2 Kings 2:23

2:23 He went up from there to Bethel. As he was traveling up the road, some young boys came out of the city and made fun of him, saying, “Go on up, baldy! Go on up, baldy!”

2 Kings 3:2

3:2 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, but not to the same degree as his father and mother. He did remove the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had made.

2 Kings 6:6

6:6 The prophet asked, “Where did it drop in?” When he showed him the spot, Elisha cut off a branch, threw it in at that spot, and made the ax head float.

2 Kings 17:16-17

17:16 They abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God; they made two metal calves and an Asherah pole, bowed down to all the stars in the sky, and worshiped Baal. 17:17 They passed their sons and daughters through the fire, and practiced divination and omen reading. They committed themselves to doing evil in the sight of the Lord and made him angry.

2 Kings 17:35

17:35 The Lord made an agreement 10  with them 11  and instructed them, “You must not worship other gods. Do not bow down to them, serve them, or offer sacrifices to them.

2 Kings 19:15

19:15 Hezekiah prayed before the Lord: “Lord God of Israel, who is enthroned on the cherubs! 12  You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the sky 13  and the earth.

2 Kings 22:17

22:17 This will happen because they have abandoned me and offered sacrifices 14  to other gods, angering me with all the idols they have made. 15  My anger will ignite against this place and will not be extinguished!’”

2 Kings 23:19

23:19 Josiah also removed all the shrines on the high places in the cities of Samaria. The kings of Israel had made them and angered the Lord. 16  He did to them what he had done to the high place in Bethel. 17 


map For location see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3.

tn The word נַעַר (naar), here translated “boy,” can refer to a broad age range, including infants as well as young men. But the qualifying term “young” (or “small”) suggests these youths were relatively young. The phrase in question (“young boy”) occurs elsewhere in 1 Sam 20:35; 1 Kgs 3:7 (used by Solomon in an hyperbolic manner); 11:17; 2 Kgs 5:14; and Isa 11:6.

tn Heb “in the eyes of.”

tn Heb “man of God” (also in v. 9).

tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

tn The phrase כָל צְבָא הַשָּׁמַיִם (khol tsÿvahashamayim), traditionally translated “all the host of heaven,” refers to the heavenly lights, including stars and planets. In 1 Kgs 22:19 these heavenly bodies are pictured as members of the Lord’s royal court or assembly, but many other texts view them as the illegitimate objects of pagan and Israelite worship.

tn Or “served.”

sn See the note at 2 Kgs 16:3.

tn Heb “they sold themselves to doing what was evil in the eyes of the Lord, angering him.”

10 tn Or “covenant.”

11 sn That is, the descendants of Jacob/Israel (see v. 35b).

12 sn This refers to the cherub images that were above the ark of the covenant.

13 tn Or “the heavens.”

14 tn Or “burned incense.”

15 tn Heb “angering me with all the work of their hands.” The translation assumes that this refers to idols they have manufactured (note the preceding reference to “other gods,” as well as 19:18). However, it is possible that this is a general reference to their sinful practices, in which case one might translate, “angering me by all the things they do.”

16 tc Heb “which the kings of Israel had made, angering.” The object has been accidentally omitted in the MT. It appears in the LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate versions.

17 tn Heb “and he did to them according to all the deeds he had done in Bethel.”

map For location see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3.