Ahitub

Ahitub (meaning brother of goodness or good) is the name of several priestly figures in the Old Testament, all belonging to the Aaronic lineage. The first and most prominent was the son of Phinehas and grandson of Eli. When Eli and his sons died and the ark was captured by the Philistines on the same day, the news killed Phinehas's pregnant wife, who named her son Ichabod (the glory has departed); Ahitub was evidently born earlier. He became the father of Ahijah and Ahimelech, both of whom served as high priests in the Saulide period.

A second Ahitub was the son of Amariah and the father of Zadok, the high priest who served alongside Abiathar during David's reign and who anointed Solomon. A third Ahitub appears in the Chronicler's postexilic priestly genealogy (1 Chronicles 6:11–12). The name recurs across multiple generations of the priestly families, making precise identification of individual bearers difficult in some passages. Together the Ahitubs represent the continuity of the Aaronic priesthood across the crisis of the Philistine wars, the consolidation of the monarchy, and the restoration after exile.