The two sons of Elimelech by Naomi (Ruth 1:2). They left Bethlehem, as a family, for Moab, where all the three men died, leaving behind three widows: Naomi, Ruth (Mahlon's widow) and Orpah (Kilion's widow). We know nothing about the two men. Some commentators have attempted to derive the names of the two men and postulating that they are suggestive of fates that are ominous; these postulations are at best uncertain and it is best not to give them any weight in our reading of the story. Nor should much be made of the fact that they married Moabites. There was no explicit prohibition against such marriages though Deut 23:3-6 ("No Ammonite or Moabite or any of his descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord, even down to the tenth generation. For they did not come to meet you with bread and water on your way when you came out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram Naharaim to pronounce a curse on you. . . . Do not seek a treaty of friendship with them as long as you live.") hardly encourages it. Set against the dark days of covenantal and personal unfaithfulness of Israel in the days of the judges, Ruth highlights the simple fact that marrying a Moabitess is hardly a great sin, and Ruth proved what simple faith and loyalty can be found even among a people with a history such as the nation of Moab carried on its shoulders.
Open Family Tree ☰ (Generation 9)
CONCORDANCE
Mahlon and Kilion are mentioned 4x and 3x respectively (only in the book of Ruth):
Ruth 1:2 — [In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab.] The man's name was Elimelech, his wife's name Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there.
Ruth 1:5 — [They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years,] both Mahlon and Kilionalso died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.
Ruth 4:9-10 — Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, "Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelech, Kilion and Mahlon. I have also acquired Ruth the Moabitess, Mahlon's widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from the town records. Today you are witnesses!"
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