Useful Bible Studies > 2 Kings Commentary > chapter 2
The curse that Elisha spoke, was not nasty or angry words. Rather, it was a serious declaration of God’s judgment against the young people who had insulted him. Elisha spoke it ‘in the name of the Lord’ – in other words, on God’s behalf. It was not Elisha who would punish them. God himself had ordered this judgment against them because they had opposed his servant, Elisha.
These young people knew what they were doing. They were speaking on purpose against the work of God. They chose to insult Elisha because they recognised him to be a prophet (holy man) of the true God. They spoke against him because they wanted to oppose the true God.
In the forests in Israel, there lived many fierce wild animals. The bears that attacked the young people, were strong female animals (Proverbs 17:12; Hosea 13:8). If there had been only one of them, perhaps the young people could have run away. However, two bears attacked them at once. Both bears tore fiercely at the young people, so that very many of those young people suffered terrible injuries. 42 of them suffered in this way; it is not clear whether they all died.
Reports of how Elisha had cured the water at Jericho were spreading across Israel. At the same time, people talked about the punishment of these young people. It was becoming clear that there was a new prophet in Israel, with real power from God (3:11).
From Bethel, Elisha went to Carmel, where Elijah had stood alone against the 450 prophets of the false god, Baal (1 Kings 18:20-40). Then Elisha went to Samaria, the capital city of northern and central Israel. There Joram, Ahab’s son, was ruling as king.
Next part: Ahab's son, King Joram (2 Kings 3:1-3)
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