He went up from there to Bethel: Elisha went from Jericho and was on his way to Bethel when the following incident occurred. The idea of going up is found twice in this verse. While the elevation of Bethel was greater than that of Jericho, it is not necessary to retain the idea of upward movement if it is unnatural in the receptor language. What is important is that Elisha was traveling from one town to the other.

Some translations begin a new section here, which includes verses 23-25 (New International Version, Nueva Versión Internacional). If translators place a section heading here, then it may be best to make explicit both the name of the person who went up and to indicate where there was. Compare “From Jericho, Elisha went on to Bethel” (Nueva Versión Internacional).

Some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him: The Hebrew expression for small boys is the cause of much concern by translators and Bible readers alike. Some have tried to show that the words used here to describe those who showed disrespect for the prophet do not necessarily imply “little children” (King James Version) or even small boys. The text may be understood to mean “the youths, the young ones,” that is, the Hebrew word for “youth” is accompanied by a diminutive form that would reduce the age of the young people involved (see 1 Kgs 11.17, where both words are rendered “little child”). The first of these two words is used of Joseph when he was seventeen years old (Gen 37.2) and of Absalom (2 Sam 14.21; 18.5) when he was certainly well beyond the age of accountability. But the second word is a diminutive that usually indicates a younger age although it could possibly refer to people of lesser importance or lower social standing. This diminutive term is so used in 1 Kgs 22.31 and elsewhere in the fixed expression “small and great.” The note found in most Scofield Reference Bibles at this point is misleading since it treats only the Hebrew word for “youth” (naʿar) and completely ignores the diminutive term that accompanies it. Given the fact that there were probably nearly fifty youths involved, their ages would have certainly varied. But it is not recommended to translate “young men” as International Children’s Bible has done if such a translation will suggest boys older than teenagers.

It will be noted that yet another Hebrew word for “boys” is used in verse 25 (yeled) when the number of the youths attacked by the bears is given. This is a very general term for “children” or “offspring.” For further discussion on the Hebrew terms naʿar and yeled, see 1 Kgs 14.3.

In view of the behavior of this group, it is quite possible that those who jeered Elisha involved some teenagers but also included many younger followers. While a number of translations retain the rendering “small boys” (New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible, New Revised Standard Version), others prefer simply “boys” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version) or “youths” (New International Version, New King James Version [New King James Version ]).

The city through which Elisha was passing is not identified. But the definite article suggests a definite city is intended, probably Bethel, or possibly Jericho.

Go up: This imperative form would normally mean “keep on going,” but the context seems to require a meaning that is somewhat less polite. It has been translated “Go away” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New Revised Standard Version) and “Get out of here!” (Contemporary English Version). This verb as well as the derogatory term referring to Elisha’s lack of hair are both repeated in the Hebrew text.

Baldhead: Apart from this particular verse, the only other place where this word is used in the Old Testament is in Lev 13.40, which indicates that natural baldness does not make a person ritually unclean. Some commentators, however, have suggested that shaving of the head might have been a practice of the group of prophets to which Elisha belonged. Such an understanding explains the translation “Get out of here, shaved head” (Parole de Vie). But this second interpretation is not very likely. In those languages that distinguish between a person who is naturally bald and one who has shaved his head, the term for natural baldness is to be preferred. The more idiomatic rendering “baldy” is found in some English translations (Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, Gray).

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .