When the child had grown: This may give the mistaken impression that the child had become a fully grown adult. But there are contextual clues later in the story indicating that this was not the case. The meaning of this expression is rather that the child had developed to the age where he could join his father in the fields. He was probably still no more than ten years old since verse 20 pictures him on his mother’s lap. See the comments on the Hebrew term for child (yeled) at 1 Kgs 14.3; for had grown, see 1 Kgs 12.8. Knox says “The child grew to boyhood,” and New American Bible translates “when the child was old enough.” Good News Translation attempts to convey the same meaning by beginning the verse with “Some years later….”

The use of the term reapers at the end of the verse inspires Good News Translation to provide the setting for this episode more precisely by adding “at harvest time” early in the verse.

He went out one day to his father among the reapers: The child’s father, who was the husband of the woman of Shunem, had gone out into the field with the harvest workers earlier in the morning, probably at the beginning of the day. The child presumably slept later and went to join his father some time in the middle of the morning. Since harvesting was done at the time of year when the sun was strong, it would have been very hot by this time. Most English versions follow the Hebrew in using the definite article when referring to the reapers. This is because a specific group of reapers is intended even though they are mentioned here for the first time. Some French versions, however, use the less definite expression “some reapers” Nouvelle version Segond révisée).

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .