And when Ahab heard those words: The Hebrew verbal transition meaning “And it happened” is found at the beginning of this verse, but it is ignored by most modern English versions. It serves to introduce a new phase of the story here.
For And when Ahab heard, see the comments on verse 16, where the Hebrew wording is the same. Those words refer to the words spoken by the prophet Elijah in verses 20-24 (or verses 20-22, if verses 23-24 are taken as parenthetical comments by the author to the reader). Good News Translation has changed the wording at the beginning of this verse to “When Elijah finished speaking” in order to make it clear that those words will be understood by the reader as the words of Elijah. For the same reason Parole de Vie says “When Ahab heard the words of Elijah.”
He rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted: These are all symbolic actions that express sorrow. The first two of these actions occur frequently throughout the Bible. The tearing of clothing is mentioned, for example, in Lev 10.6 and 21.10. And the wearing of coarse cloth is referred to in 1 Kgs 20.31. For the Hebrew verb translated fasted, see the comments on the noun “fast” at verse 9. In many languages it will be wise to make explicit the meaning of these actions by adding “to show his sorrow” or something similar.
Lay in sackcloth means that Ahab “slept in the sackcloth” (Good News Translation; similarly New Living Translation, Bible en français courant, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente).
Went about dejectedly: Dejectedly translates a Hebrew adverb whose general meaning is “slowly,” “softly,” or “gently.” Some interpreters understand the adverb in light of a similar Arabic word meaning “to make a moaning sound.” Revised English Bible, for example, says that Ahab “went about moaning.” Translations based on the first interpretation of the meaning of the adverb include “dejectedly” (Revised Standard Version/New Revised Standard Version), “subdued” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New American Bible, Anchor Bible), “slowly” (Nouvelle Bible Segond, Osty-Trinquet), “with slow steps” (New Jerusalem Bible, Bible en français courant), and “gloomy and depressed” (Good News Translation). The idea of depression or dejection fits this context best.
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 .