Elimelech (biblical figure)

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Elimelech is a biblical figure mentioned in the Book of Ruth.

Elimelech is a descendant of the Tribe of Judah, and was the husband of Naomi and the father of Machalon and Chilyon. The family lived in Bethlehem in Judea. Due to famine, Elimelech and his family left the Land of Israel and settled in Moab, where he died.

His children, Machalon and Chilyon, married two Moabite women, Ruth and Arpah. When Elimelech's two sons later died, Naomi and Ruth returned to Bethlehem. Ruth later married Boaz, a relative of Elimelech.^[1]