Just as Obadiah’s question in verse 7 was a rhetorical question, so also is Ahab’s question here. Good News Translation, and similarly New Jerusalem Bible, turns this into an exclamation, which better expresses in English the sense of the rhetorical question.

You troubler of Israel: Troubler renders a Hebrew participle. According to Holladay, the verb root means “to make someone taboo” or “to cut someone off someone (from social life).” Compare New Jerusalem Bible: “you scourge of Israel.” According to the Hebrew lexicon by Brown, Driver and Briggs (BDB), the verb means “to stir up,” “to disturb,” or “to trouble.” New American Bible says “you disturber of Israel.” De Vries translates “you, O Israel’s hex,” while Moffatt says “You the ruin of Israel.” Whichever understanding of the basic meaning is followed, the sense is not greatly different. Ahab refers to Elijah as someone whose behavior causes troubles or problems for the people of Israel.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .