Biblical bear attack

[Ben Long]

As a public service during this time of quarantine, I offer my latest little essay for MeatEater about how an Old Testament prophet opened a can of whoop-ass on a bunch of brats in the form of pair of angry brown bears. Enjoy.

The Bible’s Grizzly Bear Attack

There’s a difference between book smart and bar smart. You may not be book smart, but this series can make you seem educated and interesting from a barstool. So, belly up, pour yourself a glass of something good, and take notes as we look at the deadliest bear attack in written history. The Good...

www.themeateater.com

 

[JTHOMP]

I’m surprised of where different bears live or have lived. Inside and outside of the North American. A quick google search and the Syrian bear has a pretty coat. Unless of course you’re on the receiving of that biblical whoopass.

 

[stillkickin]

Thanks for that one Ben!

 

[Gerald Martin]

Interesting for sure. There’s a lot of speculation about the “proportional force” involved with the attack.
Most renditions of the account portray the “youths” as kids just teasing him. I am not sure it was that innocent.

Their taunts of “ Go up thou bald head!” were a reference to Elisha’s predecessor and mentor Elijah, being translated into heaven by a whirlwind.
If I understand it properly the Hebrew word for youth seems to indicate teenagers or older, not little children.

It’s possible that the curse of Elisha was in response to them threatening him with violence as in the context of a gang of punks or it could have been a response to them mocking what God had done in translating Elijah.

At any rate it’s a fascinating story.

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

Good one Ben.

 

[kansasdad]

Completely agree @Gerald Martin. The baldness insult is the minor offense, the insult to his mentor Elijah and mocking his departing of earth and ascending into heaven is what inspired him to call down the curse (bear) on the ruffians.

Amazing to think of bears and lions in the Middle East regions.

Glad to read your story @Ben Long, thanks for sharing the link.

 

[406LIFE]

Interesting.

@Ben Lamb What reference would you cite for calling it a brown bear?

@Gerald Martin the Hebrew adds the adjective "qatan" meaning small or youngest. Other places that qatan is used the context is pretty clear for "little children". I don't think it looses anything in the story. The area was known for idolatry and insulting God's representative (and therefore God) (also noting that at this time there were not many prophets, generally, so the One was pretty important) could not be tolerated. Whether little kids, teenagers, or adults respected and reverence was demanded.

 

[turbobrick]

My Sunday School teacher when I was in high school, derived lessons from this story on a regular basis. It was a pretty big and rowdy class of young men, and he was bald...... Great man, I still see him occasionally.

 

[LuketheDog]

The baldness insult is the minor offense

Yes...as a person with bad genetics in that department and perpetual trucker-hat tan lines on my head, I'll save my bear deployments for higher offenses.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Interesting.

@Ben Lamb What reference would you cite for calling it a brown bear?

@Gerald Martin the Hebrew adds the adjective "qatan" meaning small or youngest. Other places that qatan is used the context is pretty clear for "little children". I don't think it looses anything in the story. The area was known for idolatry and insulting God's representative (and therefore God) (also noting that at this time there were not many prophets, generally, so the One was pretty important) could not be tolerated. Whether little kids, teenagers, or adults respected and reverence was demanded.

I'm not nearly as mature as @Ben Long

But that's ok. It's why he's Ben #1.

 

[glass eye]

Amazing to think of bears and lions in the Middle East regions.

That region wasn't always a barren rocky landscape. When nations were conquered it was common to slash and burn their forest, their natural resources. That place was continually under attack from someone. Add rains to the mix of a barren hillside and there goes the top soil.

 

[LuketheDog]

That region wasn't always a barren rocky landscape. When nations were conquered it was common to slash and burn their forest, their natural resources. That place was continually under attack from someone. Add rains to the mix of a barren hillside and there goes the top soil.

Yep, there used to be huge forests of cedar and pine if I remember right, and lots of large wildlife.

 

[Gerald Martin]

Another interesting story involving bears and lions that doesn’t get a lot of attention is from the account of David and Goliath.
When David is asked what made him think he could take on Goliath when everyone else was scared to he recounted how he had killed a lion and a bear in hand to claw proximity while tending the sheep.

The accounting of that is overshadowed by the actions of David killing Goliath later on but I think I am almost more impressed with him grabbing the lion and the bear and stabbing (my assumption, the Biblical account doesn’t specify) them to death.

Something tells me that David the shepherd boy wasn’t a little sissy.

 

[Ben Long]

I am NOT getting into the theology of the story. My upbringing focused more on the New Testament. Won't. Take. The. Bait. But there are 8 species of bears in the world, then and now: polar, panda, Andean, Asian black, North American black, sun bear and brown bear. Of those, brown bears have by far the greatest global distribution and the only bear in the Middle East.

 

[Ben Long]

During my research for this story I stumbled across Genesis 49-27. I think I'm going to put it on my license plates. @Ben Lamb will like this one.
"Benjamin is a ravenous wolf. He devours his prey in the morning and divides the spoils in the afternoon." Any similarity between that an my elk hunts is pure coincidence.

 

[Randi]

Another interesting story involving bears and lions that doesn’t get a lot of attention is from the account of David and Goliath.
When David is asked what made him think he could take on Goliath when everyone else was scared to he recounted how he had killed a lion and a bear in hand to claw proximity while tending the sheep.

The accounting of that is overshadowed by the actions of David killing Goliath later on but I think I am almost more impressed with him grabbing the lion and the bear and stabbing (my assumption, the Biblical account doesn’t specify) them to death.

Something tells me that David the shepherd boy wasn’t a little sissy.

I have studied this at home and in college and although some had a slightly different interpretation, all agreed that David was no sissy. The landscape was different but Israel is not barren now. Besides there being Lions and Bears, there were also Leopards and lets not forget the Behemoth.

What do you fellows think it was ( Martin, Long, kansasdad, 406life, other s ). When we discussed it some though it was its own species which has since become extinct, some didn't believe it ever existed, some thought it might be the Hippo or Elephant, but the account of the tail rules them out for me.

I also believe it to be, or was, a Brown Bear that was referenced . I thought he had killed the lion and bear with his sling, but as you said, it does not say.

 

[Ben Long]

Anyone know the B&C minimums for a Behemoth or a Leviathan?

 

[smw110136]

I was just telling my dad I read this story earlier this week. Thanks for the entertainment!

 

[okie archer]

Another interesting story involving bears and lions that doesn’t get a lot of attention is from the account of David and Goliath.
When David is asked what made him think he could take on Goliath when everyone else was scared to he recounted how he had killed a lion and a bear in hand to claw proximity while tending the sheep.

The accounting of that is overshadowed by the actions of David killing Goliath later on but I think I am almost more impressed with him grabbing the lion and the bear and stabbing (my assumption, the Biblical account doesn’t specify) them to death.

Something tells me that David the shepherd boy wasn’t a little sissy.

I was thinking of these stories as well when I read the op. The Bible is awesome.