Statuary David receives sacral bread from the priest Ahimelech in Ceremoniall Hall in Hradisko Monastery in Olomouc (Czech Republic) created by Josef A. Winterhalder in 1734.

Ahimelech giving the sword of Goliath to David, by Aert de Gelder.

Ahimelech (Hebrew: אחימלך "the [divine] king is brother"),^[1] the son of Ahitub and father of Abiathar (1 Sam. 22:20-23), described in 2 Sam. 8:17 as the son of Abiathar and in four places in 1 Chronicles.^[1] He descended from Eli in the line of Ithamar. In 1 Chr. 18:16 his name is Abimelech according to the Masoretic Text,^[1] and is probably the same as Ahiah (1 Sam. 14:3, 18). He was the twelfth High Priest, and officiated at Nob, where he was visited by David (to whom and his companions he gave five loaves of the showbread) when David fled from Saul (1 Sam. 21:1-9). He was summoned into Saul's presence, and accused, on the information of Doeg the Edomite, of disloyalty because of his kindness to David; whereupon the king commanded that he, with the other priests who stood beside him, 86 in all, should be slain with his family. This sentence was carried into execution by Doeg in the most cruel manner (1 Sam. 22:9-23). Possibly Abiathar had a son also called Ahimelech, or the two names, as some think, may have been accidentally transposed in 2 Sam. 8:17; 1 Chr. 18:16, marg.; 24:3, 6, 31. According to the Jewish Encyclopedia on David's descendant Joash (Jehoash of Judah), Rabbinical literature would deem the extermination of the male descendants of David as a divine retribution for David's action which led to the extermination of the priests by Saul (cf. David's remorse, 1 Sam 22:22), but Joash escaped death because in the latter case one priest, Abiathar, survived.^[2] Part of the curse on the House of Eli – that none of Eli's male descendants would live to old age – was fulfilled with the death of Ahimelech; the other part of the Curse on the House of Eli – that the priesthood would pass out of his descendants – was fulfilled when Abiathar was deposed from the office of High Priest.

References[link]

1. ^ ^{a b c} "Ahimelech", Encyclopedia Biblica
2. ^ Sanh. 95b.

This article incorporates text from Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897), a publication now in the public domain.

"King David" by Aert de Gelder, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

"Esther and Mordecai", by Aert de Gelder

Aert de Gelder (or Arent, October 26, 1645 – August 27, 1727) was a Dutch painter.^[1]

De Gelder was born and died in Dordrecht. He was one of Rembrandt’s last pupils while in Amsterdam, studying in his studio from 1661 to 1663. He was not only one of the most talented of Rembrandt’s pupils, but also one of his most devoted followers, for he was the only Dutch artist to paint in the tradition of Rembrandt's late style into the 18th century. Having access to the vaticans censored artworks and literature following Rembrandts lead, De Gelder would paint such artworks as "The Baptism of Christ". This took the style of depicting hovering objects in the sky which was in many religious pieces prior to De Gelder.

See also[link]

• Chiaroscuro

References[link]

External links[link]

Media related to Aert de Gelder at Wikimedia Commons

• National Gallery, London, "Aert de Gelder"
• Paintings and biography at artbible.info
• Works and literature on Aert de Gelder at PubHist

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