Lexical Summary
Elimelek: Elimelech
Original Word: אֱלִימֶלֶךְ
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Eliymelek
Pronunciation: eh-lee-MEH-lek
Phonetic Spelling: (el-ee-meh'-lek)
KJV: Elimelech
NASB: Elimelech
Word Origin: [from H410 (אֵל - God) and H4428 (מֶלֶך - king)]
1. God of (the) king
2. Elimelek, an Israelite
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Elimelech
From 'el and melek; God of (the) king; Elimelek, an Israelite -- Elimelech.
see HEBREW 'el
see HEBREW melek
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
el and
melekDefinition"God is king," the husband of Naomi
NASB TranslationElimelech (6).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(&
Ruth 2:1) (
God is king, compare ) husband of Naomi
Ruth 1:2,3;
Ruth 2:3;
Ruth 4:3,9.
Topical Lexicon
Biblical Context Elimelech appears exclusively in the Book of Ruth, a narrative set “in the days when the judges ruled” (Ruth 1:1). At a time marked by moral instability and the absence of a human monarch, his very name highlights the truth that ultimate rule belongs to God. The famine that begins the account propels his family from Bethlehem (“house of bread”) to Moab, initiating the chain of events leading to Ruth’s inclusion in the royal lineage of David and, ultimately, of Christ.
Family Relationships
Elimelech is husband to Naomi and father of Mahlon and Chilion (Ruth 1:2). This household is identified as “Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah,” linking them both to the clan of Judah and to the ancestral holdings later redeemed by Boaz. These relationships become crucial after his death, for his widow and the Moabite daughter-in-law Ruth inherit not only grief but also legal and economic vulnerability that the narrative will resolve through covenant faithfulness (ḥesed).
Migration to Moab
Driven by famine, Elimelech “went to the land of Moab and lived there” (Ruth 1:2). The move is significant for several reasons:
• It underscores the severity of conditions in Israel.
• It places Israelites among a people historically at odds with them (Deuteronomy 23:3–6).
• It sets the stage for cross-cultural marriage, something otherwise discouraged but sovereignly used for redemptive purposes.
The text offers no explicit moral judgment on the relocation, yet subsequent events—his death and those of his sons—show how life outside the covenant land exposes the family to hardship.
Death and Its Aftermath
“Naomi’s husband Elimelech died, and she was left with her two sons” (Ruth 1:3). With the patriarch gone, Naomi’s household loses both its provider and the male representative who could safeguard their inheritance. The deaths of Mahlon and Chilion compound the crisis, leaving Naomi and her daughters-in-law destitute widows. Elimelech’s absence thus creates the narrative tension that will invite Boaz to act as kinsman-redeemer.
Legal and Redemptive Implications
The property that once belonged to Elimelech becomes a focal point in Ruth 4. Boaz declares, “You are witnesses today that I have bought from Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech” (Ruth 4:9). Two intertwined laws converge here:
1. Land redemption (Leviticus 25:25-28) preserves tribal allotments within a clan.
2. Levirate-like marriage (Deuteronomy 25:5-10) raises up offspring for the deceased.
By purchasing the field and marrying Ruth, Boaz restores Elimelech’s line and possessions, demonstrating covenant loyalty before the elders at the city gate.
Theological Themes
• Divine Kingship: In a period when “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25), the narrative subtly proclaims that God remains sovereign. Elimelech’s name serves as a silent witness to this truth.
• Providence and Sovereignty: Even human decisions that seem pragmatic—relocating during famine—are woven into God’s redemptive plan.
• Covenant Faithfulness: The kindness (ḥesed) shown by Ruth and Boaz compensates for the loss created by Elimelech’s death and exemplifies the covenant ideal.
• Redemption: The account moves from emptiness to fullness—famine to harvest, widowhood to marriage, death to new life—foreshadowing the greater redemption accomplished in Jesus Christ.
Legacy in Salvation History
The lineage list in Ruth 4 culminates with David (Ruth 4:22). By restoring Elimelech’s estate, Boaz secures the legal footing for a genealogical line that Scripture traces to the Messiah (Matthew 1:5-6, 16). Thus, although Elimelech never sees the outcome, his household becomes the conduit through which God advances the promise first given to Abraham.
Lessons for Christian Ministry
• Faithfulness amid Crisis: Elimelech’s account warns that pragmatic choices must be measured against trust in God’s provision, yet God can redeem even misguided steps.
• Role of Community: The elders and townspeople illustrate how communal structures safeguard the vulnerable, a pattern for church care today (James 1:27).
• Importance of Legacy: Decisions affecting family, property, and faith reverberate beyond one generation, encouraging believers to steward their resources and relationships with eternity in view.
In sum, while Elimelech’s personal narrative is brief, its ripple effects shape one of Scripture’s most compelling accounts of redemption, demonstrating that God’s sovereign rule prevails even through human frailty and loss.
Forms and Transliterations
אֱֽלִימֶ֡לֶךְ אֱלִימֶ֑לֶךְ אֱלִימֶ֖לֶךְ אֱלִימֶֽלֶךְ׃ אלימלך אלימלך׃ לֶֽאֱלִימֶ֔לֶךְ לֶאֱלִימֶ֑לֶךְ לאלימלך ’ĕ·lî·me·leḵ ’ĕlî·me·leḵ ’ĕlîmeleḵ eliMelech le’ĕlîmeleḵ le·’ĕ·lî·me·leḵ leeliMelech
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