Meaning of the Name Elimelech
The name Elimelech is usually explained from the Hebrew elements 'Eli' ('my God') and 'melekh' ('king'). Its most common sense is therefore 'My God is king' or 'My God is my king.' Its etymology is generally considered straightforward.
Origin
The name Elimelech is of Hebrew origin.
Who is Elimelech in the Bible?
Elimelech is Naomi's husband and the father of Mahlon and Chilion in the opening of the book of Ruth. Because of famine in Judah he goes with his family to Moab, and his death becomes a turning point in the story of Naomi and Ruth.
The story of Elimelech in the Bible
Elimelech appears at the very beginning of the book of Ruth as a man of Bethlehem living in the days when the judges ruled. Because famine struck Judah, he took his wife Naomi and his two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, and went to stay for a time in the land of Moab; the family were Ephrathites from Bethlehem. In Moab Elimelech died, leaving Naomi with her sons, who married the Moabite women Orpah and Ruth; about ten years later the sons also died, and Naomi was left without husband or children. Yet Elimelech's name keeps shaping the story after his death: Boaz is introduced as a wealthy and respected relative of Elimelech's clan, and the field Naomi offers for sale on returning from Moab is Elimelech's land. Boaz redeems it as kinsman and marries Ruth, Mahlon's widow, so that the dead man's name would live on with his inheritance. Elimelech thus quietly lays the ground for the story that leads to Ruth, Boaz and the line of David.
Is Elimelech mentioned in the Quran?
The name Elimelech does not appear in the Quran; in the Old Testament book of Ruth he is Naomi's husband, the father of the family whose story opens the book.
Verses where Elimelech appears
- Ruth 1:2 —
The name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem Judah. They came into the country of Moab, and continued there.
- Ruth 1:3 —
Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons.
- Ruth 2:1 —
Naomi had a kinsman of her husband’s, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech, and his name was Boaz.