Baldness
Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
—loss or removal of hair. In the ancient setting thick hair could be associated with vigor and honor, while baldness might accompany age, illness, mourning, humiliation, or judgment (Isa. 3:24; Mic. 1:16). At Bethel a group of youths mocked Elisha as “baldhead”; after his curse, two bears came from the woods and mauled forty-two of them (2 Kings 2:23-24). The Hebrew term can denote youths rather than small children, and the verb describes mauling, not necessarily killing. The severe narrative presents contempt for God’s prophet and divine judgment; it does not authorize cruelty toward children or ridicule of bodily appearance.