2 Kings 2:23 (GNV)

Passage

And he went vp from thence vnto Beth-el. And as he was going vp the way, litle children came out of the citie, and mocked him, and saide vnto him, Come vp, thou balde head, come vp, thou balde head.

Nearby Context

2 Kings 2:21 And he went vnto the spring of the waters, and cast there the salt, and said, Thus saith the Lord, I haue healed this water: death shall no more come thereof, neither barennesse to the ground.

2 Kings 2:22 So the waters were healed vntill this day, according to the worde of Elisha which hee had spoken.

2 Kings 2:23 And he went vp from thence vnto Beth-el. And as he was going vp the way, litle children came out of the citie, and mocked him, and saide vnto him, Come vp, thou balde head, come vp, thou balde head.

2 Kings 2:24 And he turned backe, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And two beares came out of the forest, and tare in pieces two and fourtie children of them.

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

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "went", "thence", "vnto", "beth-el", "going", "litle", "children", and "came". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "went" and "thence", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 22's "So the waters were healed vntill this..." into verse 24's "And he turned backe and looked on...", so "went" and "thence" 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 "went" and "thence" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.