He summoned Gehazi: Once again the referent of the pronoun he may have to be made clearer by using the proper name “Elisha.” It should be quite clear that it was the prophet, and not the revived child, who called Gehazi.

Call this Shunammite: As in verse 12, this direct quotation of Revised Standard Version is made indirect by Good News Translation and this may be more natural in certain other languages. Instead of saying this Shunammite, some translators will find it much more natural to refer to the woman as “the boy’s mother” (so Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version).

And when she came to him, he said: The pronoun references here may be particularly confusing in languages where masculine and feminine pronouns are not distinguished. New Century Version makes these pronouns unambiguous by saying “When she came, Elisha said” (similarly Contemporary English Version). Another possible model is “When the woman came to him, Elisha said.”

Take up your son: The Hebrew verb used here has the basic meaning of “carry” or “lift up.” In this context it may be translated “Pick up” (New Jerusalem Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New Century Version). The Good News Translation rendering at this point is a bit misleading since the woman already knew where her son was. It was she who had placed him there. Bible en français courant translates more dynamically “Come take back your son.”

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 .