And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.
There came forth little children, х nª`aariym (H5288), young lads; applied to Isaac, Joseph, Rehoboam, when full-grown (Genesis 22:5; Genesis 41:12; 2 Chronicles 13:7); Septuagint, paidaria mikra] - i:e., the idolatrous or infidel young men of the place, who affected to disbelieve the report of his master's translation, sarcastically urged Elisha to follow in the glorious career.
Bald head, х qeereeach (H7142), bald in the hinder part of the head;-an epithet of contempt in the East, applied to a person even with a bushy head of hair. Stanley is of opinion that it was applied to Elisha from the contrast presented by his bare shoulders and the shaggy locks of his prophetic predecessor; Septuagint, falakre, bare head]. Beth-el, which Elisha was about to enter, was one of the strongholds of the Phoenician idolatry that had been patronized by Ahab; and these young idolaters, probably instigated by some of Baal's prophets, and who were desirous of pouring discredit and ridicule upon the report of Elijah's rapture, publicly insulted the new prophet by sarcastically bidding him follow his master.