of Ahijah concerning the welfare of his sick son. The prophet, now old and blind, foretold that the boy would soon die and that Jehovah would “make a clean sweep behind the house of Jeroboam, just as one clears away the dung.” (1 Ki. 14:2-18; 15:29) “The prophecy of Ahijah,” one of the written records including Solomon’s affairs, survived to the time of Ezra’s compilation of Chronicles.—2 Chron. 9:29.

8. Father of Baasha, who conspired against Nadab and made himself king of Israel; of the tribe of Issachar.—1 Ki. 15:27, 33; 2 Ki. 9:9.

9. One of the forty-four heads of the people whose descendants, if not himself, joined in sealing Nehemiah’s “trustworthy arrangement” to walk in Jehovah’s laws.—Neh. 10:26; 9:38.

AHIKAM

(A·hiʹkam) [my brother has risen].

Son of Shaphan the royal secretary during Josiah’s reign. Ahikam was one of the five sent to the prophetess Huldah by Josiah to inquire concerning what they had read in the recently discovered Book of the Law. (2 Ki. 22:12, 14; 2 Chron. 34:20) Later he protected Jeremiah’s life when it was threatened. (Jer. 26:24) Ahikam’s son Gedaliah was governor of Judah after Jerusalem’s destruction in 607 B.C.E.—2 Ki. 25:22; Jer. 40:5.

AHILUD

(A·hiʹlud) [a brother is born].

Father of David’s royal recorder Jehoshaphat. (2 Sam. 8:16; 1 Chron. 18:15) Likely the father of Baana, a deputy of food supplies under Solomon.—1 Ki. 4:7, 12.

AHIMAAZ

(A·himʹa·az) [the brother is wrath].

1. Father of Saul’s wife Ahinoam.—1 Sam. 14:50.

2. Son of priest Zadok and father of Azariah. (1 Chron. 6:8, 9, 53) When Absalom rebelled against his father David and usurped the throne, young Ahimaaz served a vital role in communicating intelligence to David. When about to be caught on one occasion, he and his companion hid in a well, the mouth of which a woman camouflaged with grain. (2 Sam. 15:27, 36; 17:17-21) When Absalom was killed, a Cushite runner was picked to take the news to David. Ahimaaz kept insisting that he too be allowed to run. Permission granted, he overtook the first runner and, upon approaching the city, was recognized by his running style. “This is a good man and with good news he should come,” exclaimed David. It proved to be so; Ahimaaz reported good news and left the bad for the second courier to deliver. (2 Sam. 18:19-32) Whether Ahimaaz was ever high priest is not certain. Some suggest he may have died before his father, thereby allowing Ahimaaz’ son Azariah to succeed Zadok.—1 Ki. 4:2; 1 Chron. 6:8-10.

3. Husband of Solomon’s daughter Basemath, and one of the twelve deputies appointed to provide food for the king’s household one month out of the year from the territory of Naphtali. (1 Ki. 4:7, 15) Some suggest that he was the same individual as No. 2 above.

AHIMAN

(A·hiʹman) [my brother is a gift (?)].

Because the name appears to be compound, the meaning is obscure.

1. Son of the long-necked Anak, and brother of Sheshai and Talmai, all residents of Hebron when Canaan was spied out by the Israelites in 1512 B.C.E. (Num. 13:22, 28, 33) Many years later he and his brothers were driven out and put to death by Caleb and the conquering Israelites.—Josh. 14:10-15; 15:13, 14; Judg. 1:10.

2. A Levite and one of the trusted gatekeepers of Jerusalem after the return from Babylonish captivity.—1 Chron. 9:17, 18; Neh. 11:19.

AHIMELECH

(A·himʹe·lech) [brother of the king; my brother is king].

