Mahlon

Mahlon (meaning sickly or great) was the elder of Elimelech and Naomi's two sons who emigrated with the family from Bethlehem to Moab during a famine (Ruth 1:2). He married Ruth the Moabitess, while his brother Chilion married Orpah. Both brothers died in Moab without children (Ruth 1:3–5), leaving Naomi bereft of her husband and both sons in a foreign land. Their deaths set the stage for Naomi's return to Bethlehem with Ruth.

Mahlon's legal significance persists after his death: Ruth 4:10 identifies Boaz's purchase of Elimelech's property and marriage to Ruth specifically as redeeming the name of Mahlon — restoring the dead man's lineage through the levirate-adjacent custom of kinsman-redemption. The son born to Boaz and Ruth, Obed, is said to be born to Naomi (Ruth 4:17), continuing Mahlon's lineage in the line that ultimately led to David and to Jesus (Matthew 1:5).