2 Kings 2:15-25
Elisha's First Signs
15When the sons of the prophets who were watching him from Jericho saw what had happened, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they went to meet him and bowed down to the ground before him.
16“Look now,” they said to Elisha, “we your servants have fifty valiant men. Please let them go and search for your master. Perhaps the Spirit of the LORD has taken him up and put him on one of the mountains or in one of the valleys.” “Do not send them,” Elisha replied.
17But when they pressed him to the point of embarrassment, he said, “Send them.” And they sent fifty men, who searched for three days but did not find Elijah.
18When they returned to Elisha, who was staying in Jericho, he said to them, “Didn’t I tell you not to go?”
19Then the men of the city said to Elisha, “Please note, our lord, that the city’s location is good, as you can see. But the water is bad and the land is unfruitful.”
20“Bring me a new bowl,” he replied, “and put some salt in it.” So they brought it to him,
21and Elisha went out to the spring, cast the salt into it, and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘I have healed this water. No longer will it cause death or unfruitfulness.’”
22And the waters there have been healthy to this day, according to the word spoken by Elisha.
23From there, Elisha went up to Bethel, and as he was walking up the road, a group of boys came out of the city and jeered at him, chanting, “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!”
24Then he turned around, looked at them, and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Suddenly two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys.
25And Elisha went on to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.
Berean Standard Bible
The sons of the prophets recognize that Elijah's spirit now rests on Elisha, and they bow before him. They still want to search the surrounding hills for Elijah, even though the LORD has taken him. Elisha initially says no, but their persistence finally leads him to allow the search.
The men find nothing. Their failure confirms what Elisha already knew, and it also shows how difficult it can be for people to accept an ending they have not witnessed themselves. Elisha now faces a new community that must learn to receive God's work through him.
The people of Jericho tell Elisha that the city is pleasant but its water is bad and the land is unproductive. Elisha asks for a new bowl with salt, goes to the spring, and declares that the LORD has healed the water. The spring remains healthy according to the word he speaks.
As Elisha travels toward Bethel, boys come out of the city and mock him, telling him to go up. Two bears come out of the woods and maul forty-two of them. The account is difficult and should not be turned into permission for adults to harm children or for believers to retaliate against mockery. It is a severe sign of the prophetic authority attached to Elisha's ministry.
How We Know
This passage belongs to the historical and prophetic record of Israel's divided kingdom. Its named rulers, places, and prophetic actions are presented as part of that covenant history; Chronicles does not repeat every episode from Kings.
Questions
1 What do the sons of the prophets conclude?
AnswerThey conclude that the spirit that rested on Elijah now rests on Elisha, so they bow before him.
2 What problem does Jericho have?
AnswerThe city has pleasant surroundings, but its water is bad and the land cannot produce healthy crops.
3 What does Elisha put into the spring?
AnswerHe asks for a new bowl with salt and throws the salt into the spring at the LORD's word.
4 What happens on the road to Bethel?
AnswerBoys mock Elisha, and two bears come out of the woods and maul forty-two of them.
What This Means for Us
The healed spring shows God's ability to restore what a community has learned to endure. The failed search for Elijah shows that even sincere people may need time to accept what God has done.
The final scene is not a permission slip for cruelty or a lesson that every insult deserves punishment. Read it as a sobering account of prophetic authority in Israel, and do not confuse God's unique judgment with our own anger.
Prayer
Lord, restore what has become poisoned in our homes and communities. Give us patience with grief and change, and keep us from using difficult biblical judgments to justify cruelty, revenge, or contempt for others. Amen.