2 Kings 2:23-25 — A Question
Categories: Church of Christ Bulletin ArticlesA querist asks, “In 2 Kings 2:23-25 – KJV, we read of the occasion where the prophet Elisha was traveling from Jericho towards Bethel. As he was going towards Bethel some “little children” (KJV) accosted him and cried, “Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head” (2 Kings 2:23 – KJV).
The text states that Elisha “turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord.” As a result, they were mauled by “two she bears” (2 Kings 2:24 – KJV).
My questions are: (1) Wasn’t this punishment a little too “severe” for simply mocking the prophet’s bald head and (2) Wasn’t the prophet’s “cursing them” setting a bad example before the “little children” even though he cursed them “in the name of the Lord?”
Brother G.E. Watkins, preacher for the Strickland Grove congregation, biblically answers the querist’s questions from the following Preacher’s Files Bible Study Forum Archive Thread:
Elisha “Cursing” The Little Children