Seize is literally “take.” Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation have translated it according to the context. The verb is second person singular, which Good News Translation makes clear by adding “one of his officers.”
Take him back to Amon … and to Joash: Take him back suggests that Micaiah had previously been with Amon and Joash. New Revised Standard Version says “return him.” The renderings “take him” (Good News Translation) and “hand him over” (New Jerusalem Bible) fail to express this sense.
Amon the governor of the city: This is the only mention of Amon (other than in 2 Chr 18.25, the parallel text), who was the ruler of the city of Samaria. The Hebrew noun rendered governor has a wide range of meanings depending on the context. It may refer, for example, to a representative of a king, an important person, a military commander, or a civilian administrator. The context here seems to suggest a city official. For the governor of the city, a general translation such as “the city official” (NET Bible) or “the city leader” is recommended. Since Samaria has not been mentioned since verse 10, the city may be explicitly identified in translation as “Samaria” (so Parole de Vie).
Ahab refers to his own son as Joash the king’s son. A number of translations say “Prince Joash” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Peregrino). However, it is possible to understand the reference to the king’s son in two other ways.
• (a) There is some archaeological evidence that the king’s son was an official title given to one of the king’s officials, perhaps the person in charge of prisoners and state security (also Jer 36.26; 38.6). Therefore, it may be that Joash was not the king’s biological son, but was rather an official in the royal court. And even if he was a biological son, it may be his function that is in focus here rather than his biological relationship to the king.
• (b) As noted in the comments on 1 Kgs 20.1, some interpreters think that Benhadad in chapters 20 and 22 is Benhadad I, who was king early in the ninth century B.C. and is referred to in 1 Kgs 15.16-22 and in the parallel text in 2 Chr 16.1-6. Other interpreters think the reference is to Benhadad II (2 Kgs 13.3-7, 22-25), who ruled later, at the end of the ninth century during the reign of King Joash of Judah. Still other interpreters consider the Benhadad of 1 Kgs 20 and 22 to be an otherwise unknown king who reigned between Benhadad I and Benhadad II. If the reference here is to Benhadad II and the stories about his reign have been incorrectly placed in the reign of Ahab and his sons Ahaziah and Joram, then the Joash mentioned here in verse 26 is the son of Jehoahaz (2 Kgs 13.10), and not the son of Ahab.
In light of the difficulties in knowing for certain the identity of Joash, the best solution may be to translate the text literally and then indicate in a footnote that the king’s son may be a title of a royal official rather than a reference to one of the king’s own sons.
According to Revised Standard Version, the sentence begun in this verse continues in verse 27. But it may be wise to bring the sentence to an end here and begin a new one in the following verse.
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 .