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.
• 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

22So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake. 23And 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. And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of Yhwh. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them. 25And he went from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he 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

• 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 Yhwhיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · 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 1:10And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.
• Genesis 9:25And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.
• Deuteronomy 28:15But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of Yhwh thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:
• Judges 9:20But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech.
• Jeremiah 28:16Therefore thus saith Yhwh; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against Yhwh.
• Jeremiah 29:21Thus saith Yhwh of Armies, the God of Israel, of Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and of Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, which prophesy a lie unto you in my name; Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and he shall slay them before your eyes;
• Lamentations 3:65Give them sorrow of heart, thy curse unto them.
• Amos 7:17Therefore thus saith Yhwh; Thy wife shall be an harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line; and thou shalt die in a polluted land: and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of his land.
• Mark 11:14And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.
• Acts 5:5And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.
• Acts 8:20But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.
• Acts 13:9Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him,
• 2 Corinthians 10:6And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
• 2 Samuel 17:8For, said Hushai, thou knowest thy father and his men, that they be mighty men, and they be chafed in their minds, as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field: and thy father is a man of war, and will not lodge with the people.
• Proverbs 17:12Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man, rather than a fool in his folly.
• Proverbs 28:15As a roaring lion, and a ranging bear; so is a wicked ruler over the 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

• 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