1. Son of Ahitub and great-grandson of Eli; high priest at the tabernacle located at Nob. Because of giving aid to David, not knowing he was a fugitive from Saul, Ahimelech, eighty-four other priests of Jehovah and the men, women and children of Nob were massacred by the Edomite Doeg at Saul’s command. Abiathar was the only son of Ahimelech to escape. (1 Sam. chaps. 21, 22) David, later composing Psalm 52, recounted Doeg’s heinous act. (Psalm 52, superscription) Jesus too recalled David’s experience with Ahimelech.—Matt. 12:3, 4; Mark 2:25, 26; Luke 6:3, 4; see AHIJAH No. 3.

2. Son of Abiathar and grandson of Ahimelech, whom Doeg killed.—1 Chron. 18:16; 24:3, 6, 31.

3. A Hittite who was invited but did not accompany David when he slipped into Saul’s camp at night.—1 Sam. 26:6, 7.

AHIMOTH

(A·hiʹmoth) [brother of death].

A Levite son of Elkanah of the family of Kohath.—1 Chron. 6:25.

AHINADAB

(A·hinʹa·dab) [brother of liberality or willingness].

One of the twelve deputies responsible to provide food for Solomon’s royal household on a monthly rotation basis. (1 Ki. 4:7, 14) Mahanaim, his assigned territory, was in southern Transjordan.

AHINOAM

(A·hinʹo·am) [my brother is delight, joy].

1. King Saul’s wife, daughter of Ahimaaz, and apparently the mother of Jonathan.—1 Sam. 14:49, 50.

2. The Jezreelite wife of David. (1 Sam. 25:43; 2 Sam. 2:2) She accompanied David in his exile to Philistia, was captured by Amalekite raiders at Ziklag, and was rescued unharmed. (1 Sam. 27:3; 30:5, 18) Later, in Hebron, she became the mother of David’s firstborn, Amnon.—2 Sam. 3:2; 1 Chron. 3:1.

AHIO

(A·hiʹo) [his brother, brotherly].

1. Apparently a son of Beriah and grandson of Elpaal, of the tribe of Benjamin.—1 Chron. 8:12-14.

2. A Benjamite, son of Jeiel by his wife Maacah.—1 Chron. 8:29, 31; 9:35-37.

3. Son of Abinadab of Kiriath-jearim. The ark of the covenant was being moved to Jerusalem on a new wagon; Ahio was walking ahead when his brother Uzzah was struck down for touching the Ark.—2 Sam. 6:3, 4; 1 Chron. 13:7-10.

AHIRA

(A·hiʹra) [brother of evil or misfortune].

The son of Enan and the chieftain of the tribe of Naphtali during the wilderness wandering. Following the other chieftains, he made the final contribution on behalf of his tribe at the inauguration of the altar.—Num. 1:15; 2:29; 7:1-3, 78; 10:27.

AHIRAM

(A·hiʹram) [brother of height; high].

A son of Benjamin and founder of a family. (Num. 26:38) Apparently the same as Ehi at Genesis 46:21 and Aharah at 1 Chronicles 8:1.

AHIRAMITES

(A·hiʹram·ites).

A family descended from Ahiram, a son of Benjamin.—Num. 26:38.

AHISAMACH

(A·hisʹa·mach) [my brother has supported, sustained].

Danite father of Oholiab, who was the skilled craftsman associated with Bezalel in constructing the tabernacle.—Ex. 31:2-6; 35:34; 38:23.

AHISHAHAR

(A·hishʹa·har) [brother of the dawn].

Last-named son of Bilhan and descendant of Benjamin.—1 Chron. 7:6, 10, 11.

AHISHAR

(A·hiʹshar) [my brother has sung or is a singer].

The princely steward in charge of Solomon’s palace household.—1 Ki. 4:2, 6.

AHITHOPHEL

(A·hithʹo·phel) [foolish brother; brother of folly].

