On Tue, 15 Feb 2005 16:51:24 GMT, "lizzard woman"
<kimosabeRMOVE@shaw.ca> thought hard and said:

This came up on another group.

2 Kg.2:23-24

Were 42 children or young men killed by the two bears? I thought it was
children but I am told "youths" refers to young men.

Thanks in advance,

My Bible reads "there came forth little children out of the city."
King James version.

On Tue, 15 Feb 2005 16:51:24 GMT, after pondering deep
thoughts, "lizzard woman" <kimosabeRMOVE@shaw.ca> spake
thusly:

This came up on another group.

2 Kg.2:23-24

Were 42 children or young men killed by the two bears? I thought it

children but I am told "youths" refers to young men.

Thanks in advance,

That is on more than one occasion true.

lizzard woman wrote:

This came up on another group.

2 Kg.2:23-24

Were 42 children or young men killed by the two bears? I thought it was
children but I am told "youths" refers to young men.

Thanks in advance,

Liz, this isn't what you requested, but since you brought up the subject, here
is a commentary on the passage:

[2 Kings 2:23-24] A careful study of this incident in context shows that it was
far more serious than a "mild personal offense." It was a situation of serious
public danger, quite as grave as the large youth gangs that roam… American
cities. If these young hoodlums were ranging about in packs of fifty or more,
derisive toward respectable adults and ready to mock even a well-known man of
God, there is no telling what violence they might have inflicted on the
citizenry of the religious center of the kingdom of Israel (as Bethel was), had
they been allowed to continue their riotous course. Perhaps it was for this
reason that God saw fit to put forty-two of them to death in this spectacular
fashion (there is no evidence that Elisha himself, in imposing a curse, prayed
for this specific mode of punishment), in order to strike terror into other
youth gangs that were infesting the city and to make them realize that neither
Yahweh Himself nor any of His anointed prophets were to be threatened or treated
with contempt.

Certainly from that time on, the whole Israelite community became convinced that
Elisha was a true prophet and that he bore an authoritative word from God.

Gleason Archer, Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan
Publishing House, 1982), p. 205

[2 Kings 2:23-24] A careful study of this incident in context shows
that it was far more serious than a "mild personal offense." It was a
situation of serious public danger, quite as grave as the large youth
gangs that roam… American cities. If these young hoodlums were ranging
about in packs of fifty or more, derisive toward respectable adults
and ready to mock even a well-known man of God, there is no telling
what violence they might have inflicted on the citizenry of the
religious center of the kingdom of Israel (as Bethel was), had they
been allowed to continue their riotous course. Perhaps it was for this
reason that God saw fit to put forty-two of them to death in this
spectacular fashion (there is no evidence that Elisha himself, in
imposing a curse, prayed for this specific mode of punishment), in
order to strike terror into other youth gangs that were infesting the
city and to make them realize that neither Yahweh Himself nor any of
His anointed prophets were to be threatened or treated with contempt.