2 Kings 2:24

Contextual Overview

¹⁹The men of the city said to Elisha, “My lord can see that even though the city’s location is good, the water is bad and the land unfruitful.” ¹⁹ The men of the city said to Elisha, Behold, we pray you, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees: but the water is bad, and the land miscarries. ¹⁹ And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is naught, and the ground barren. ¹⁹ Now the men of the city said to Elisha, "Behold, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees, but the water is bad, and the land is unfruitful." ¹⁹ The people of the city said to Elisha, "Look, master, this city is a nice place to live as you can see. But the water is so bad the land cannot grow crops." ¹⁹ The men of the city said to Elisha, "Look, the city has a good location, as our master can see. But the water is bad and the land doesn't produce crops." ¹⁹Then the men of the city said to Elisha, "Look, this city is in a pleasant place, as my lord [Elisha] sees; but the water is bad and the land is barren." ¹⁹ Then the men of the city said to Elisha, "Behold now, the site of the city is pleasant, as my lord sees; but the water is bad and the land is unfruitful." ¹⁹ And the men of the citie saide vnto Elisha, Beholde, we pray thee: the situation of this citie is pleasant, as thou, my lorde, seest, but the water is naught, and the ground baren. ¹⁹Then the men of the city said to Elisha, "Behold now, the habitat of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees; but the water is bad and the land is unfruitful."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

cursed them: 2 Kings 1:10-12, Genesis 9:25, Deuteronomy 28:15-26, Judges 9:20, Judges 9:57, Jeremiah 28:16, Jeremiah 29:21-23, Lamentations 3:65, Amos 7:17, Mark 11:14, Mark 11:21, Acts 5:5, Acts 5:9, Acts 8:20, Acts 13:9-11, 2 Corinthians 10:6

she bears: 2 Samuel 17:8, Proverbs 17:12, Proverbs 28:15, Hosea 13:8

children of them: Exodus 20:5, 1 Kings 13:24, 1 Kings 19:17, 1 Kings 20:36

Reciprocal: Genesis 21:9 - mocking Genesis 37:20 - Some Genesis 37:33 - evil beast Leviticus 26:6 - rid Leviticus 26:22 - rob you 2 Kings 3:12 - The word 2 Kings 8:4 - all the great 2 Kings 17:25 - the Lord sent Daniel 7:5 - another Revelation 13:2 - and his feet

Cross-References

Genesis 2:1
The heavens and the eretz were finished, and all the host of them.

Genesis 2:1
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

Genesis 2:1
And heaven and earth and all their array were finished.

Genesis 2:1
So the sky, the earth, and all that filled them were finished.

Genesis 2:1
The heavens and the earth were completed with everything that was in them.

Genesis 2:1
So the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts (inhabitants).

Genesis 2:1
And so the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their heavenly lights.

Genesis 2:1
Thus the heauens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

Genesis 2:1
Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts.

Genesis 2:1
So the heavens and the earth and everything else were created.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he turned back, and looked on them,.... With a stern countenance, thereby reproving them, and in order to intimidate them, and make them ashamed, and cause them to leave off, but to no purpose; they repeated their mockeries with great vehemence:

and cursed them in the name of the Lord; moved thereunto, not from passion and a spirit of revenge, but by an impulse of the Spirit of God:

and there came forth two she bears out of the wood; which are fiercest, and especially when bereaved of their whelps, as these might be; the wood seems to be near to Bethel, perhaps in the wilderness of Bethel, of which see Joshua 8:15, and Reland y thinks it is the same with the wood of Ephraim, 2 Samuel 18:6, though the Jews, to increase the miracle, say z there was no wood at all, and, if there was, that there were no bears in it; but though those creatures are mostly in northern countries, yet there were of them in Judea, see 1 Samuel 17:34

and tare forty and two children of them; it seems there were more than these; but such a number of them they tore to pieces and destroyed; which was very extraordinary, and was an awful punishment for their wickedness, which they knowingly and willingly committed, and of their parents in them, who had trained them up in such impiety, and put them upon it, and sent them out to do it.

y Palestin. Illustrat. p. 378. z T. Bab. Sotah, fol. 47. 1.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

On this occasion only do we find Elisha a minister of vengeance. Perhaps it was necessary to show, at the outset of his career as a prophet, that he too, so mild and peaceful could, like Elijah, wield the terrors of God’s judgments (1 Kings 19:19 note). The persons really punished were, not so much the children, as the wicked parents 2 Kings 2:23, whose mouth-pieces the children were, and who justly lost the gift of offspring of which they had shown themselves unworthy.