The mother of the child said: It will be necessary in many languages to make it clear that the woman is speaking here to Elisha and not to his servant Gehazi.

As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live: For this oath formula, see the comments at 2 Kgs 2.2.

I will not leave you: See the comments at 2 Kgs 2.2 for this expression. The woman of Shunem apparently understands Elisha’s instructions to his servant to mean that he himself would not leave Mount Carmel but that she should accompany Gehazi back to her home. She adamantly refuses and thereby insists that Elisha himself go with her. The sense is therefore conveyed by Moffatt “I will not go home without you” and by Contemporary English Version “I won’t leave without you.”

So: The common Hebrew conjunction here introduces the course of action taken by the prophet as a direct result of the woman’s resolve not to return home without the prophet himself. Because she refuses to go without him, Elisha eventually goes with her.

He arose and followed her: This wording is not intended to suggest that Elisha did not know the way to the woman’s house. He had been there very often before. The idea is that he accompanied her. So it is reasonable to translate as Good News Translation has done: “the two of them started back together.” The Hebrew verb rendered arose may be understood literally or as a serial verb (see the discussion on Hebrew serial verbs in “Translating 1–2 Kings,” pages 15-16), in which case it may be translated “started” (Good News Translation) or “left” (Bible en français courant).

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 .