He said: In Hebrew there is no separate third person pronoun he here. The verb form itself, as in verse 15, shows that the subject is third person masculine singular. But whereas the subject of the verb “said” in verse 15 is the old prophet, the subject of the verb said in this verse is the prophet from Judah. Good News Translation makes this explicit and translates the verb said as “answered” since what is said is in response to the invitation of verse 15.

Go in with you: This expression refers to going into the house of the prophet who had invited the man. Revised English Bible translates this more explicitly by saying “enter your house.” But Good News Translation understands this in the broader sense of “accept your hospitality.”

Neither will I eat bread nor drink water: See verse 8. As noted in verse 15, bread is often used in the Old Testament for food in general. New Revised Standard Version says “nor will I eat food or drink water.” Good News Translation translates “I won’t eat or drink anything” (similarly New Jerusalem Bible). Some languages will require direct objects for the verbs “to eat” and “to drink,” and in those languages it is acceptable to say “food” and “water.” Translators should avoid using a food that is specific to their culture, and they should not replace water with some other drink.

In this place apparently refers to the city of Bethel, as in verse 8. Parole de Vie replaces in this place with the words “in Bethel.”

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 .