Kilion

Kilion is a minor figure in the Hebrew Bible, known primarily from the Book of Ruth. He is one of the two sons of Elimelech and Naomi, the other being Mahlon. In the narrative, Kilion and Mahlon marry Moabite women who come to live with Naomi in Moab. The two wives are named Orpah and Ruth in Ruth 1:4, though the text does not explicitly assign which wife belongs to which son; traditional readings often identify Ruth as Mahlon’s wife and Orpah as Kilion’s.

Kilion’s role in the story is limited to these genealogical and familial details. He dies in Moab along with his brother Mahlon, an event that leaves Naomi childless and widowed far from her homeland. After the deaths, Naomi decides to return to Bethlehem, and Ruth accompanies her, pledging loyalty. Orpah eventually chooses to return to her own people. Ruth’s subsequent marriage to Boaz and the ensuing lineage to King David become central to the Ruth narrative, but Kilion himself does not appear again in the text.

Scholarly and traditional discussions often reference Kilion primarily in relation to Mahlon, Naomi, Ruth, and Orpah within the Ruth story. The name Kilion appears only in this biblical account and is not elaborated upon elsewhere in the canon.

See also: Ruth, Mahlon, Orpah, Naomi, Elimelech, Bethlehem.

References: Ruth 1:2-5; Ruth 4:13-17.