How many times is Abiathar mentioned in the Bible?
The word Abiathar appears 30 times in the King James Version, in 28 verses. Counting every form (Abiathar, Abiathar's), it appears 31 times in 29 verses across 5 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses Abiathar 30 times (31 with every form).
Abiathar in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of Abiathar counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| Abiathar | 30 | 30 |
| Abiathar's | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 31 | 31 |
What the name Abiathar means
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Abiathar as "excellent father; father of the remnant".
This is the 1869 traditional meaning; modern scholars often read names differently.
See every name and place with its meaning and count on Bible names and their meanings.
Source: Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary (1869), checked 2026-10-24.
Which books mention Abiathar most
Abiathar appears in 5 books of the 66 in the King James Version. 2 Samuel has the most (10), then 1 Kings (9) and 1 Samuel (7).
First and last mention of Abiathar
And one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David.
How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him?
The verse that uses it most is 1 Samuel 30:7, 2 times (tied with 2 Samuel 15:35):
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.
Common questions
How many times is Abiathar in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 30 of the 31 uses are in the Old Testament and 1 in the New Testament. Abiathar appears in 5 books of the 66 in the King James Version. 2 Samuel has the most (10), then 1 Kings (9) and 1 Samuel (7).
Where is Abiathar first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is 1 Samuel 22:20: "And one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David." The last is Mark 2:26.
What does the name Abiathar mean in the Bible?
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Abiathar as "excellent father; father of the remnant".
More word counts: Hur, Barzillai, river, Asia, Kish, heathen, feet, ashes, or all 635 words.
Counted by Bible Says About from the full public-domain text of the King James Version (1769 edition) and the World English Bible. Verse text only: headings and psalm titles are left out. A word is a run of letters: a hyphenated name like Beer-sheba counts as two, and an apostrophe stays inside its word (LORD'S is one). Matching ignores capital letters. Data compiled 2026-10-24.