Behold, men passed by: In Hebrew the particle for behold is followed by a participle translated passed by. The force of the Hebrew construction is “behold, men are passing by” (see the comments on this type of construction in verse 1). Behold may be used here to express the surprise that the men must have experienced as they discovered the scene. The Hebrew noun translated men is sometimes used to include both men and women. For this reason some translations say “people” here (Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation, Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch).

Body: See the comments on verses 22 and 24.

Thrown in the road: See the comments on the previous verse.

The verb came will be better translated in many languages as “went” (so Good News Translation, New International Version, and many other English versions). Contemporary English Version makes the account more vivid by using the verb “ran.”

The city where the old prophet dwelt was identified as Bethel in verse 11. This may be made explicit in the receptor language (so Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version).

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 .