Tilon is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Tilon was a descendant of Judah, mentioned in the genealogies of the tribe recorded in 1 Chronicles. He appears in a brief list of names that traces the descendants of Shimon, a man counted among the families of Judah. The Chronicler, writing after the Babylonian exile to remind the returned people of their ancestral roots, includes Tilon among the sons of Shimon: “And the sons of Shimon were, Amnon, and Rinnah, Benhanan, and Tilon.” This single verse is the only place in Scripture where Tilon is named.
The setting of this passage is a genealogical record, not a narrative. Tilon does nothing in the text—no deed, word, or choice of his is recorded. He is simply listed as one of four sons born to Shimon, alongside his brothers Amnon, Rinnah, and Benhanan. The same verse goes on to name the sons of Ishi, Zoheth and Benzoheth, indicating that these families were related within the broader clan structure of Judah. Nothing further is said about Tilon’s life, occupation, or descendants.
What Scripture says of Tilon, then, is minimal: he existed, he belonged to the tribe of Judah through Shimon, and he was part of the covenant people whose lineage the Chronicler preserved. His inclusion in the genealogy is itself the whole of his biblical witness. He is one of many names in Scripture given only a single verse, remembered not for what he did but for where he stood in the family line of Israel.
The Name
The name Tilon appears in Hebrew as תִּילוֹן. Its meaning is not clearly recoverable from the biblical text or from standard Hebrew lexicons. Some suggest a possible connection to a root meaning “murmuring” or to a word for a “lofty” or “elevated” place, but these proposals are uncertain and not well established. Because Scripture gives no explanation of the name and the etymology is obscure, it is best to say plainly that the meaning of Tilon is unknown rather than to assign it a meaning the text does not support.
A Closing Thought
Most of us will never be remembered in a history book or honored for great achievements. Tilon’s entire legacy in Scripture is one line in a long list of names. Yet that line mattered: it tied him to the people of God and to the promised line of Judah. There is quiet comfort in this. God does not measure our worth by how much is written about us. He knows the names of those who belong to Him, even when the world records nothing else. Faithfulness in obscurity is still faithfulness, and it is seen by the One who counts every sparrow.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: Old
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- 1 Chronicles 4:20 — And the sons of Shimon were, Amnon, and Rinnah, Benhanan, and Tilon. And the sons of Ishi were, Zoheth, and Benzoheth.