How many times is Ahimelech mentioned in the Bible?
The word Ahimelech appears 15 times in the King James Version, in 14 verses. Counting every form (Ahimelech, Ahimelech's), it appears 16 times in 15 verses across 3 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses Ahimelech 16 times.
Ahimelech in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of Ahimelech counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| Ahimelech | 15 | 16 |
| Ahimelech's | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 16 | 16 |
What the name Ahimelech means
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Ahimelech as "my brother is a king; my king's brother".
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 Ahimelech most
Ahimelech appears in 3 books of the 66 in the King James Version. 1 Samuel has the most (12), then 1 Chronicles (3) and 2 Samuel (1).
First and last mention of Ahimelech
Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee?
These likewise cast lots over against their brethren the sons of Aaron in the presence of David the king, and Zadok, and Ahimelech, and the chief of the fathers of the priests and Levites, even the principal fathers over against their younger brethren.
The verse that uses it most is 1 Samuel 21:1, 2 times:
Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee?
Common questions
How many times is Ahimelech in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 16 of the 16 uses are in the Old Testament and 0 in the New Testament. Ahimelech appears in 3 books of the 66 in the King James Version. 1 Samuel has the most (12), then 1 Chronicles (3) and 2 Samuel (1).
Where is Ahimelech first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is 1 Samuel 21:1: "Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee?" The last is 1 Chronicles 24:31.
What does the name Ahimelech mean in the Bible?
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Ahimelech as "my brother is a king; my king's brother".
More word counts: zeal, vision, Tirzah, Teman, shame, Artaxerxes, Bilhah, Milcah, 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.