Chilion

Chilion (meaning the pining one or finished; complete) was the younger son of Elimelech and Naomi who accompanied his parents from Bethlehem to Moab during a famine (Ruth 1:2). In Moab, Chilion married a Moabite woman named Orpah. Both Chilion and his brother Mahlon died in Moab, leaving their mother Naomi a widow with two Moabite daughters-in-law and no male heirs. His death precipitated the central crisis of the book of Ruth: Naomi's decision to return to Bethlehem, Orpah's departure, and Ruth's famous declaration of loyalty — which led ultimately to Ruth's marriage to Boaz and the continuation of the family line (Ruth 4:9–10).