithophel's practical wisdom was blocked by Hushai's adroit appeal to Absalom's personal vanity. Ahithophel saw with absolute clearness that Absalom had sacrificed his one opportunity, and he committed suicide to avoid participation in the shameful defeat which he saw could not be averted.

Willis J. Beecher

Ahitob

a-hi'-tob (Achitob; the King James Version Achitob): One of the ancestors of Ezra (1 Esdras 8:2; 2 Esdras 1:1). Compare AHITUB, 3 (Ezra 7:2 et al.).