Reading Elisha’s She-Bears: Biblical Interpretation, Extinction Studies, and the Wildness of God

Abstract

Abstract Readers wrestle with the story of the two bears who maul forty-two lads taunting Elisha in 2 Kings 2:23–24. Little attention is given to the fact that bears are now extinct in Israel. This article reconsiders the passage and biblical bears in dialogue with a subgenre of animal studies known as “extinction studies.” Extinction studies in the humanities focus on “multispecies stories” about extinction over time. Using extinction studies to reexamine references to bears in the Hebrew Bible reveals ways in which the representation of bears as a dangerous threat to humans and livestock, in both biblical texts (including David’s story) and their interpretation, may contribute to the mistreatment and extinction of actual bears. Yet God is associated with bears and other wild animals in several biblical texts, including 2 Kings 2. Thus, a rereading of biblical bears also leads to reconsideration of the biblical God’s variable relationship to wildness.