The BibleGospel Companion

Elimelech

אֱלִימֶ֫לֶךְ · e.li.me.lekh · H0458“my God is king” Hitchcock's 18696 mentions, all in Ruth

Who he was

Elimelech was a man from Bethlehem in Judah, the husband of Naomi and the father of Mahlon and Chilion (Ruth 1:2). During a time of famine, Elimelech and his family moved to the country of Moab (Ruth 1:1–2). While in Moab, Elimelech died, leaving Naomi a widow (Ruth 1:3). Naomi's sons, Mahlon and Chilion, married Moabite women named Ruth and Orpah, but they also died after about ten years (Ruth 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 (Ruth 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.

Article: STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0

Family

FatherSalmaSpouseNaomiChildrenMahlon, Chilion
Family relations: STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0

Every mention

6 references, counted from STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0 · verse text: World English Bible (public domain)

Ruth 6 mentions

Ruth 1:2The name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi. The names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem Judah. They came into the country of Moab and…Ruth 1:3Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left with her two sons.Ruth 2:1Naomi had a relative of her husband’s, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech, and his name was Boaz.Ruth 2:3She went, and came and gleaned in the field after the reapers; and she happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech.Ruth 4:3He said to the near kinsman, “Naomi, who has come back out of the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech’s.Ruth 4:9Boaz said to the elders and to all the people, “You are witnesses today, that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s, and all that was Chilion’s and Mahlon’s, from the hand of Naomi.

What the dictionary says

God his king, a man of the tribe of Judah, of the family of the Hezronites, and kinsman of Boaz, who dwelt in Bethlehem in the days of the judges. In…

Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897)
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Sources