|
by
Doug Ward |
One biblical passage that has always puzzled me is 2 Kings 2:23-24. As the
prophet Elisha approaches Bethel, he is taunted by some boys, who shout,
"Go up, you baldhead!" After Elisha curses them in God's name, two
she-bears attack the boys, injuring 42 of them.
Although
I do not approve of showing disrespect to a prophet, the punishment of the boys
seems extreme for a little teasing. What is going on here?
Fortunately,
abundant resources are now available to help us with questions like this. One
thing that emerges quickly when we start digging is that the Hebrew words for
the boys, ne'ar and yeled, are used in the Bible for young people
from a wide range of ages. For example, 17-year-old Joseph in Genesis 37:2 is a
ne'ar, and so are the servants of Abraham in Genesis 14 who help rescue
Lot from kidnappers. Similarly, yeled is used for the peers to whom
young king Rehoboam turns for advice in 1 Kings 12:14.
It
seems unlikely that a group of 42 small children would be roaming around
unsupervised, especially in an area where bears are nearby. So, the boys who
confront Elisha probably are a gang of teens or young adults and pose a
physical threat to him.
To
understand what the young men are saying to Elisha, it is helpful to remember
that the confrontation takes place shortly after Elisha's mentor Elijah is
taken into the heavens by a whirlwind (verse 11). With Elijah's departure,
Elisha is left without his "master" or "head" (verses 3,
5). Dr. Jonathan Akin proposes that the boys may not be referring to physical
baldness, but rather to the fact that Elisha has been left
"uncovered" by Elijah's absence.
In
Akin's reading, the boys are saying something like, "We don't want you
here, and your master is not around to help you. You should go away too."
This interpretation is supported by the fact that the gang comes from Bethel, a
center of idolatry in Israel (1 Kings 12:28-29). Like Elijah, Elisha condemns
the golden calf worship at Bethel and may be unpopular there as a result.
With
this extra information, I am no longer so puzzled by the story of Elisha, the
boys, and the bears. If the young men are part of the pagan opposition to the
prophet, then they are fighting God himself, not just teasing Elisha. The
attack of the bears thus becomes more comprehensible as a statement that God
supports Elisha and a warning about the consequences of standing against God's
purposes in the world.
We
are blessed today with a wealth of Bible study resources, including software,
articles, books, and podcasts. We can use these tools to tackle our questions
about the meaning of the biblical text and learn more about the riches available
there.
File
translated from TEX by TTH,
version 3.66.
On 09 Jul 2026, 14:17.
