2 Kings 2:24

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.
• 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.
• New Living Translation (NLT)Elisha turned around and looked at them, and he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of them.

Context of 2 Kings 2:24

22And the water has remained pure to this day, according to the word Elisha had spoken. 23From 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!” 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. 25And he went on to Mount Carmel and from there returned to Samaria.

2 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 captain, “If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men!” Then fire fell from heaven and consumed the captain and his men.
• Genesis 9:25he said, “Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.”
• Deuteronomy 28:15However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you:
• Judges 9:20But if you have not, let fire come out from Abimelek and consume you, the citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo, and let fire come out from you, the citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo, and consume Abimelek!”
• Jeremiah 28:16Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This very year you are going to die, because you have preached rebellion against the Lord.’ ”
• Jeremiah 29:21This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying lies to you in my name: “I will deliver them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will put them to death before your very eyes.
• Lamentations 3:65Put a veil over their hearts, and may your curse be on them!
• Amos 7:17“Therefore this is what the Lord says: “ ‘Your wife will become a prostitute in the city, and your sons and daughters will fall by the sword. Your land will be measured and divided up, and you yourself will die in a pagan country. And Israel will surely go into exile, away from their native land.’ ”
• Mark 11:14Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.
• Acts 5:5When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened.
• Acts 8:20Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!
• Acts 13:9Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said,
• 2 Corinthians 10:6And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.
• 2 Samuel 17:8You know your father and his men; they are fighters, and as fierce as a wild bear robbed of her cubs. Besides, your father is an experienced fighter; he will not spend the night with the troops.
• Proverbs 17:12Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool bent on folly.
• Proverbs 28:15Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a helpless 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

• Bear
• Beth-El
• Children
• Elisha
• Infidelity

In the dictionaries

• Bear
• Double
• Elijah
• Forest
• Heal
• Lord
• Mock
• Rest
• Baldness
• Elisha

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