Take the tour ×  In 2 Kings 2:23, a group of boys jeers Elisha.
Various English translations render this "young boys", "young
lads", "boys", "small boys". What kind of range does the Hebrew
word behind this group of people have? Likely how old were those
jeering Elisha?  share|improve this question add comment  1
Answer  up vote 3 down vote accepted  The word נַעַר (na’ar),
here translated "boy," has a broad range of meaning. It can
refer to infants all the way up to adolescence. However, קטנ
(qatan meaning "small"), used with it, limits the age.  The
exact phrase, "small boys" appears in the following verses (all
from the NET Bible):    • 1 Sam 20:35 The next morning Jonathan,
along with a young servant, went out to the field to meet David.
• 1 Kings 3:7 Now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant
king in my father David’s place, even though I am only a young
man and am inexperienced. (Solomon is speaking with hyperbole
here)   • 1 Kings 11:17 Hadad, who was only a small boy at the
time, escaped with so