We all probably have a familiarity with the person of Ruth. And perhaps even her sister-in-law Orpah. Most of you have probably heard of Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi (and if you haven’t, not to worry, I’ll make introductions in this article).
But many are unfamiliar with the men Ruth and Orpah first married. No, not Boaz. He happened second. First, there was Mahlon and Chilion.
Chilion is the name of Orpah’s first husband. We never know if she got a second one. She exits the narrative in the first chapter. But we know that Chilion did not live a long and full life. Neither did his brother nor his father.
In today’s article, we’ll explore Chilion, his name meaning, and why he died prematurely in the Book of Ruth.
Who Is Chilion in the Bible?
As mentioned before, Chilion is Naomi’s son and the husband to Orpah. Naomi, Chilion, and the rest of their family hailed from the tribe of Judah.
If that tribe sounds familiar, it’s because it’s one of the most important tribes in Israel. This tribe later had David in it (through Ruth’s line); ultimately, Jesus Christ was born from this tribe. Hence we know Christ as the lion of Judah.
Chilion probably didn’t know he was part of an important family line. But he, and his brother, commit quite the cultural faux pas. They marry foreigners.
Although it wasn’t completely unusual for an Israelite to marry someone from another nation, usually that person got grafted into the Israelite nation. Moses’ wife, for instance, as well as Rahab. These women were not Israelites originally but became part of Israel.
Ruth and Orpah were Moabites, historic enemies of Israel. And although Ruth later becomes an Israelite, it doesn’t seem to be the plan A for these women.
Why?
Well, because all of them seem to move away from Israel during a famine. During this famine, Naomi’s sons and husbands die away from the land of Israel. They live away from Israel for ten years, and it seems they find their wives (the two sons) during their time in Moab.
Their deaths prompt Naomi to return to her hometown of Bethlehem.
For a sense of timeline, Chilion most likely lived during the time of Ehud—the first judge of Israel. The first judges of Israel tended to be the least corrupt ones. It was a time when Israel followed God a little more closely—although they still chased after other gods.
What Does the Name Chilion Mean in the Book of Ruth?
Chilion’s name means “finished,” “complete,” or “perfect.”
Often in the Bible, names carry special meanings. They tend to hint at someone’s personality or character. Unfortunately, we don’t know enough about Chilion to figure out what his personality was like.
Perhaps he was a loving husband to Orpah. Perhaps not. Perhaps he followed after God fervently, and again, perhaps not.
His name meaning doesn’t seem to play a large role in the narrative.
However, perhaps he was not as perfect as his name seems to imply. Many scholars believe that his marriage to Orpah and living situation in Moab could’ve hinted at why he died so young.
Why Did Chilion Die?
I should add a caveat here that not every premature death means someone has sinned or done something wrong. All of us have had people taken from our lives at far too young, so I’d say to take scholars’ assumptions about Chilion with a grain of salt.
That said, some believe Chilion died because of his lack of faith. And why Naomi’s husband and other son perished too.
Many scholars point to the fact that a famine had been happening in Israel. Famines often occurred due to a lack of faithfulness to God in the Israelite community.
Instead of sticking around to find out if God would move faithfully—which he appears to do so by the time Naomi returns—they head to the land of Moab.
There, the sons marry wives who do not know Yahweh, who worship other gods.
Some scholars believe that Chilion, and the other men, were struck down because they didn’t trust in God to provide and because they married women in Moab.
Some point to Naomi’s “the Lord has turned against me” in Ruth 1:13 as a hint that the Lord was displeased with Naomi’s family for not trusting him.
This aside, perhaps Chilion died of natural causes apart from fleeing the famine in Israel. Perhaps God had allowed him to die young for reasons Scripture doesn’t explain.
No matter the case, Chilion’s passing prompts Naomi to return to her hometown. Orpah, Chilion’s former wife, does not go with her, but Ruth does. Perhaps Orpah went back to Moab to find a second husband. At this time, Orpah would’ve been in her mid-twenties.
Old by ancient standards, but not too old to find another man in her homeland. We can’t overstate the pain she must’ve felt from the death of her first husband. Those wounds can never truly heal, losing a loved one so early on in life.
Ruth assumed she likely would not find a second husband, being a foreigner among Israelites.
Still, God moved. He provided Boaz. The rest is history.
What Can We Learn from Chilion in the Bible?
It’s often difficult to know someone’s character from a few verses—let alone make the assumption that God had wiped them out, without enough clear hints from Scripture.
That being said, what can we learn from Chilion’s life?
God does value trust. It is possible that God had let Chilion’s life end early because he didn’t trust him amid famine. Again, we need to take this interpretation with a grain of salt, but it never hurts to analyze what areas of our lives we have not fully trusted God. Israelites were encouraged not to marry foreigners because those foreigners could lead them astray, chasing after other gods. We have no idea if Orpah did this to Chilion, but they could’ve been unequally yoked.
Tragedy is not always a result of direct sin. Bad things happen. Although the scholars could be correct that Chilion was punished for unfaithfulness, Scripture never directly says so. When we see someone undergoing tragedy, we need to understand that not every bad thing directly comes from their sin. We don’t want to be Job’s friends, trying to uncover what they could have done to have deserved something hard. We can imagine Naomi was plagued with people back in Israel who told her, “If only you hadn’t moved away, this wouldn’t have happened.” Those comments never help a hurting person.
God moves through tragedy. I wish I could know the fate of Orpah. But we do know what happens to Ruth, Chilion’s sister-in-law. She meets a kind man by the name of Boaz. Who happens to be a kinsman-redeemer for Naomi’s family. Not to mention, Boaz had a foreign mother, Rahab. He would’ve understood the racism Ruth endured. Boaz marries her, and they have a son. Who happens to be the grandfather of King David. Who happens to be in the very line of Jesus.
None of this would’ve happened if tragedy didn’t take place. Sometimes God moves in the darkest moments.
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/David_Bokuchava
Hope Bolinger is an acquisitions editor at End Game Press, book editor for hire, and the author of almost 30 books. More than 1500 of her works have been featured in various publications. Check out her books at hopebolinger.com for clean books in most genres, great for adults and kids. Check out her editing profile at Reedsy.com to find out about hiring her for your next book project.
This article is part of our People of Christianity catalog that features the stories, meaning, and significance of well-known people from the Bible and history. Here are some of the most popular articles for knowing important figures in Christianity:
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