Elimelech אֱלִימֶ֫לֶךְ
Naomi's husband from Bethlehem.
Who is Elimelech in the Bible?
Elimelech was a man from Bethlehem in Judah and the husband of Naomi, mentioned in the Book of Ruth (Ruth 1:2). During a famine, he led his family to Moab seeking sustenance, but he died there, leaving Naomi widowed (Ruth 1:3). His two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, married Moabite women including Ruth, but they too died within about ten years (Ruth 1:4-5). Though Elimelech himself appears briefly in the narrative, his death sets in motion the events that lead to Ruth's marriage with Boaz and the restoration of his family's inheritance (Ruth 4:3, 4:9), making him significant as an ancestor in the lineage leading to King David.
Biography
Elimelech was a man from Bethlehem in Judah, the husband of Naomi and the father of Mahlon and Chilion (Rut.1.2). During a time of famine, Elimelech and his family moved to the country of Moab (Rut.1.1-2). While in Moab, Elimelech died, leaving Naomi a widow (Rut.1.3). Naomi's sons, Mahlon and Chilion, married Moabite women named Ruth and Orpah, but they also died after about ten years (Rut.1.4-5). After the death of her husband and sons, Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem, and her daughter-in-law Ruth accompanied her (Rut.1.6-22). Elimelech's family had owned land in Bethlehem, which was later acquired by Boaz, a relative who married Ruth (Rut.4.3,9). Through this marriage, Elimelech's lineage was preserved, and his family's property remained within the clan.
Family
In Scripture
1 biblical bookRuth 5 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 1:3
"Then Naomi’s husband Elimelech died, and she was left with her two sons,"
- Ruth 2:1
"Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side, a prominent man of noble character from the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz."
- Ruth 2:3
"So Ruth departed and went out into the field and gleaned after the harvesters. And she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelech."
- Ruth 4:3
"And he said to the kinsman-redeemer, “Naomi, who has returned from the land of Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our brother Elimelech."
Names & Aliases
| Form | Language | Script |
|---|---|---|
| Named | Hebrew | אֱלִימֶ֫לֶךְ |
Elimelech
="Bible:Ruth.1.2">Ru 1:2,3; 2:1,3). He lived during the period of the Judges, had a hereditary possession near Bethlehem, and is chiefly known as the husband of Naomi, the mother-in-law of Ru and ancestress of David the king. Because of a severe famine in Judea, he emigrated to the land of Moab with his wife and his sons, Mahlon and Chilion. Not long afterward he died, and his two sons married Moabite women, Ru and Orpah. Ten years in all were spent in Moab, when the two sons died, and the three widows were left. Soon afterward Naomi decided to return to Judah, and the sequel is told in the Book of Ruth.
See RUTH; NAOMI.
J. J. Reeve
e-li-o-e'-na-i.
See ELIEHOENAI.
el-i-o'-nas (Elionas, Elionais): The name of two men who had married foreign wives (<ref osisRef=