ris3n's Apologetics Codex

2 Kings 2.24

type: passage created: 2026-05-06 updated: 2026-05-06 book: 2 Kings chapter: 2 verses: "24" translation_default: ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT tags: [scripture] citation_count: 1 enriched: false

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2 Kings 2.24

Book: 2 Kings · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

"22. So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spake. 23. And he went up from thence unto Beth-el; and as he was going up by the way, there came forth young lads out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou baldhead; go up, thou baldhead."

"24. And he looked behind him and saw them, and cursed them in the name of Jehovah. And there came forth two she-bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two lads of them."

"25. And he went from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria." (2 Kings 2:22-25, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"22. So the waters were healed to this day, according to Elisha’s word which he spoke. 23. He went up from there to Bethel. As he was going up by the way, some youths came out of the city and mocked him, and said to him, “Go up, you baldy! Go up, you baldy!”"

"24. He looked behind him and saw them, and cursed them in Yahweh’s name. Then two female bears came out of the woods, and mauled forty-two of those youths."

"25. He went from there to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria." (2 Kings 2:22-25, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"22. So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake. 23. And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head."

"24. And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them."

"25. And he went from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria." (2 Kings 2:22-25, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"22. And the waters are healed unto this day, according to the word of Elisha, that he spake. 23. And he goeth up thence to Beth-El, and he is going up in the way, and little youths have come out from the city, and scoff at him, and say to him, 'Go up, bald-head! go up, bald-head!'"

"24. And he looketh behind him, and seeth them, and declareth them vile in the name of Jehovah, and two bears come out of the forest, and rend of them forty and two lads."

"25. And he goeth thence unto the hill of Carmel, and thence he hath turned back to Samaria." (2 Kings 2:22-25, YLT)

Setting

  • Speaker: narrator (anonymous; deuteronomistic-school)
  • Audience: exilic Israel
  • Location: Israel + Judah through the exiles
  • Time period: events c. 850-560 BC; composed c. 560-540 BC

Theological reading

Key words

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

  • ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
  • WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
  • KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
  • YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.