So: The common Hebrew conjunction here may be taken as a logical connector, as in Revised Standard Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New Jerusalem Bible and American Bible. But other versions take it as a temporal connector, using the word “Then” (New International Version, New Century Version). Still others make the first part of this verse a continuation of the sentence begun at the end of verse 13 (Good News Translation, New American Bible).

The order of horses and chariots and a great army may be altered to make it more natural in the receptor language. In many cases the soldiers will have to be mentioned before the animals. Others may prefer to say “a great army including many horses and chariots.” Some commentators see humor in the fact that such a large military force is sent to capture a single person (Hobbs).

They came by night; that is, they arrived in the vicinity of the town of Dothan after it was dark. This would have provided the enemy army with the necessary cover to assemble their forces and prepare for action. The English idiom including the words by night may be better translated “arriving during the night” (New Jerusalem Bible).

Surrounded the city: If the noun city is shifted forward to become the object of the verb came or “arrived,” then it may be represented here by a pronoun referring back to the earlier occurrence.

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 .