Abiathar: Father of abundance, or my father excels, the son of Ahimelech the
high priest. He was the tenth high priest, and the fourth in descent
from Eli. When his father was slain with the priests of Nob, he
escaped, and bearing with him the ephod, he joined David, who was
then in the cave of Adullam
(1 Samuel 22:20-23; 23:6) He remained with
David, and became priest of the party of which he was the leader
(1 Samuel 30:7)
When David ascended the throne of Judah, Abiathar was appointed high
priest
(1 Chronicles 15:11; 1 Kings 2:26) and the "king's companion"
(1 Chronicles 27:34)
Meanwhile Zadok, of the house of Eleazar, had been made high priest.
These appointments continued in force till the end of David's reign
(1 Kings 4:4) Abiathar was deposed (the sole historical instance of
the deposition of a high priest) and banished to his home at
Anathoth by Solomon, because he took part in the attempt to raise
Adonijah to the throne. The priesthood thus passed from the house of
Ithamar
(1 Samuel 2:30-36; 1 Kings 1:19; 2:26,27) Zadok now became sole high
priest.
In (Mark 2:26) reference is made to an occurrence in "the days of
Abiathar the high priest." But from
(1 Samuel 22:1)ff we learn
explicitly that this event took place when Ahimelech, the father of
Abiathar, was high priest. The apparent discrepancy is
satisfactorily explained by interpreting the words in Mark as
referring to the life-time of Abiathar, and not to the term of his
holding the office of high priest. It is not implied in Mark that he
was actual high priest at the time referred to. Others, however,
think that the loaves belonged to Abiathar, who was at that time
(Leviticus 24:9) a priest, and that he either himself gave them to
David, or persuaded his father to give them.
