2 Kings 2:24

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.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
turned	וַיִּ֤פֶן vai.Yi.fen	H6437	to turn · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
back	אַֽחֲרָיו֙ 'a.cha.Rav	H310	properly · cardinal number, masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
looked	וַיִּרְאֵ֔ם vai.yir.'Em	H7200	to see · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
cursed	וַֽיְקַלְלֵ֖ם vay.ka.Lem	H7043	to be (causatively · conjunction + verb, piel sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
name	בְּשֵׁ֣ם be.Shem	H8034	an appellation · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct
LORD	יְהוָ֑ה Yah.weh	H3068	Jehovah · proper noun, a title
forth	וַתֵּצֶ֨אנָה va.te.Tze.nah	H3318	to go (causatively · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person feminine plural
two	שְׁתַּ֤יִם she.Ta.yim	H8147	two · noun, common feminine dual absolute
bears	דֻּבִּים֙ du.Bim	H1677	the bear (as slow) · noun, common both genders plural absolute
wood	הַיַּ֔עַר hai.Ya.'ar	H3293	a copse of bushes · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
tare	וַתְּבַקַּ֣עְנָה va.te.va.Ka'.nah	H1234	to cleave · conjunction + verb, piel sequential imperfect, 3rd person feminine plural
forty	אַרְבָּעִ֥ים 'ar.ba.'Im	H705	forty · noun, common masculine plural absolute
two	וּשְׁנֵ֖י u.she.Nei	H8147	two · conjunction + noun, common both genders dual construct
children	יְלָדִֽים ye.la.Dim	H3206	something born · noun, common masculine plural absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Acts 13:9-11 Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him,
Hosea 13:8 I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps, and will rend the caul of their heart, and there will I devour them like a lion:…
Amos 7:17 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Thy wife shall be an harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land…
Acts 5:5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.
Acts 5:9 Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried…
Genesis 9:25 And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.
Exodus 20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon…
Deuteronomy 28:15-26 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statut…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 2 Kings 2:19–end

Elisha had, in this respect, a double portion of Elijah's spirit, that he wrought more miracles than Elijah. Some reckon them in number just double. Two are recorded in these verses - a miracle of mercy to Jericho and a miracle of judgment to Bethel, Psa 101:1. I. Here is a blessing upon the waters of Jericho, which was effectual to heal them. Jericho was built in disobedience to a command, in defiance to a threatening, and at the expense of the lives of all the builder's children; yet, when it was built, it was not ordered to be demolished again, nor were God's prophets or people forbidden to dwell in it, but even within those walls that were built by iniquity we find a nursery of piety. Fo…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 2 Kings 2:23

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. Next: 2 Kings Chapter 3

Adam Clarke on 2 Kings 2:23

There 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 - עלה קרח עלה קרח 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 Beth-elite idolaters) was only proportioned to their guilt. Elisha cursed them, i.e., pronounced a curse upon them, in the name of the Lord, בשם יהוה beshem Yehovah, by the name or authority of Jehovah. The spirit of their offense lies in thei…

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John Gill

Dictionary and topics

Bear — A native of the mountain regions of Western Asia, frequently mentioned in Scripture. David defended his flocks against the attacks of a bear (1 Sam. 17:34-37). Bears came out of the wood and…
Elijah — Whose God is Jehovah. (1.) “The Tishbite,” the “Elias” of the New Testament, is suddenly introduced to our notice in 1 Kings 17:1 as delivering a message from the Lord to Ahab. There is mention made…
Forest — Heb. ya’ar, meaning a dense wood, from its luxuriance. Thus all the great primeval forests of Syria (Eccl. 2:6; Isa. 44:14; Jer. 5:6; Micah 5:8). The most extensive was the trans-Jordanic forest of…
Bear · Two — Two
Bear, The · Inhabits woods — Inhabits woods
Beth-El · .The young men of, mock Elisha — .The young men of, mock Elisha
Children, Wicked · Punishment of, for: Mocking of a prophet — Punishment of, for: Mocking of a prophet
Elisha · Mocked by the young men of Beth-el — Mocked by the young men of Beth-el
Infidelity · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Miracles Wrought Through Servants Of God · Elisha: Children torn by bears — Elisha: Children torn by bears

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

2 Kings 2:24

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 2 Kings 2:19–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 2 Kings 2:23

Adam Clarke on 2 Kings 2:23

John Gill

Dictionary and topics

2 Kings 2:24

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 2 Kings 2:19–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 2 Kings 2:23

Adam Clarke on 2 Kings 2:23

John Gill

Dictionary and topics

Keil & Delitzsch on 2 Kings 2:23–end

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 2 Kings 2:23

Rashi on 2 Kings 2:24