Chislon is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Chislon was an Israelite man of the tribe of Benjamin, known to us only as the father of Elidad. He lived during the period when the children of Israel were preparing to enter and divide the Promised Land, after the forty years of wandering in the wilderness and after the deaths of Moses and Aaron’s generation. His tribe was one of the twelve that would receive an inheritance by lot in Canaan.
Chislon himself is not recorded as performing any deed, holding any office, or speaking any word. His single appearance in Scripture is in the list of men appointed by God to oversee the division of the land. In Numbers 34, the Lord instructed Moses to name one leader from each tribe to serve alongside Eleazar the priest and Joshua in apportioning the inheritance. For Benjamin, that leader was “Elidad the son of Chislon” (Numbers 34:21).
That is the whole of what Scripture says of him. He is identified only through his son, named once, and then the record moves on. Yet his inclusion in the genealogical notice is not without significance: it tells us that Elidad, the man entrusted with representing Benjamin’s interests in the division of the land, came from a known family and a named father. Chislon belongs to the quiet background of Israel’s story—one of the countless faithful whose names are preserved only because their children were called to serve.
The Name
The Hebrew name Chislon (כִּסְלוֹן) is generally understood to derive from a root related to *kesel*, meaning “foolishness” or “confidence,” though the precise nuance is debated. Some suggest the name may carry the sense of “confidence” or “trust,” while others read it more negatively as “foolish.” Because the etymology is not entirely certain, it is best to say plainly that the meaning is not clearly recoverable with confidence. What can be said is that it was a genuine Hebrew personal name borne by a man of Benjamin.
A Closing Thought
Chislon never speaks, never acts, and never appears again after a single verse. Yet his name is in the Bible, and his son was chosen to help divide the inheritance of God’s people. Most of us will live lives that look much like his—unnamed in the world’s records, remembered mainly through the faithfulness we pass on. That is not a small thing. God’s work has always been carried forward by ordinary parents whose quiet integrity shaped the sons and daughters He would later use.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: Old
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- Numbers 34:21 — Of the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad the son of Chislon.