Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead: Regarding the meaning of the name Elijah, see the introductory comments on 1 Kgs 17.1–19.21. His name in Hebrew here is actually written Elijahu. According to the most common interpretation, Elijah was from the town of Tishbe in the region of Gilead, east of the Jordan River. But it is not certain that Tishbe is a place name. The vowels that occur in the Masoretic Text spelling of Tishbe suggest that the Hebrew word should be translated “one of the settlers” or “one of the residents” (Anchor Bible, Nouvelle Bible Segond). Compare Gray: “And Elijah the Tishbite, of the settlers of Gilead.” According to this translation, Elijah was not a native of Gilead but he was an immigrant who lived there permanently. It has also been suggested by some scholars that the vowels in the word Tishbite should be corrected to read “settler.” This is the basis for the alternate rendering in a Contemporary English Version footnote, which reads “from the settlers in Gilead.” It is also the explanation for the translations using words like “inhabitant[s]” (King James Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) and “sojourners” (American Standard Version).
But other occurrences of the Hebrew word for “settlers” in the Old Testament have a slightly different spelling from that found here, so the translation “settlers” should be rejected. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament suggests that the vowels in the Hebrew noun be changed to read the place name Tishbe (so Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation), and Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives a {B} rating to the corrected text. Since there was a city named Tishbe in Galilee, the author adds the words in Gilead in order to distinguish this city of Tishbe from the city of the same name in Galilee. Apart from this verse, nothing further is known about the city of Tishbe in Gilead. If the reading Tishbite is accepted, then the text is redundant and translators may feel free to translate the words Tishbite and of Tishbe one time rather than twice in cases where the double mention of the place name would be unnatural.
Since a new chapter begins here, it may be wise to identify Ahab as a king, as Good News Translation has done.
As the LORD … lives: See the comments on 1 Kgs 1.29.
Before whom I stand: See the comments on the phrase “to stand before someone” in 1 Kgs 10.8. In this context it may be rendered “whom I serve” (Good News Translation, New International Version, New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) or “in whose service I am” (Bible en français courant).
These years refers to a relatively short period of time. Some translations say “these coming years” (Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible). According to 1 Kgs 18.1, the rain began again in the third year of the drought. Good News Translation has brought this information forward into the present verse by saying “the next two or three years.”
Except by my word is literally “except at the mouth of my word.” This may be rendered in a variety of ways in different languages. Some will prefer to say “unless I command it” (New Century Version) or “except as I give orders” (Moffatt). Others may prefer “until the time when I give permission.”
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 .