1 Samuel 22:20
New International Version
But one son of Ahimelek son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled to join David.

New Living Translation
Only Abiathar, one of the sons of Ahimelech, escaped and fled to David.

English Standard Version
But one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David.

Berean Standard Bible
But one of the sons of Ahimelech son of Ahitub escaped. His name was Abiathar, and he fled to David.

King James Bible
And one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David.

New King James Version
Now one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David.

New American Standard Bible
But one son of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled to David.

NASB 1995
But one son of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David.

NASB 1977
But one son of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David.

Legacy Standard Bible
But one son of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David.

Amplified Bible
But one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled to David.

Christian Standard Bible
However, one of the sons of Ahimelech son of Ahitub escaped. His name was Abiathar, and he fled to David.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
However, one of the sons of Ahimelech son of Ahitub escaped. His name was Abiathar, and he fled to David.

American Standard Version
And one of the sons of Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And one son of Akhimelek, son of Akhitub, escaped, and his name was Abiathar, and he fled by himself after David

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And one son of Abimelech son of Achitob escapes, and his name was Abiathar, and he fled after David.

Contemporary English Version
Ahimelech's son Abiathar was the only one who escaped. He ran to David

Douay-Rheims Bible
But one of the sons of Achimelech the son of Achitob, whose name was Abiathar, escaped, and fled to David,

English Revised Version
And one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
But Ahimelech, Ahitub's son, had one son who escaped. His name was Abiathar. He fled to David.

Good News Translation
But Abiathar, one of Ahimelech's sons, escaped, and went and joined David.

International Standard Version
One man, Ahimelech's son Abiathar, a grandson of Ahitub, escaped and fled to David.

JPS Tanakh 1917
And one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David.

Literal Standard Version
And one son of Ahimelech, son of Ahitub, escapes, and his name [is] Abiathar, and he flees after David,

Majority Standard Bible
But one of the sons of Ahimelech son of Ahitub escaped. His name was Abiathar, and he fled to David.

New American Bible
One son of Ahimelech, son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled to David.

NET Bible
But one of the sons of Ahimelech son of Ahitub escaped and fled to David. His name was Abiathar.

New Revised Standard Version
But one of the sons of Ahimelech son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David.

New Heart English Bible
One of the sons of Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David.

Webster's Bible Translation
And one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David.

World English Bible
One of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David.

Young's Literal Translation
And there escapeth one son of Ahimelech, son of Ahitub, and his name is Abiathar, and he fleeth after David,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Saul Slays the Priests of Nob
19He also put to the sword Nob, the city of the priests, with its men and women, children and infants, oxen, donkeys, and sheep. 20But one of the sons of Ahimelech son of Ahitub escaped. His name was Abiathar, and he fled to David. 21And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the LORD.…

Cross References
1 Samuel 14:3
including Ahijah, who was wearing an ephod. He was the son of Ichabod's brother Ahitub son of Phinehas, the son of Eli the priest of the LORD in Shiloh. But the troops did not know that Jonathan had left.

1 Samuel 22:21
And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the LORD.

1 Samuel 23:6
(Now Abiathar son of Ahimelech had brought the ephod with him when he fled to David at Keilah.)

1 Samuel 23:9
When David learned that Saul was plotting evil against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring the ephod."

1 Samuel 30:7
Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the ephod." So Abiathar brought it to him,

2 Samuel 15:24
Zadok was also there, and all the Levites with him were carrying the ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God, and Abiathar offered sacrifices until the people had passed out of the city.

1 Kings 1:7
So Adonijah conferred with Joab son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, who supported him.


Treasury of Scripture

And one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David.

one

1 Samuel 23:6
And it came to pass, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David to Keilah, that he came down with an ephod in his hand.

1 Samuel 30:7
And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David.

2 Samuel 20:25
And Sheva was scribe: and Zadok and Abiathar were the priests:

escaped

1 Samuel 2:33
And the man of thine, whom I shall not cut off from mine altar, shall be to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart: and all the increase of thine house shall die in the flower of their age.

