Ahab went up … Elijah went up …: Good News Translation translates the first occurrence of the verb went up simply as “went” with reference to Ahab. However, the second time it has “climbed” in the context of Elijah going to the top of Mount Carmel.

He bowed himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees: This means that Elijah knelt on the ground and bent over so that his face touched his inner thighs. The Hebrew verb translated bowed himself down occurs only here and in 2 Kgs 4.34-35, where Revised Standard Version says that the prophet Elisha “stretched himself” upon the dead son of the Shunammite woman. It is not clear why Elijah takes this position on the ground. Perhaps he was praying (so New Living Translation) or perhaps he was concentrating intensely.

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 .