2 Kings 2:23

2 Kings 2:23 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And he went up from thence unto Beth–el: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.
• New International Version (NIV)From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some boys came out of the town and jeered at him. “Get out of here, baldy!” they said. “Get out of here, baldy!”
• English Standard Version (ESV)He went up from there to Bethel, and while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, "Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!"
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then he went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up the road, some youths came from the city and mocked him, and said to him, “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!”

Context of 2 Kings 2:23

21He went to the spring and threw the salt into it. Then he said, “This is what the Lord says: I have purified this water. No more deaths or crop failures will come from this water.” 22To this day the water is still pure, as Elisha had said. From there he went to Bethel. As he walked along the road, some boys came out of the city and mocked him. They said, “Go away, baldy! Go away!” 24Looking back, he saw them and cursed them in the Lord’s name. Two bears came out of the woods and tore 42 of these youths apart. 25He left that place, went to Mount Carmel, and returned to Samaria.

2 Kings 2:23 word by word

וַיַּ֥עַל מִשָּׁ֖ם בֵּֽית־אֵ֑ל וְה֣וּא׀ עֹלֶ֣ה בַדֶּ֗רֶךְ וּנְעָרִ֤ים קְטַנִּים֙ יָצְא֣וּ מִן־הָעִ֔יר וַיִּתְקַלְּסוּ־בוֹ֙ וַיֹּ֣אמְרוּ ל֔וֹ עֲלֵ֥ה קֵרֵ֖חַ עֲלֵ֥ה קֵרֵֽחַ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And he went upעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: riseH5927
• from thence unto Beth–elבֵּֽיתְ־אֵלbêyth-'êl · BethelH1008
• by the wayדֶּ֫רֶךְderek · way: journeyH1870
• there came forthיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: comeH3318
• littleקָטָןqâţân qâţôn · smallH6996
• childrenנַ֫עַרna‛ar · youthH5288
• out of the cityעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
• and mockedקָלַסqâlas · to mockH7046
• him, and saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• thou bald headקֵרֵחַqêrêach · baldH7142

Cross-references for 2 Kings 2:23

• 1 Kings 12:28After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. He said, “You’ve been worshiping in Jerusalem long enough. Israel, here are your gods who brought you out of Egypt.”
• Hosea 4:15“Israel, you act like a prostitute. Don’t let Judah become guilty too. Don’t go to Gilgal. Don’t go to Beth Aven. Don’t take the oath, ‘As the Lord lives. …’
• Hosea 10:5Those who live in Samaria fear the calf-shaped idol at Beth Aven. The people will mourn over it. The priests will cry loudly because its glory will be taken away into captivity.
• Amos 3:14On the day I punish Israel for its disobedience, I will also destroy the altars at Bethel. The horns of the altar will be cut off and will fall to the ground.
• Amos 4:4Go to Bethel and sin. Go to Gilgal and sin even more. Bring your sacrifices every morning. Bring a tenth of your income every three days.
• Amos 5:5But don’t search ⌞for me⌟ at Bethel. Don’t go to Gilgal. Don’t travel to Beersheba. Gilgal will certainly go into exile. Bethel will come to nothing.
• Amos 7:13But don’t ⌞ever⌟ prophesy again in Bethel, because this is the king’s holy place and the king’s palace.”
• Job 19:18Even young children despise me. If I stand up, they make fun of me.
• Job 30:1“But now those who are younger than I am laugh at me. I didn’t think their fathers were fit to sit with the dogs of my flock.
• Proverbs 20:11Even a child makes himself known by his actions, whether his deeds are pure or right.
• Proverbs 22:6Train a child in the way he should go, and even when he is old he will not turn away from it.
• Ecclesiastes 11:10Get rid of what troubles you or wears down your body, because childhood and youth are pointless.
• Isaiah 1:4“How horrible it will be for a nation that sins. ⌞Its⌟ people are loaded down with guilt. They are descendants of evildoers and destructive children. They have abandoned the Lord. They have despised the Holy One of Israel. They have turned their backs on him.
• Isaiah 3:5People will oppress each other, and everyone will oppress his neighbor. The young will make fun of the old, and common people will make fun of their superiors.
• Jeremiah 7:18Children gather wood, fathers light fires, and women knead dough to make cakes for the queen of heaven. They pour out wine offerings to other gods in order to make me furious.
• Genesis 21:9Sarah saw that Abraham’s son by Hagar the Egyptian was laughing at Isaac.

Commentaries on 2 Kings 2:23

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 23There came forth little children out of the city - These were probably the school of some celebrated teacher; but under his instruction they had learned neither piety nor good manners. Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head - קרח עלה קרח עלה aleh kereach, aleh kereach . Does not this imply the grossest insult? Ascend, thou empty skull, to heaven, as it is pretended thy master did! This was blasphemy against God; and their punishment (for they were…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 23As Beth-el was the older seat of the calf-worship 1 Kings 12:32-33; 13:1-32, a prophet of Yahweh was not unlikely to meet with insult there. By the way - i. e. “by the usual road,” probably that which winds up the Wady Suweinit, under hills even now retaining some trees, and in Elisha‘s time covered with a dense forest, the haunt of savage animals. Compare 1 Kings 13:24; and for the general prevalence of beasts of prey in the country, both earlier and…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
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 23The group of boys might have been young adults. The Hebrew word used here can mean a young adult who is still learning a job. For example, Solomon asked God for wisdom because he was young and inexperienced (1 Kings 3:7). Joshua's spies in Jericho were also called by this term (Joshua 6:22–23). Calling someone baldhead was disrespectful. The young men told Elisha to go away (literally go up), mocking his role as Elijah's successor, given by God.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 2:23

• Baldness
• Beth-El
• Children
• Derision
• Elisha
• Infidelity
• Mocking
• Persecution
• Scoffing

In the dictionaries

• Baldness
• Double
• Elijah
• Forest
• Heal
• Lord
• Mock
• Rest
• Elisha
• Friend; Friendship

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