Zadok the Priest

Aaron’s sons were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. Nadab and Abihu died before Aaron and had no sons; therefore, Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests. Zadok was a descendant of Eleazar.

When Samuel was young, Eli, a descendant of Ithamar, served as high priest (1 Samuel 1:9). In David’s time, “Zadok, a descendant of Eleazar,” and “Ahimelech, a descendant of Ithamar,” served as chief priests together.

During his reign, David had long decided that his son Solomon would succeed him as king and build the Temple (1 Chronicles 22:5-11), and he commanded the leaders of Israel to help Solomon (1 Chronicles 22:16). When David grew old, another of David’s sons, Adonijah, presumptuously declared, “I will be king!” and prepared chariots and horsemen for himself (1 Kings 1:5). But Zadok and others did not follow Adonijah (1 Kings 1:8). Zadok, following David’s command, anointed Solomon as king (1 Kings 1:32-40). Because the original priest Abiathar (son of Ahimelech) had followed Adonijah in his attempt to usurp the throne (1 Kings 1:7), after Solomon became king, he removed Abiathar from his priestly duties (1 Kings 2:26-27), leaving Zadok as the sole priest (1 Kings 2:35).

In the time of King Solomon, Zadok replaced Abiathar as high priest (1 Kings 2:35; 1 Chronicles 29:22). Thereafter, the high priesthood was continuously held by the descendants of Zadok, fulfilling God’s prophecy of rejecting the house of Eli (1 Samuel 2:35-36) (the prophet Ezekiel was a descendant of Zadok).

List of Israelite High Priests（From the Exodus to the Babylonian Captivity）

• Aaron, during the Exodus period

• Eleazar, son of Aaron

• Phinehas, son of Eleazar

• Abishua, son of Phinehas

• Bukki, son of Abishua

• Uzzi, son of Bukki

• Eli, descendant of Ithamar, son of Aaron

• Ahitub, son of Phinehas, grandson of Eli

• Ahijah, son of Ahitub

• Ahimelech, son of Ahijah, high priest during King Saul’s reign

• Abiathar, son of Ahimelech, high priest during King David’s reign

• Zadok, son of Ahitub, high priest at the time of the First Temple’s construction

• Ahimaaz, son of Zadok, during King Solomon’s reign

• Azariah, son of Ahimaaz, during King Solomon’s reign