42 YOUTHS EATEN BY TWO FEMALE BEARS?
June 12, 2019
READING TIME: 2-3 MINUTES
“Dave, could you explain the story in 2 Kings 2:23-25 of 42 youths who were mauled by two female bears?”
Two things need to be kept in mind when reading this account. First, Bethel was still one of the leading centers of idolatry in the northern kingdom (cf. 1 Kings 12:29, 32-33; Amos 7:30). The designation young lads (qatan nahar) is best understood from context to mean an “insignificant, untrained young adult,” not a small child or little boy. Some of the individuals that this Hebrew word nahar describes were Gehazi, Elisha’s servant (2 Kings 4:12), an unnamed young man (2 Kings 4:19), and the Shunammite’s servant (2 Kings 4:24), though this Hebrew word can refer to individuals from young infants up to young men. Also see 1 Samuel 16:11-12; 2 Samuel 14:21; 18:5 where the same word is used. As always, the literary context dictates which nuance it has in a particular verse.
This group of young adult lads is an excellent example of the spiritual indifference that the people as a whole had for God and His prophets. The fact that there were 42 young men possibly suggests that a mass demonstration had been organized against Elisha and the Lord (compare 2 Chronicles 36:16). Since Elisha was the Lord’s designated spokesperson, a curse against him was the same as a curse against the Lord’s authority.
Second, the expression “go up” was an insult that may have meant, “Go away like Elijah” (compare 2 Kings 2:1, 1,11). If that’s true, the insult was against not just Elisha, but against God, because they were saying Elisha should “go away and take his God with him!” When Elisha saw them, he cursed them because of their attitude toward the prophet of the God of Israel (cf. Leviticus 26:21-22). Very soon afterward two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two lads so that they experienced the Lord’s judgment for their disrespectful attitude (v. 24; compare 2 Peter 3:3-7). These young men may have been representatives of Baal. At this time, Bethel was the headquarters of idolatry (compare 1 Kings 12:29; chapter 13).
The text’s repetition of the same phrase “Go up, you baldhead” (NKJV) suggests persistent disrespect of Elisha’s appearance and spiritual status.
The term “baldhead” may allude to lepers who had to shave their heads and were considered detestable outcasts. Or it may simply have been a form of scorn, for baldness was undesirable (cf. Isaiah. 3:17, 24).
Sources Used
Barry, John D. et al. Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016.
Biblical Studies Press. The NET Bible Second Edition Notes. Biblical Studies Press, 2017.
Constable, Dr. Tom. “2 Kings.” <https://planobiblechapel.org/tcon/notes/pdf/2kings.pdf>, 13-14.
House, Paul R. 1, 2 Kings. Vol. 8. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1995. Print. The New American Commentary.
Long, Jesse C. 1 & 2 Kings. Joplin, MO: College Press Pub., 2002. Print. College Press NIV Commentary.
The Moody Bible Commentary. Moody Publishers.
Walvoord, J. F. and R. B. Zuck, editors. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Vol. 1. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985. 542.
Wiseman, Donald J. 1 and 2 Kings: An Introduction and Commentary. Vol. 9. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993. Print. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries.