Abiathar (son of Ahimelech)

When Doeg the Edomite massacred the priesthood at Nob on King Saul's orders, Abiathar was the only one who escaped with his life. He brought the ephod—the sacred oracle instrument—with him to David and became his closest priest throughout the long years as a fugitive. Through the ephod, Abiathar sought God's will on David's behalf at critical moments, providing David with divine guidance in strategic decisions. After David became king in Jerusalem, Abiathar served as priest alongside Zadok, and the two represented different priestly lines. During Absalom's rebellion, Abiathar demonstrated his loyalty by remaining in the rebel-controlled capital as David's intelligence contact, with his son Jonathan serving as messenger. In David's final days, however, Abiathar chose the wrong side in the succession struggle by supporting Adonijah, while Zadok supported Solomon. After the change of throne, Abiathar was removed from priestly service and exiled to the Levitical town of Anathoth. The biblical authors understand his downfall as the final fulfillment of God's judgment against the house of Eli, prophesied generations earlier—with Abiathar, the priesthood of the line of Ithamar ceased at Israel's central sanctuary, and Zadok's line of Eleazar took over.