אֲבִימֶ֫לֶךְ
a.vi.me.lekh
Ahimelech
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
Supported# Ahimelech: A Hebrew Proper Name The Hebrew term אֲבִימֶ֫לֶךְ (Ahimelech) is a personal name that appears four times in the biblical text. As a proper noun, it functions as a designation for a specific individual rather than carrying a descriptive semantic meaning in the way common nouns do. The name itself is a compound formation typical of Hebrew naming conventions, combining elements that would have carried significance to ancient speakers, though the lexicon data provided does not detail its etymological components. The limited frequency of this name's occurrence—only four instances across the entire biblical corpus—suggests it belonged to a relatively minor or specific figure in biblical narrative. Without additional contextual information from the lexicon entry itself, the precise historical or theological significance of this person cannot be determined solely from the frequency data. What can be established is that Ahimelech was significant enough to be named and recorded in biblical texts, placing him within the recorded history of ancient Israel, though the brevity of his textual presence indicates he was not a central figure in the biblical narrative.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
4 total occurrences across the text
Zadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were priests, Seraiah was scribe,
1 Chronicles 24:3David with Zadok of the sons of Eleazar and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, divided them according to their ordering in their service.
1 Chronicles 24:6Shemaiah the son of Nethanel the scribe, who was of the Levites, wrote them in the presence of the king, the princes, Zadok the priest, Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and the heads of the fathers’ households of the priests and of the Levites; one fathers’ house being taken for Eleazar, and one taken for Ithamar.
1 Chronicles 24:31These likewise cast lots even as their brothers the sons of Aaron in the presence of David the king, Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of the fathers’ households of the priests and of the Levites; the fathers’ households of the chief even as those of his younger brother.