C. The Young Men Of Bethel Gather To Mock The Prophet Of YHWH And Are Ravaged By Bears (2 Kings 2:23-25).
As Elisha went up from Jericho to Bethel, continuing his symbolic journey, young men ‘came forth' from the city to ‘greet' him. This was in total contrast with his previous visit with Elijah when the sons of the prophets had ‘come forth' to greet them (2 Kings 2:3). The contrast is clearly intended. This was a large party of determined anti-Yahwists (well over forty two) come to see off a prophet of YHWH. The word rendered ‘young men' is similarly used of Absalom as a grown man (2 Samuel 14:21; 2 Samuel 18:5). That the sons of the prophets did not come out to greet him (as they had done on every other occasion) must be seen as significant. It would suggest that they were being intimidated, and in some way forcibly prevented from doing so. Instead the city sent out this large group of ruffians and bullies in order to see off Elisha, with the aim of mocking his status. The syncretistic sanctuary city of Bethel with its golden calf wanted nothing to do with a true prophet of YHWH.
The whole of the city would probably be watching in order to see what happened. It was a test of the ‘new' prophet's standing. If he turned tail and fled people would be able to draw their own conclusions. But instead Elisha turned round and issued a solemn curse on the young men, with the result that two she-bears (probably with the intention of defending their young from this group of men who had disturbed them, and therefore extra fiercely) came out of the forest which was near Bethel, which Elisha and the young men may well have been entering, and severely mauled forty two of the young men. These men may not all necessarily have been killed. It was intended to vindicate the prophet, not to be an execution squad.
Analysis.
a And he went up from there to Beth-el (2 Kings 2:23 a).
b And as he was going up by the way, there came forth young men out of the city, and mocked him, and said to him, “Go up, you baldhead, go up, you baldhead.” (2 Kings 2:23 b).
c And he looked behind him and saw them, and cursed them in the name of YHWH (2 Kings 2:24 a).
b And there came forth two she-bears out of the wood, and tore forty and two young men from among them (2 Kings 2:24 b).
a And he went from there to mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria (2 Kings 2:25).
Note that in ‘a' he went to Bethel and in the parallel went to Mount Carmel and Samaria. In ‘b' the young men grievously insulted Elisha, and in the parallel they were mauled by bears. Centrally in ‘c' Elisha cursed them in the Name of YHWH.
‘And he went up from there to Beth-el, and as he was going up by the way, there came forth young men out of the city, and mocked him, and said to him, “Go up, you baldhead, go up, you baldhead.” '
The journey to Bethel completed the ‘entry into the land' which followed the pattern of the conquest, parting of Jordan, Jericho, Bethel. But instead of the sons of the prophets ‘coming forth' from Bethel as previously (2 Kings 2:3), a gang of hooligans ‘came forth'. The contrast is surely significant. On all previous occasions he had been met by sons of the prophets (2 Kings 2:3; 2 Kings 2:5; 2 Kings 2:15). His reception here was also in total contrast with the courtesy of his reception at Jericho, both from the sons of the prophets and the people, which is one reason why the two incidents have been set side by side. Here the sons of the prophets at Bethel were clearly having to keep out of the way, knowing that the city had organised its own reception for Elisha and that things could get ugly. They would have known that the intention was not to kill Elisha but to see him off with a deliberate and organised insult against ‘the prophet of YHWH'. It was not thus simply a group of passing children otherwise the sons of the prophets would have come out as well. The number of young men involved reveals their underlying fear of what Elisha could do (they remembered what Elijah had done to two military units before him - 2 Kings 1:9-12). It demonstrated that paradoxically the deniers of true Yahwism, who rather supported their own watered down syncretistic Yahwism, were still afraid of his power. It demonstrated that in their hearts they really knew the truth but found it too uncomfortable.
Made brave by their numbers (there must have been at least fifty of them for forty two to be mauled) the hooligans approached Elisha and hurled insults. The term ‘bald-head' was a clearly intended insult (As an oriental traveller Elisha would have had his head covered so that they would not have been able to see whether he was bald or not). They were deliberately degrading the prophet of YHWH, and in accordance with Deuteronomy 18:19 this would be ‘required of them' (that is, they would be punished for it). To insult the representative of YHWH was to insult YHWH Himself (compare 2 Chronicles 36:16-17).
Hair was seen as a sign of virility, and long hair was a sign of being dedicated to YHWH (Numbers 6:5; Judges 13:5). (There is, on the other hand, no evidence of prophets having tonsures). Thus the suggestion that he was ‘bald' was a deliberate denigration of his status. It was saying that his claim to dedication was false. There may be behind this the idea that without Elijah being with him he was to be seen as ‘shorn', and therefore helpless. This would tie in with their suggestion that he should ‘go up' as Elijah had. They may well have been belittling the idea of his succession to Elijah as the prophet of YHWH supreme and suggesting that if he really was he should demonstrate it by copying him.
‘And he looked behind him and saw them, and cursed them in the name of YHWH. And there came forth two she-bears out of the wood, and tore forty and two young men from among them.'
Being faced up with this issue at this moment when he was entering into the fullness of his dedication to YHWH, and with a whole city watching to see whether he would survive his humiliation, and whether YHWH Himself would do anything, it was necessary for Elisha (and YHWH) to act, and to do it in such a way as to vindicate his status. He accordingly pronounced a curse on them in the Name of YHWH. Now it was open to YHWH to vindicate His prophet. If He did so Elisha's reputation as a prophet would be upheld. If He did not do so Elisha' reputation would have been in ruins. And sure enough two she-bears, disturbed by the commotion and probably defending their young, came out of the trees and mauled forty two of the young men as they no doubt fled. We are not told whether any died, although possibly some did, if only from their wounds. Once again YHWH was seen as in control of creation, and as defending the honour of His prophets, dispensing fully merited judgment.
Forty two may have been chosen because it indicated the intensified completeness (3x2) of divine perfection (3 x 2 x 7), a complete divinely perfect number (compare 2 Kings 10:14).
‘And he went from there to mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.'
Then Elisha continued on his symbolic journey by going to Mount Carmel the site of YHWH's vindication by Elijah. He was ‘possessing' the land for YHWH. Then he returned to Samaria.