God’s Word Translation
2 Kings 2:24
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.
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
22To this day the water is still pure, as Elisha had said. 23From 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!” Looking 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.
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 answered the officer, “If I’m a man of God, fire will come from heaven and burn up you and your 50 men.” Then fire came from heaven and burned up the officer and his 50 men.
- Genesis 9:25So he said, “Canaan is cursed! He will be the lowest slave to his brothers.
- Deuteronomy 28:15Obey the Lord your God, and faithfully follow all his commands and laws that I am giving you today. If you don’t, all these curses will come to you and stay close to you:
- Judges 9:20But if that’s not the case, let fire come out of Abimelech and burn up citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo. Also let fire come out of citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo and burn up Abimelech.”
- Jeremiah 28:16This is what the Lord says: I’m going to remove you from the face of the earth. You will die this year because you have encouraged rebellion against the Lord.”
- Jeremiah 29:21This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says about Kolaiah’s son Ahab and about Maaseiah’s son Zedekiah, who prophesy lies to you in my name: I’m going to hand them over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I will kill them as you watch.
- Lamentations 3:65Make them stubborn. Let your curse be on them.
- Amos 7:17“However, this is what the Lord says: Your wife will become a prostitute in the city, and your sons and daughters will be killed with swords. Your land will be surveyed and divided up, and you will die in an unclean land. Israel cannot avoid being taken from its land into exile.”
- Mark 11:14Then he said to the tree, “No one will ever eat fruit from you again!” His disciples heard this.
- Acts 5:5When Ananias heard Peter say this, he dropped dead. Everyone who heard about his death was terrified.
- Acts 8:20Peter told Simon, “May your money be destroyed with you because you thought you could buy God’s gift.
- Acts 13:9But Saul, also known as Paul, was filled with the Holy Spirit. He stared at Elymas
- 2 Corinthians 10:6We are ready to punish every act of disobedience when you have become completely obedient.
- 2 Samuel 17:8“You know your father and his men. They are warriors as fierce as a wild bear whose cubs have been stolen. Your father is an experienced soldier. He will not camp with the troops tonight.
- Proverbs 17:12Better to meet a bear robbed of its cubs than a fool ⌞carried away⌟ with his stupidity.
- Proverbs 28:15⌞Like⌟ a roaring lion and a charging bear, ⌞so⌟ a wicked ruler is a threat to poor people.
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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