2 Kings

2 Kings 2:23–24

²³From there, Elisha went up to Bethel, and as he was walking up the road, a group of boys^b came out of the city and jeered at him, chanting, “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!”

²⁴Then he turned around, looked at them, and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD.

Suddenly two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys.

Footnotes

b 2:23 Or some small youths or some insignificant young men; similarly in verse 24

Read all of 2 Kings 2

Word by word

Each English word or phrase beside the Hebrew it translates, in the order of the English. Choose a number to open that word’s study.

2 Kings 2:23

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
From there	מִשָּׁ֖ם	miš·šām	Preposition-m; Adverb	H8033 there, thither
Elisha went up	וַיַּ֥עַל	way·ya·‘al	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular	H5927 go up, ascend, climb
to	בֵּֽית־	bêṯ-	Preposition	H1008 Bethel
Bethel	אֵ֑ל	’êl	Noun - proper - feminine singular	H1008 Bethel
and as he	וְה֣וּא׀	wə·hū	Conjunctive waw; Pronoun - third person masculine singular	H1931 he, she
was walking up	עֹלֶ֣ה	‘ō·leh	Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular	H5927 go up, ascend, climb
the road	בַדֶּ֗רֶךְ	ḇad·de·reḵ	Preposition-b, Article; Noun - common singular	H1870 way, road, distance, journey, manner
a group of boys	וּנְעָרִ֤ים	ū·nə·‘ā·rîm	Conjunctive waw; Noun - masculine plural	H5288 a shaking, scattering
came out	יָצְא֣וּ	yā·ṣə·’ū	Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural	H3318 go or come out
of	מִן־	min-	Preposition	H4480 out of, from, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not
the city	הָעִ֔יר	hā·‘îr	Article; Noun - feminine singular	H5892 excitement
and jeered at	וַיִּתְקַלְּסוּ־	way·yiṯ·qal·lə·sū-	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Hitpael - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural	H7046 mock, scoff
him	בוֹ֙	ḇōw	Preposition; third person masculine singular
chanting	וַיֹּ֣אמְרוּ	way·yō·mə·rū	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural	H559 utter, say
Go up	עֲלֵ֥ה	‘ă·lêh	Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular	H5927 go up, ascend, climb
you baldhead	קֵרֵ֖חַ	qê·rê·aḥ	Adjective - masculine singular	H7142 bald
Go up	עֲלֵ֥ה	‘ă·lêh	Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular	H5927 go up, ascend, climb
you baldhead	קֵרֵֽחַ׃	qê·rê·aḥ	Adjective - masculine singular	H7142 bald

2 Kings 2:24

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
Then he turned	וַיִּ֤פֶן	way·yi·p̄en	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular	H6437 turn
around	אַֽחֲרָיו֙	’a·ḥă·rāw	Preposition; third person masculine singular	H310 behind
looked at them	וַיִּרְאֵ֔ם	way·yir·’êm	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular; third person masculine plural	H7200 see
and called down a curse on them	וַֽיְקַלְלֵ֖ם	way·qal·lêm	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular; third person masculine plural	H7043 be slight, swift, trifling
in the name	בְּשֵׁ֣ם	bə·šêm	Preposition-b; Noun - masculine singular construct	H8034 name
of the LORD	יְהוָ֑ה	Yah·weh	Noun - proper - masculine singular	H3068 Yahweh
Suddenly two	שְׁתַּ֤יִם	šə·ta·yim	Number - fd	H8147 two
female bears	דֻּבִּים֙	dub·bîm	Noun - feminine plural	H1677 bear
came out	וַתֵּצֶ֨אנָה	wat·tê·ṣe·nāh	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine plural	H3318 go or come out
of	מִן־	min-	Preposition	H4480 out of, from, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not
the woods	הַיַּ֔עַר	hay·ya·‘ar	Article; Noun - masculine singular	H3293 wood, forest, thicket
and mauled	וַתְּבַקַּ֣עְנָה	wat·tə·ḇaq·qa‘·nāh	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine plural	H1234 cleave, break open or through
forty-two	אַרְבָּעִ֥ים	’ar·bā·‘îm	Number - common plural	H705 forty
of the boys	יְלָדִֽים׃	yə·lā·ḏîm	Noun - masculine plural	H3206 child, son, boy, youth

Cross-references

Other passages that speak to the same thing. Point at one to read it.

2 Kings 2:23 2 Chronicles 36:16 · Job 30:1 · Job 19:18 · Proverbs 22:6 · Genesis 21:9 · Psalm 31:18 · Amos 5:5

2 Kings 2:24 Acts 13:9–11 · Amos 7:17 · Acts 5:5 · Hosea 13:8 · Acts 5:9 · Mark 11:21 · 2 Samuel 17:8 · Jeremiah 29:21–23 · Jeremiah 28:16 · 1 Kings 19:17 · 1 Kings 20:36 · 2 Kings 1:10–12

Cross-references from OpenBible.info, used under CC BY 4.0. The best-supported references for each verse are shown.

Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible.