Elisha Cursing Youth and the Bears -2 Kings 2:23-24

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2 Kings 2:23–24 (ESV) — Prophetic narrative; covenant-lawsuit sign in a transition pericope (Elijah → Elisha).

Text (ESV)
23 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!”
24 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.

Book Purpose (1 sentence)

Kings explains Israel’s/Judah’s fall by weighing kings and people against the covenant and the word of the prophets, showing YHWH’s justice and faithfulness from Solomon to exile.

Unit Outline (3–6 bullets)

  • 2:1–12 Elijah’s departure; Elisha receives the spirit/double portion.

  • 2:13–18 Proof 1: Elisha parts the Jordan.

  • 2:19–22 Proof 2: Elisha heals Jericho’s water (blessing).

  • 2:23–24 Proof 3: Elisha judicially curses Bethel mockers (curse).

  • 3:1ff Elisha’s ministry authenticated before kings.

Paragraph Topic Sentence (interpretive)

At Bethel, a key idolatrous center, a large group publicly derides YHWH’s new prophet; Elisha’s covenant curse triggers a sign-judgment (two bears maul forty-two), validating the prophet and warning a rebellious community.

Historical Setting (author/recipients/occasion)

Northern kingdom context shortly after Elijah’s translation; Bethel (Jeroboam’s calf shrine; 1 Kgs 12:28–33) stood as a symbol of anti-YHWH worship. Prophetic succession moments (ch. 2) establish Elisha’s legitimacy via blessing (Jericho) and curse (Bethel)—Deuteronomy’s two paths enacted.

Observations (text-level)

  • Setting: “up to Bethel” (cult center opposed to prophetic word).

  • Actors: “small boys” (Heb. neʿarim qetannim) from the city (corporate involvement).

  • Speech: repeated taunt “Go up, baldhead!” (imperative + insult).

  • Action: Elisha sees, curses “in the name of YHWH”; two she-bears emerge; tear/maul 42.

  • Pattern: immediately after a blessing sign (2:19–22), a curse sign (2:23–24): Deut 27–28 logic.

Key Words (2–6) & Contextual Sense

  • neʿar (נַעַר, naʿar) + qāṭān (קָטָן, qāṭān) — “youth/servant; small/insignificant.” Range: child → unmarried young man. Here: a band of younger males (teens/young adults), not toddlers (cf. Gen 22:5; 2 Sam 14:21; 1 Kgs 20:14).

  • qērēaḥ (קֵרֵחַ, qērēaḥ) — “bald(-headed).” An insult marking contempt/shame (Isa 3:24; cf. baldness as mourning, Isa 15:2).

  • ʿālê (imperative of ʿālah, עָלָה) — “Go up!” likely a jeer echoing Elijah’s ascent (2:11), i.e., “Why don’t you ‘go up’ too—get out!” (rejection of Elisha’s office).

  • qālal (קָלַל) — “treat lightly/curse/mock.” They “jeered” (v. 23) → covenant-level demeaning of the prophet (cf. Exod 22:28).

  • qālal/ʾārar logic — Elisha curses (v. 24) “in YHWH’s name,” invoking covenant sanctions (Lev 26:21–22; Deut 28:15, 26).

  • dōb (דֹּב) — “bear”; she-bears elsewhere depict fierce judgment (Hos 13:8).

  • bāqaʿ (בָּקַע) — “tear/rend.” ESV “mauled” rightly notes not all were killed (forty-two marked as victims).

Syntax Highlights (purpose/condition/contrast/emphasis)

  • Iterative taunt (“Go up … Go up”) intensifies public repudiation.

  • Causal sequence: seeing → cursing in YHWH’s name → immediate judgment.

  • Numerical specificity (“forty-two”) signals public, memorable sanction.

Textual Note (only if meaning changes)

MT and LXX agree on essentials (Bethel, bears, number 42). LXX’s paidaria mikra (“small lads”) mirrors Hebrew neʿarim qetannim. No variant alters the judicial sense.

Parallels (concentric cross-references)

  • Same book/context: 2:19–22 (blessing sign at Jericho) ↔ 2:23–24 (curse sign at Bethel); 1 Kgs 12:28–33 (Bethel shrine).

  • Same corpus (Former Prophets): Lev 26:21–22 (wild beasts as covenant curse); Deut 28; Josh–Kings pattern of heeding/ignoring YHWH’s word.

  • Prophetic idiom: Hos 13:8 (she-bear imagery); Isa 3:24 (baldness/shame).

  • Whole Bible: Exod 22:28 (do not curse a ruler); 2 Chr 36:16 (“mocked messengers of God … until wrath rose”); Gal 6:7 (you reap what you sow).

