Ahijah (Priest)

Biblical Record

Ahijah's name appears only in 1 Samuel 14. First Samuel 14:3 introduces him as the son of Ahitub and the grandson of Phinehas. He was a great-grandson of Eli, the priest of the LORD at Shiloh, and his father Ahitub was the brother of Ichabod. At that time Ahijah was wearing the ephod, a garment worn by priests. He was with Saul and about six hundred men, who were staying on the outskirts of Gibeah (1 Samuel 14:2–3).

When Jonathan secretly attacked the Philistine garrison, confusion broke out in the Philistine camp. Saul then commanded Ahijah, "Bring hither the ark of God" (1 Samuel 14:18). As the tumult in the Philistine camp grew, Saul said to the priest, "Withdraw thine hand" (1 Samuel 14:19), breaking off the inquiry of God and going out to battle. Later in the same chapter, verse 36 mentions a priest who, when Saul wanted to pursue the Philistines by night, said, "Let us draw near hither unto God." This priest is often identified with Ahijah on the basis of the context, but the text does not give his name. Nothing further is recorded about Ahijah.

Significance in Scripture

God had announced judgment on the house of Eli (1 Samuel 2:27–36). Ahijah's presence shows that this family continued to hold the priesthood into the time of Saul. The family's story continues with the slaughter of the priests of Nob (1 Samuel 22) and with Solomon's removal of Abiathar from the priesthood. 1 Kings 2:27 records that Abiathar's removal fulfilled the word the LORD had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh. Ahijah is not mentioned in the New Testament.

Interpretation and Issues

• "Ark" or "ephod"?: The Masoretic Text (the standard Hebrew text), along with the Korean Revised Version and the New Korean Revised Version, reads 1 Samuel 14:18 as "the ark of God." However, the Ark of the Covenant is recorded as remaining at Kiriath-jearim at that time (1 Samuel 7:1–2), and the ephod was used to inquire of God's will. For these reasons, some scholars regard "ephod," the reading of the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament), as the original text. Others, following the Masoretic Text, hold that the ark was actually present in the camp.
• "Withdraw thine hand": Many interpreters understand this command as ending an inquiry of God's will by casting lots or by the Urim and Thummim. The text, however, does not specify the method of inquiry.
• Relationship to Ahimelech: Ahimelech, the priest of Nob in 1 Samuel 22, is likewise introduced as "the son of Ahitub" (1 Samuel 22:9). Accordingly, some regard the two names as referring to the same person, while others regard the two men as brothers. The text does not say which view is correct.
• Others with the same name: Several people named Ahijah appear in the Bible. Solomon's scribe (1 Kings 4:3), the prophet from Shiloh who foretold the division of the kingdom to Jeroboam (1 Kings 11:29–39), and the father of King Baasha (1 Kings 15:27) are all distinct from this priest. The prophet Ahijah in particular is easily confused with him because both are associated with Shiloh.

In the Korean Church

Ahijah is rarely treated as a subject in his own right. He is mainly mentioned in sermons and Bible studies on 1 Samuel 14 that deal with Jonathan's faith in the battle of Michmash or with the scene in which Saul began to inquire of God and then broke off.