A native of Giloh in the hills of Judah (2 Sam. 15:12), father of one of David’s mighty men named Eliam, and possibly the grandfather of Bath-sheba. (11:3; 23:34) As David’s personal adviser Ahithophel’s sagacious counsel was esteemed as if it were the direct word of Jehovah. (16:23) Later this once-close companion treacherously turned traitor and joined David’s son Absalom in a coup against the king. As a ringleader in the rebellion he advised Absalom to violate David’s concubines, and he asked permission to raise an army of 12,000 and immediately hunt down and kill David while in his disorganized and weakened state. (15:31; 16:15, 21; 17:1-4) When Jehovah thwarted this bold scheme by the counsel of Hushai, Ahithophel’s pride was offended. (15:32-34; 17:5-14) He committed suicide and was buried with his forefathers. (17:23) Apart from wartime, this is the only case of suicide mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures. His traitorous act is apparently recalled in Psalm 55:12-14.

AHITUB

(A·hiʹtub) [the (divine) brother is good].

1. A descendant of Aaron’s son Ithamar; son of Phinehas and grandson of high priest Eli. (1 Sam. 14:3; 1 Chron. 24:3) Following the death of his father and grandfather on the same day, Ahitub possibly officiated as high priest. (1 Sam. 4:17, 18) His son, high priest Ahimelech, was slain by Saul.—1 Sam. 22:9-20.

2. Son of Amariah, a descendant of Aaron’s son Eleazar. (1 Chron. 6:3-8) There is no indication that he acted as high priest; this office was in the line of Ithamar at the time. Ahitub’s son Zadok served as a secondary priest, not as high priest, during the reign of David, and then was assigned to replace Abiathar as high priest during the reign of Solomon.—2 Sam. 8:17; 1 Chron. 18:16; 1 Ki. 1:8; 2:27.

3. Another priest who descended from Ahitub (2) above. Genealogical listings are interrupted to call him “a leader of the house of the true God.” (1 Chron. 9:11; Neh. 11:11) His father’s name was also Amariah, and from 1 Chronicles 9:11 and Nehemiah 11:11 it appears that his son was Meraioth and his grandson Zadok.—1 Chron. 6:11, 12; 9:11; Ezra 7:2.

AHLAB

(Ahʹlab) [fat, fruitful].

Identified with modern Khirbet el-Mahalib, about four miles (6.4 kilometers) NE of Tyre, this Canaanite town was located in Asher’s territory. (Judg. 1:31) The tribe, however, failed to drive out the Canaanites, who subsequently continued to inhabit the city. Assyrian inscriptions show it was captured by Sennacherib in his third campaign.

AHLAI

(Ahʹlai) [O! would that!].

1. Likely the daughter of Sheshan of the tribe of Judah, given in marriage to her father’s Egyptian servant Jarha for whom she bore Attai. However, Ahlai, if actually a son of Sheshan, may have died early.—1 Chron. 2:31, 34, 35.

2. Father of Zabad who was a mighty man in David’s army.—1 Chron. 11:41.

AHOAH, AHOHI, AHOHITE

(A·hoʹah, A·hoʹhi, A·hoʹhite) [brotherly; a brother’s reed].

A descendant of Benjamin through Bela. (1 Chron. 8:1-4) There are some who think he is the same as Ahijah in 1 Chronicles 8:7. Some of his descendants, Ahohites, were prominent fighters in David’s army.—2 Sam. 23:9, 28; 1 Chron. 11:12, 29; 27:4.

AHUMAI

(A·huʹmai) [brother of water, i.e., neighbor to water].

First-named son of Jahath in the genealogies of Judah.—1 Chron. 4:1, 2.

AHUZZAM

(A·huzʹzam) [a taking fast hold; possessor]. First-named son of Ashhur, of the tribe of Judah, by his wife Naarah.—1 Chron. 4:5, 6; 2:3-5, 24.

AHUZZATH

(A·huzʹzath) [possession; seized].

The “confidential friend” who accompanied Abimelech, Philistine king of Gerar, on a visit to Isaac at Beer-sheba. (Gen. 26:23, 26) This is the first reference to “confidential friend,” the trusted inner circle position of one consulted for advice or authorized as spokesman. (See FRIEND OF THE KING.) The ʽathʼ ending (Ahuzzath) is characteristic of Philistine names.