Exegesis (concise synthesis)

This scene is not a prophet having a temper with toddlers. It is a public confrontation at Bethel, a city identified with idolatry. A sizable gang of youths (the terms allow adolescents to young men) comes out from the city, collectively derides YHWH’s newly anointed prophet, effectively saying, “If you’re Elijah’s successor, ‘go up’ like he did—disappear.” The insult “baldhead” expresses contempt and likely rejection of Elisha’s office.
Elisha’s curse “in the name of YHWH” is a judicial appeal, activating covenant sanctions (Lev 26:22 specifically names wild beasts to bereave). The two she-bears function as sign-agents of divine judgment, and the number 42 marks the event’s notoriety. The text says they “mauled” (tore); it does not require that all died, but the public wounding of many warns Bethel of the danger of despising God’s word and prophet. Set between the healing of Jericho’s water and the mauling at Bethel, the narrative teaches: blessing follows reception of God’s word; curse follows contempt.

Theological Analysis

A. Arminian/Provisionist & Dispensational synthesis

  • Real moral agency: Communities choose to honor or despise YHWH’s word; outcomes follow covenantly (Deut 30:19).

  • Prophetic office protected: To mock/reject the prophet is to defy YHWH; the sanction is judicial, not personal vengeance.

  • Sign-judgment typology: As Jericho’s blessing sign pointed to restoration, Bethel’s curse sign points to escalating judgment on covenant breakers (anticipating 2 Kgs 17).

  • Non-extreme Dispensational note: The scene belongs to Israel’s theocratic economy where prophet = authorized covenant prosecutor; the church does not call down curses, but recognizes God’s right to judge unrepentant contempt of His word.

B. Reformed/Calvinist contrast (fair summary)

  • Reformed readings similarly stress divine sovereignty and the prophet as Christ’s representative; some accent typology: scorning the prophet foreshadows rejecting Christ (Luke 10:16). The emphasis falls on God’s holy prerogative to avenge His name (cf. Calvin’s Commentaries on 2 Kings).

Scholarly Insight (conservative voices)

  • Dale Ralph Davis: The point is not bear lore but respect for the prophetic word; Jericho shows blessing; Bethel shows curse. 2 Kings: The Power and the Fury (Fearn: Christian Focus, 2005), 37–40.

  • Paul R. House: neʿarim qetannim can denote young men; the crowd size and civic setting imply organized contempt; the event is a covenant warning. 1, 2 Kings (NAC 8; Nashville: B&H, 1995), 237–39.

  • Iain W. Provan: The taunt “Go up” likely mocks Elijah’s ascent and denies Elisha’s legitimacy; the judgment aligns with Lev 26:22. 1 and 2 Kings (NIBC; Peabody: Hendrickson, 1995), 178–80.

  • Richard D. Patterson and Hermann J. Austel: Wild-beast judgments are covenant-coded; the number 42 highlights the public and memorable nature of the sanction. “1, 2 Kings,” in Expositor’s Bible Commentary, rev. ed., Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009, 1:189–92.

Conner Passage-Study Matrix

A. Persons/Places/Time — Elisha (prophet), “youths” (city band), YHWH; Bethel; early Elisha ministry.
B. Commands / Prohibitions / Promises / Warnings / Conditions / Results — Warning/result: despising prophet → covenant sanction (bears). Implied prohibition: do not mock/curse YHWH’s representative.
C. Doctrinal/Thematic Threads — Prophetic authority; covenant blessings/curses; holiness of YHWH’s name; community complicity in unbelief.
D. Figures of Speech & Idioms — “Baldhead” = insult/shame; “Go up!” = taunt about ascension/departure.
E. Contrasts & Comparisons — Jericho (welcome/healing) vs. Bethel (derision/mauling); blessing vs. curse.
F. Cause–Effect; Purpose–Means — Cause: communal contempt; Means: curse in YHWH’s name → wild beasts (Lev 26:22); Effect: public mauling.
G. Question Map — Were they children? (lexical range favors youths/young men). Did they die? (“tore” = maul; deaths not specified). Why bears? (covenant-curse imagery).
H. Quotation/Allusion Tracking — 1 Kgs 12:28–33; Lev 26:21–22; Hos 13:8; Isa 3:24; 2 Chr 36:16.
I. Progressive Revelation & Dispensational Location — Theocratic sign-judgment; in the NT the church does not wield coercive curse but suffers mockery and leaves vengeance to God (Rom 12:19; 2 Thess 1:5–10).
J. Early Church Witness (brief) — Patristic readers often moralized the insult; grammatical-historical sense remains judicial sign defending the prophetic office.

Practical Application

  • Then-and-there: God vindicates His prophet; treating His word with contempt invites covenant sanctions.