1 Samuel 4:12
And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head.

Job 1:15-17,19
And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee…

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Abiathar Abi'athar Ahimelech Ahim'elech Ahitub Ahi'tub David Escaped Escapeth Join
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Abiathar Abi'athar Ahimelech Ahim'elech Ahitub Ahi'tub David Escaped Escapeth Join
1 Samuel 22
1. Companies resort unto David at Adullam
3. At Mizpeh he commends his parents unto the king of Moab
5. Admonished by Gad, he comes to Hareth,
6. Saul going to pursue him, complains of his servants' unfaithfulness
9. Doeg accuses Ahimelech
11. Saul commands to kill the priests
17. The footmen refusing, Doeg executes it
20. Abiathar escaping, brings David the news














(20) Abiathar.--Of those who dwelt at Nob, only one single priest, Abiathar, Ahimelech's son, seems to have escaped this general massacre. It has been suggested that when his father and the whole body of priests went to Gibeah, in accordance with the summons of King Saul, Abiathar remained behind to perform the necessary functions in the sanctuary, and when he heard of the death of his father and his brother priests, he made his escape, and eventually joined David. The exact period of his coming to the exiled band under David is uncertain; in many of the recitals in this Book no note of time is given. It is, therefore, probable that the meeting and interview with David--related in 1Samuel 22:20 and following verses--did not take place immediately after the massacre at Gibeah, nor even directly after the destruction of Nob. From the statement in 1Samuel 22:6 of 1 Samuel 23, it would appear that Abiathar only joined David at Keilah. From that time, however, Abiathar, who became after his father's death high priest, occupies an important place in the story of David's life. Throughout his reign he continued his faithful friend, and seems to have been a worthy holder of his important office. The close of his life, however, was a melancholy one. In the troubles which arose about the succession, in the last days of David's reign, he espoused the side of Adonijah, and was in consequence deposed by the successful Solomon from the high priesthood, and sent into banishment to Anathoth. (See 1Kings 2:26.)

Verses 20-23. - Abiathar escaped. Probably he was left in charge of the sanctuary when Ahimelech and the rest were summoned into the king's presence, and on news being brought of Saul's violence, at once made his escape, Naturally, as representing a family who, though originally Saul's friends, had suffered so much for David, he was kindly received, and a friendship commenced which lasted all David's life; but, taking at last Adonijah's side, he was deprived by Solomon of the high priesthood, and sent into honourable banishment at Anathoth (1 Kings 2:26). On hearing of the terrible tragedy from which Abiathar had escaped, David, with characteristic tenderness of conscience, accuses himself of being the cause of all this bloodshed. Perhaps he felt that when he saw Doeg at Nob he ought at once to have gone away, without implicating Ahimelech in his cause; but he could never have imagined that Saul would have treated innocent men so barbarously, and may have supposed that their sacred character as well as their guiltlessness would have secured them from more than temporary displeasure. David now warmly promises Abiathar safety and friendship, and possibly the inversion of the natural order, he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life (where the my and thy are transposed by the Septuagint in one of its usual improvements of the Hebrew text), is meant to express this entire oneness and close union henceforward of the two friends. As to the question when and where Abiathar joined David, see on 1 Samuel 23:6.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
But one
אֶחָ֗ד (’e·ḥāḏ)
Number - masculine singular
Strong's 259: United, one, first

of the sons
בֵּן־ (bên-)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1121: A son

of Ahimelech
לַאֲחִימֶ֙לֶךְ֙ (la·’ă·ḥî·me·leḵ)
Preposition-l | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 288: Ahimelech -- 'brother of a king', an Israelite name, also a Hittite name

son
בֶּן־ (ben-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1121: A son

of Ahitub
אֲחִט֔וּב (’ă·ḥi·ṭūḇ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 285: Ahitub -- 'my brother is goodness', two Israelites

escaped.
וַיִּמָּלֵ֣ט (way·yim·mā·lêṭ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 4422: To be smooth, to escape, to release, rescue, to bring forth young, emit sparks

His name
וּשְׁמ֖וֹ (ū·šə·mōw)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 8034: A name

was Abiathar,
אֶבְיָתָ֑ר (’eḇ·yā·ṯār)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 54: Abiathar -- 'the great one is father', an Israelite priest

and he fled
וַיִּבְרַ֖ח (way·yiḇ·raḥ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1272: To bolt, to flee suddenly

to
אַחֲרֵ֥י (’a·ḥă·rê)
Preposition
Strong's 310: The hind or following part

David.
דָוִֽד׃ (ḏā·wiḏ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1732: David -- perhaps 'beloved one', a son of Jesse


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OT History: 1 Samuel 22:20 One of the sons of Ahimelech (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa)
1 Samuel 22:19
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