Ahimaaz

Ahimaaz (meaning brother of anger or brother of the council) is the name of three men in the Old Testament. The first was the father of Ahinoam, wife of King Saul (1 Samuel 14:50). The second and most prominent was the son of Zadok the priest, who served as a courier during Absalom's rebellion and raced Cushi to bring David news of the battle's outcome (2 Samuel 18:19–33). Ahimaaz outran Cushi and arrived first, but withheld the news of Absalom's death, leaving the full report to Cushi. The third Ahimaaz was one of Solomon's twelve district commissioners, who governed the territory of Naphtali and married Solomon's daughter Basemath.

The courier scene in 2 Samuel 18 is among the most psychologically vivid in the historical books: the watchman on Jerusalem's wall identifies Ahimaaz by his distinctive running style before he arrives, and David's anxious questioning about Absalom's fate is met first with evasion and then with devastating honesty. Ahimaaz's hesitation to deliver the full report reveals both his loyalty to David and his reluctance to be the bearer of news about the king's son.