2 Kings 2:24 (DBY)

Passage

And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of Jehovah. And there came forth two she-bears out of the wood, and tore forty-two children of them.

Nearby Context

2 Kings 2:22 And the waters were healed to this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spoke.

2 Kings 2:23 And he went up from thence to Bethel, and as he went up by the way, there came forth little boys out of the city, and mocked him, and said to him, Go up, bald head; go up, bald head!

2 Kings 2:24 And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of Jehovah. And there came forth two she-bears out of the wood, and tore forty-two children of them.

2 Kings 2:25 And he went from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "turned", "back", "looked", "cursed", "name", "jehovah", "came", and "forth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "turned" and "back", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 23's "And he went up from thence to..." into verse 25's "And he went from thence to mount...", so "turned" and "back" belong inside that flow. In 2 Kings context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "turned" and "back" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.