Zadok (/ˈzeɪdɒk/), also spelled Ṣadok, Ṣadoc[1] Zadoq, Tzadok or Tsadoq (Hebrew: צָדוֹק הַכֹּהֵן, romanized: Ṣādōq ha-Kōhēn; lit. 'righteous, justified'), was a Kohen (priest), biblically recorded to be a descendant of Eleazar the son of Aaron.[2] He was the High Priest of Israel during the reigns of David and Solomon as kings of Israel.[3] He aided King David during the revolt of his son Absalom, was subsequently instrumental in bringing Solomon to the throne, and officiated at Solomon's coronation. After Solomon's building of the First Temple in Jerusalem, Zadok was the first High Priest to serve there.
In 1 Chronicles 16:39 Zadok is named as the leader of the priests who served "before the tabernacle of the Lord at the high place that was at Gibeon", although he is later recorded as working alongside Ahimelech devising a schedule of priestly service to support David's preparations for the construction of the Temple in Jerusalem.[20]
Zadok's sons were Ahimaaz and Azariah. His descendants who held the high priesthood up to the destruction of the First Temple and, following the building of the second temple, resumed the high priesthood, as per Joshua the High Priest (along with Ezra) being of Zadokite lineage.
According to the Bible, Aaron received a perpetual priestly covenant by which his descendants, and only his descendants, would be priests.
It has been suggested that Onias or members of his Zadokite house may have also founded the community at Qumran.
Elsewhere in the Bible, the Jebusites are described in a manner that suggests that they worshipped the same God (El Elyon) as the Israelites, in the case of Melchizedek. Further support for this theory comes from the fact that other Jebusites or residents of pre-Israelite Jerusalem bore names invoking the principle or god Zedek (Tzedek) (see, for example, the names Melchizedek and Adonizedek).
As per 1 Chronicles chapter 6:
Patrilineal descent
1 Abraham
2 Isaac
3 Jacob
4 Levi
5 Kehath
6 Amram
7 Aaron
8 Eleazar
9 Phinehas
10 Abishua
11 Bukki
12 Uzzi
13 Zerahiah
14 Meraioth
15 Azariah
16 Amariah
17 Ahitub
18 Zadok
The Sons of Zadok (Hebrew: בְּנֵי צָדוֹק, romanized: bǝnē Ṣādōq) or Zadokites is a lineage of priests (kohanim) descended from Zadok that is described in the prophecies of Ezekiel.
Zadok himself was the first high priest in Solomon's Temple (10th century BCE). His descendants were high priests in that temple until its destruction in 587 BCE. Ezekiel's prophecy came several decades after that destruction and describes the Zadokite family's loyalty to God while the rest of the nation rebelled against God.
The sons of Zadok are mentioned four times in the Hebrew Bible as part of the Third Temple prophecy in the final chapters of the Book of Ezekiel (chapters 40:46, 43:19, 44:15, and 48:11). They are a theme in Jewish and Christian interpretation of these chapters.
Various documents of the texts found at Qumran mention the teachers of the community as "kohanim Sons of Zadok",[47] leading some scholars to assume that the community at Qumran included priests who refused to participate in the Hellenization of the priesthood then taking place in Jerusalem.
he idea of a literal fulfillment of Ezekiel's Third Temple in Jerusalem is an idea shared between some schools of Judaism and some millennial or adventist Protestants.[53] These beliefs may include the reinstatement of animal sacrifices,[54] and the reestablishment of a Zadokite priesthood:
The sons of Zadok are privileged to come near to the Lord to minister to Him. In the kingdom age, the descendants of Zadok become the personal ministers to Jesus the Messiah and His prince ...[55]
This verse also compares Revelation 1:4–5, 5:9–10 stating that all who are saved by His blood, also are made priest unto God the Father. It speaks of a present priesthood existing as well as into the future for all Christians.
