2 Kings 2:24

2:24 When he turned around and saw them, he called God’s judgment down on them. ¹  Two female bears came out of the woods and ripped forty-two of the boys to pieces.

2 Kings 10:14

10:14 He said, “Capture them alive!” So they captured them alive and then executed all forty-two of them in the cistern at Beth Eked. He left no survivors.

2 Kings 12:1

12:1 (12:2) In Jehu’s seventh year Jehoash became king; he reigned for forty years in Jerusalem. ²  His mother was Zibiah, who was from Beer Sheba.

2 Kings 8:9

8:9 So Hazael went to visit Elisha. ³  He took along a gift, ⁴  as well as ⁵  forty camel loads of all the fine things of Damascus. When he arrived, he stood before him and said, “Your son, ⁶  King Ben Hadad of Syria, has sent me to you with this question, ⁷  ‘Will I recover from this sickness?’”

2 Kings 14:23

Jeroboam II’s Reign over Israel

14:23 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Judah’s King Amaziah, son of Joash, Jeroboam son of Joash became king over Israel. He reigned for forty-one years in Samaria. ⁸ 

[2:24]  ¹ tn Heb “he cursed them in the name of the Lord.” A curse was a formal appeal to a higher authority (here the Lord) to vindicate one’s cause through judgment. As in chapter one, this account makes it clear that disrespect for the Lord’s designated spokesmen can be deadly, for it is ultimately rejection of the Lord’s authority.

[12:1]  ² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[8:9]  ³ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:9]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew text also has “in his hand.”

[8:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “and.” It is possible that the conjunction is here explanatory, equivalent to English “that is.” In this case the forty camel loads constitute the “gift” and one should translate, “He took along a gift, consisting of forty camel loads of all the fine things of Damascus.”

[8:9]  ⁶ sn The words “your son” emphasize the king’s respect for the prophet.

[8:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “saying.”

[14:23]  ⁴ map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.