EasyEnglish Bible 2018
2 Kings 2:24
24Elisha turned around and he looked at them. He asked the Lord to punish them. Two bears came out from the forest. They tore 42 of the boys in pieces.
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
22Since that time, the water has always been pure. This is what Elisha had said would happen. 23Elisha went from Jericho to Bethel. While he travelled along the road, some boys came out of the town. They laughed at Elisha. They shouted at him, ‘Bald man, move on! Go away, you bald man!’ Elisha turned around and he looked at them. He asked the Lord to punish them. Two bears came out from the forest. They tore 42 of the boys in pieces. 25Then Elisha travelled to Mount Carmel. From there, 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 replied to the captain, ‘If I am really a man of God, fire will come down from the sky. It will destroy you and your 50 soldiers.’ Then fire did come down from the sky. It destroyed the captain and his 50 soldiers.
- Genesis 9:25He said, ‘I curse Canaan! He will become a slave that must serve his brothers.’
- Deuteronomy 28:15But if you refuse to listen to the Lord your God, all these curses will happen to you. So be careful to obey all his commands and rules that I am giving you today. If you do not obey the Lord, these curses will happen to you:
- Judges 9:20But if you have not been faithful, I pray that Abimelech will destroy you! I pray that his fire will completely burn up the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo. And I pray that fire from you leaders will completely destroy Abimelech!’
- Jeremiah 28:16So the Lord says to you, “I will remove you from this earth. You have taught people to turn against me, the Lord. You will certainly die this year.” ’
- Jeremiah 29:21The Lord Almighty, Israel's God, says this about Kolaiah's son Ahab and Maaseiah's son Zedekiah: ‘They are speaking to you in my name, but they are prophesying lies. So I will put them under the power of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. He will kill them while you watch.
- Lamentations 3:65Cause them to think that they cannot hope for anything good. Cause bad things to happen to them.
- Amos 7:17The Lord says this to you, Amaziah: “Your wife will work as a prostitute in the streets. Your sons and daughters will die in war. Enemies will measure your land into separate pieces and they will give it to others. They will take your people away from here as prisoners to a foreign country. And that is where they will die.” ’
- Mark 11:14So Jesus said to the tree, ‘Nobody will ever eat your fruit again.’ And his disciples heard what he said.
- Acts 5:5As soon as he heard Peter say this, Ananias fell down and he died. When people heard what had happened, they were all very afraid.
- Acts 8:20Peter answered Simon, ‘I pray that God will destroy you and your money! You think that you can buy this gift with your money! It is very wrong for you to think that. It is God who gives that gift.
- Acts 13:9Then God filled Saul with the power of his Holy Spirit. (Saul was also now called Paul. ) Paul looked straight at Elymas and he said,
- 2 Corinthians 10:6You must show that you are ready to obey completely. Then we will be ready to punish anyone who refuses to obey in any way.
- 2 Samuel 17:8You know your father and his men. They are all strong fighters. They are as dangerous as a mother bear when you take away her babies. Remember that your father has fought many battles. He will not stay all night among his soldiers.
- Proverbs 17:12Do not go near a fool who is doing stupid things. It would be safer to meet a mother bear who has lost her babies.
- Proverbs 28:15A wicked ruler brings danger to poor people. He is as dangerous as an angry lion or a hungry 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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