Christian Standard Bible
2 Kings 2:24
24He turned around, looked at them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the children.
2 Kings 2:24 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.
- New International Version (NIV)He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And he turned around, and when he saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. And two she-bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the boys.
- New King James Version (NKJV)So he turned around and looked at them, and pronounced a curse on them in the name of the Lord. And two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths.
Context of 2 Kings 2:24
22Therefore, the water still remains healthy today according to the word that Elisha spoke. 23From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking up the path, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, chanting, “Go up, baldy! Go up, baldy!” He turned around, looked at them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the children. 25From there Elisha went to Mount Carmel, and then he returned to Samaria.
Read all of 2 Kings 22 Kings 2:24 word by word
וַיִּ֤פֶן אַֽחֲרָיו֙ וַיִּרְאֵ֔ם וַֽיְקַלְלֵ֖ם בְּשֵׁ֣ם יְהוָ֑ה וַתֵּצֶ֨אנָה שְׁתַּ֤יִם דֻּבִּים֙ מִן־הַיַּ֔עַר וַתְּבַקַּ֣עְנָה מֵהֶ֔ם אַרְבָּעִ֥ים וּשְׁנֵ֖י יְלָדִֽים׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And he turnedפָּנָהpânâh · to turnH6437
- backאַחַר'achar · afterH310
- and lookedרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
- on them, and cursedקָלַלqâlal · to lightenH7043
- them in the nameשֵׁםshêm · nameH8034
- of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- And there came forthיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: comeH3318
- twoשְׁנַ֫יִםshenayim shettayim · twoH8147
- she bearsדֹּבdôb dôb · bearH1677
- out of the woodיַ֫עַרya‛ar · woodH3293
- and tareבָּקַעbâqa‛ · to break up/openH1234
- fortyאַרְבָּעִים'arbâ‛îym · fortyH705
- childrenיֶ֫לֶדyeled · youthH3206
Cross-references for 2 Kings 2:24
- 2 Kings 1:10Elijah responded to the captain, “If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men.
- Genesis 9:25he said: Canaan is cursed. He will be the lowest of slaves to his brothers.
- Deuteronomy 28:15“But if you do not obey the Lord your God by carefully following all his commands and statutes I am giving you today, all these curses will come and overtake you:
- Judges 9:20But if not, may fire come from Abimelech and consume the citizens of Shechem and Beth-millo, and may fire come from the citizens of Shechem and Beth-millo and consume Abimelech.”
- Jeremiah 28:16Therefore, this is what the Lord says: ‘I am about to send you off the face of the earth. You will die this year because you have preached rebellion against the Lord.’”
- Jeremiah 29:21This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says about Ahab son of Kolaiah and concerning Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, the ones prophesying a lie to you in my name: “I am about to hand them over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, and he will kill them before your very eyes.
- Lamentations 3:65You will give them a heart filled with anguish. May your curse be on them!
- Amos 7:17Therefore, this is what the Lord says: Your wife will be a prostitute in the city, your sons and daughters will fall by the sword, and your land will be divided up with a measuring line. You yourself will die on pagan soil, and Israel will certainly go into exile from its homeland.
- Mark 11:14He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And his disciples heard it.
- Acts 5:5When he heard these words, Ananias dropped dead, and a great fear came on all who heard.
- Acts 8:20But Peter told him, “May your silver be destroyed with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!
- Acts 13:9But Saul — also called Paul — filled with the Holy Spirit, stared straight at Elymas
- 2 Corinthians 10:6And we are ready to punish any disobedience, once your obedience is complete.
- 2 Samuel 17:8Hushai continued, “You know your father and his men. They are warriors and are desperate like a wild bear robbed of her cubs. Your father is an experienced soldier who won’t spend the night with the people.
- Proverbs 17:12Better for a person to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool in his foolishness.
- Proverbs 28:15A wicked ruler over a helpless people is like a roaring lion or a charging bear.
Commentaries on 2 Kings 2:24
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 24On this occasion only do we find Elisha a minister of vengeance. Perhaps it was necessary to show, at the outset of his career as a prophet, that he too, so mild and peaceful could, like Elijah, wield the terrors of God‘s judgments (1 Kings 19:19 note). The persons really punished were, not so much the children, as the wicked parents 2 Kings 2:23, whose mouth-pieces the children were, and who justly lost the gift of offspring of which they had shown…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 19-25Verses 19-25 Observe the miracle of healing the waters. Prophets should make every place to which they come better for them, endeavouring to sweeten bitter spirits, and to make barren souls fruitful, by the word of God, which is like the salt cast into the water by Elisha. It was an apt emblem of the effect produced by the grace of God on the sinful heart of man. Whole families, towns, and cities, sometimes have a new appearance through the preaching of…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 23-2423-24. there came forth little children out of the city--that is, the idolatrous, or infidel young men of the place, who affecting to disbelieve the report of his master's translation, sarcastically urged him to follow in the glorious career. bald head--an epithet of contempt in the East, applied to a person even with a bushy head of hair. The appalling judgment that befell them was God's interference to uphold his newly invested prophet.Read the comment
Topics related to 2 Kings 2:24
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 2 Kings 2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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