AHZAI

(Ahʹzai) [whom Jehovah holds].

Son of Meshillemoth and ancestor of certain priests in Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile. (Neh. 11:13) Some believe he is the Jahzerah listed in 1 Chronicles 9:12.

AI

(Aʹi) [heap of ruins].

In the Authorized Version also called “Hai,” with the definite article prefixed, as it always is in the Hebrew. The name also occurs in the feminine forms Aiath and Aija.—Isa. 10:28; Neh. 11:31.

1. A royal city of the Canaanites, the second city taken during the Israelite invasion. Some 470 years earlier Abraham had pitched his tent “with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east,” shortly after arrival in Canaan (1943 B.C.E.). He built an altar there and revisited the place after his sojourn in Egypt. (Gen. 12:8; 13:3) In 1473 B.C.E., following the victory over Jericho, Ai was attacked by a small force of about 3,000 Israelite soldiers, since the spies said of the inhabitants of Ai, “they are few.” (Josh. 7:2, 3) However, due to Achan’s sin Israel suffered defeat. (Josh. 7:4-15) After correction of this matter, Joshua employed a stratagem against Ai, setting in ambush at the rear of the city, on its W side. The main force was deployed before the city to the N, where a valley or low desert plain lay, and from here Joshua prepared for a frontal attack on Ai. Having lured the king of Ai and a body of men out of Ai, Joshua’s force feigned retreat until their pursuers were far from their fortress. Then the ambush was signaled into action, the city captured and set on fire. (Josh. 8:1-27) Ai’s king was executed and the city was reduced to “an indefinitely lasting mound [Heb., tel], as a desolation down to this day.”—Josh. 8:28, 29.

By Isaiah’s time (c. 778-732 B.C.E.) the city, or perhaps an adjoining site, was inhabited and was prophesied to be the first to be taken by the king of Assyria in his march on Jerusalem. (Isa. 10:28) Following the Babylonian exile, Benjamites from Ai returned with Zerubbabel’s caravan.—Ezra 2:28; Neh. 7:32; 11:31.

Ai is shown to have been situated “close by Bethaven, to the east of Bethel,” with a valley plain to the N. (Josh. 7:2; 8:11, 12) Michmash apparently lay to the S. (Isa. 10:28) Ai has been generally identified with the site et-Tell (“the heap, or mound”), which preserves the meaning of the ancient name. It is two miles (3.2 kilometers) SE of Bethel (modern Beitin). However, excavations made there in 1933-1935 indicate that it was a large city, devastated about 2000 B.C.E. and thereafter uninhabited until about 1050 B.C.E. (according to archaeological methods of dating). Because of this, various attempts have been made by archaeologists to alter the sense of the Scriptural references to Ai. However archaeologist J. Simons finds the identification with et-Tell unacceptable on the basis of the city’s size (Josh. 7:3), that there is no broad valley to the N of et-Tell (Josh. 8:11), and on other grounds. (Archaeological Digest, July-September 1947, p. 311) If the archaeological dating is correct, then the site must be located elsewhere. The name itself would not necessarily identify the place, since as Sir Frederic Kenyon states: “The transference of a name from a ruined or abandoned site to another near by is a common phenomenon in Palestine.”—The Bible and Archaeology, p. 190.

2. A city mentioned along with Heshbon in Jeremiah’s prophecy against the Ammonites. (Jer. 49:3) The location is unknown.

AIAH

(Aʹiah) [bird of prey; falcon; hawk].

1. First named of two sons of Hivite sheik Zibeon and uncle to one of Esau’s wives, Oholibamah.—Gen. 36:2, 20, 24, 29; 1 Chron. 1:40; see ANAH.

2. Father of Saul’s concubine Rizpah. His two grandsons from this union were executed.—2 Sam. 3:7; 21:8-11.

AIATH

See AI No. 1.