  • Timeless principles: (1) Despising God’s word is dangerous; (2) public scorn can be corporate rebellion; (3) God alone holds the right to repay—His agents act only by His authorization.

  • My concrete steps (this week): I will (1) examine my speech and communities for mockery of Scripture; (2) submit to Scripture’s authority where it cuts across my preferences; (3) respond to scorn without vengeance, entrusting justice to God (Rom 12:19).

TSV Blocks

Observations.tsv
Feature Reference Note
Idolatrous setting 2 Kgs 2:23 Bethel = calf-shrine city hostile to prophetic word
Public contempt 2:23 “From the city” — corporate derision
Iterated taunt 2:23 “Go up … go up … baldhead!” rejection of office
Covenant curse act 2:24 Curse “in the name of YHWH” (legal/judicial)
Sign-judgment number 2:24 Forty-two mauled — public marker

Keywords.tsv
Lemma (translit) POS Core gloss Contextual sense here Comparable ref
neʿar, qāṭān Noun/Adj youth/small younger males, civic gang 1 Kgs 20:14
qērēaḥ Noun bald(-head) insult/shame marker Isa 3:24
ʿālah (ʿālê) Verb go up taunt re: Elijah’s ascent 2 Kgs 2:11
qālal Verb despise/curse public derision of prophet 2 Chr 36:16
dōb Noun bear agent of covenant judgment Hos 13:8
bāqaʿ Verb tear/rend maul (not necessarily kill) Amos 1:13 (tearing imagery)

Syntax.tsv
Construction Reference Function in argument
Double imperative taunt 2:23 Heightens rejection of prophethood
Cursing formula (in YHWH’s name) 2:24 Invokes covenant jurisdiction
Result clause (immediate sign) 2:24 Validates prophet; warns city

TextualVariants.tsv
Variant unit Reading A (witnesses) Reading B (witnesses) Preferred Interpretive impact
2:23–24 MT (neʿarim qetannim; “two she-bears”; 42) LXX (paidaria mikra; “two bears”; 42) Equivalent No change to sense

Parallels.tsv
Tier Reference Why parallel fits here
Same pericope 2:19–22 Blessing sign balances curse sign
Same corpus 1 Kgs 12:28–33 Bethel’s anti-YHWH worship context
Torah curse Lev 26:21–22 Wild beasts as covenant sanction
Prophetic imagery Hos 13:8 She-bear ferocity as judgment trope
Canonical summary 2 Chr 36:16 Mocking messengers → wrath arises

CommandsEtc.tsv
Category Verbatim (ESV) Normalized proposition
Warning (implied) — Do not despise/curse YHWH’s prophet
Result “And two she-bears … tore forty-two …” Covenant sanction follows communal contempt

DoctrinalThreads.tsv
Theme Local anchor (verse) Canonical trajectory Notes
Prophetic authority 2:23–24 Deut 18; Luke 10:16 To reject prophet = reject God
Blessing/curse polarity 2:19–24 Deut 27–28 Two signs teach covenant outcomes
Corporate guilt 2:23 “from the city” Communal scorn invites communal warning

FiguresIdioms.tsv
Type Reference Explanation
Insult/shame 2:23 “Baldhead” as contempt marker
Irony/allusion 2:23 “Go up!” echoes Elijah’s ascent (2:11)

DisputedViews.tsv
View label Key evidence Weaknesses Reasoned conclusion
“Toddlers harmed” English “small boys” Disregards lexical range Youths/young men as hostile gang
“Prophet’s overreaction” Modern moral sentiment Ignores covenant/jurisdiction frame Judicial sign per Lev 26:22
“Literal lethal slaughter” Assumed by readers Text says “tore/maul,” not “killed” Severity = warning; deaths not required

Application.tsv
Scope (Then/Timeless/This week) Statement
Then God vindicated His prophet against public contempt at an idolatrous center
Timeless Mocking God’s word is perilous; God may answer contempt with judgment
This week I will resist cynical speech about Scripture and listen with repentance
This week I will leave vengeance to God and answer scorn without retaliating

Citations

  • Calvin, John. Commentaries on the Second Book of Kings. Trans. John King. Edinburgh: Calvin Translation Society, 1852, on 2 Kgs 2:23–24.

  • Davis, Dale Ralph. 2 Kings: The Power and the Fury. Fearn, UK: Christian Focus, 2005, 37–40.

  • House, Paul R. 1, 2 Kings. New American Commentary 8. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1995, 237–39.

  • Patterson, Richard D., and Hermann J. Austel. “1, 2 Kings.” In The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Rev. Ed., 1:189–92. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009.

  • Provan, Iain W. 1 and 2 Kings. New International Biblical Commentary. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1995, 178–80.

Categories: Difficult Passages