Jehu sent throughout all Israel: Most modern versions provide the necessary object by saying “Jehu sent word…” (Good News Translation, New Century Version), but other translations have the equally valid rendering “Jehu sent messengers…” (New Jerusalem Bible, Nouvelle Bible Segond).

All the worshipers of Baal came: Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch makes explicit the place to which they came by saying “all the worshipers of Baal came together in Samaria.”

There was not a man left who did not come among the worshipers of Baal. This is yet another way of emphasizing what has already been said with the word all. The word man is probably not intended to limit the followers of Baal to males. New Revised Standard Version translates “there was no one left who did not come,” and New International Version has “not one stayed away.”

They entered the house of Baal: The house of Baal was the temple in which the pagan god named Baal was worshiped. This expression is repeated in the verse, but to do so in other languages may be unnatural. The second occurrence may be replaced by a pronoun referring back to the complete expression. This house of worship, built by King Ahab, is mentioned in 1 Kgs 16.32, but its exact location is unknown since no ruins have ever been discovered. Perhaps this is because it was completely destroyed, but there is no way to be certain of this. New Jerusalem Bible translates the whole clause according to the context as “They crowded into the temple of Baal.”

The house of Baal was filled from one end to the other: From one end to the other is literally “mouth to mouth.” Perhaps the Hebrew means “from one door to another door.” Certain modern versions utilize the English idiom “from wall to wall” (New Revised Standard Version and New Jerusalem Bible). Another way of expressing the idea of complete filling is to say “the temple of Baal was filled to capacity.” The same expression occurs in 2 Kgs 21.16.

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