Chilion כִּלְיוֹן
Son of Elimelech and Naomi; husband of Orpah
Who is Chilion in the Bible?
Chilion was the son of Elimelech and Naomi from Bethlehem, and the husband of the Moabite woman Orpah (Ruth 1:2, 4). During a famine, his family migrated to Moab, where Chilion married Orpah while his brother Mahlon married Ruth (Ruth 1:1-4). Like his father and brother, Chilion died while living in Moab, leaving his wife a widow (Ruth 1:5). Though Chilion himself plays a minor role in the narrative, his death sets in motion the events of the Book of Ruth, ultimately leading to the redemption of his family's inheritance through Boaz's marriage to Ruth and his acquisition of the property that had belonged to Chilion and his relatives (Ruth 4:9-10).
Biography
Chilion was the son of Elimelech and Naomi, from Bethlehem in Judah. He had a brother named Mahlon. During a famine, Elimelech, Naomi, and their two sons went to live in the country of Moab (Rut.1.1-2). While in Moab, Chilion married a Moabite woman named Orpah, and Mahlon married Ruth (Rut.1.4). Tragically, Elimelech, Chilion, and Mahlon died in Moab, leaving Naomi, Ruth, and Orpah as widows (Rut.1.3,5). When Naomi decided to return to Judah, Orpah remained in Moab, while Ruth chose to accompany her mother-in-law (Rut.1.6-18). Later, when Boaz redeemed the land that had belonged to Elimelech, he also acquired the right to marry Ruth and continue the lineage of Mahlon and Chilion (Rut.4.9-10).
Family
Parents
In Scripture
1 biblical bookRuth 3 verses
- Ruth 1:2
"The man’s name was Elimelech, his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah, and they entered the land of Moab and settled there."
- Ruth 1:5
"both Mahlon and Chilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and without her husband."
- Ruth 4:9
"At this, Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses today that I am buying from Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech, Chilion, and Mahlon."
Names & Aliases
| Form | Language | Script |
|---|---|---|
| Named | Hebrew | כִּלְיוֹן |
Chilion
he came into Moab and there both married Moabite women, Orpah being the name of Chilion's wife and Ru that of the wife of Mahlon (Ru 4:9,10). Both died early and Orpah remained in Moab while Ru accompanied Naomi back to Bethlehem. When Boaz married Ru he "bought all that was Elimelech's, and all that was Chilion's, and Mahlon's, of the hand of Naomi" (Ru 4:9).
W. L. Walker
kil'-mad (kilmadh; Charman): A city or district mentioned after Sheba and Asshur as supplying merchandise to Tyre (Eze 27:23). By changing "m" into "w" (common in Assytoprian-Baby