And renders the common verbal transition in Hebrew that is sometimes translated “And it happened” or “And it came to pass” (Jewish Publication Version). But many modern versions (Good News Translation, New International Version, Revised English Bible) simply begin a new paragraph here to express this transition.

The Hebrew of this verse is difficult to understand. The subject of the verbs eaten and drunk is most naturally taken to be the prophet from Judah. But the sense would then be “After the prophet from Judah had finished his meal, he saddled the donkey for the old prophet whom he had brought back.”

Some modern translations, based on the Septuagint, omit the words for the prophet whom he had brought back. New American Bible, for example, reads “After he had eaten bread and drunk water, the ass was saddled for him, and he again 24 set out.” New Jerusalem Bible corrects the Hebrew text to read “After he [the prophet from Judah] had eaten and drunk, the prophet [who had brought him back] saddled the donkey for him” (also Osty-Trinquet).

The Masoretic Text reads “And it happened after he had eaten bread and after he had drunk, he saddled for him the donkey belonging to the prophet who had brought him back.” “The prophet” must be the old prophet from Bethel. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives a {B} rating to the Masoretic Text and explains that the words “the donkey belonging to the prophet who had brought him back” are an explanatory remark, indicating whose donkey was saddled. This means that the Hebrew preposition translated for in Revised Standard Version should be understood as indicating possession, meaning “belonging to.” An alternative model that follows the Masoretic Text for this verse is:

• After they had eaten and drunk, the prophet of Judah prepared the donkey that the old prophet had made available for him to use.

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 .