So: The common Hebrew conjunction here may be rendered by a logical connector (so Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation). As a result of what the prophet had ordered, the king of Israel acted.

He prepared for them a great feast … he sent them away …: The pronoun he refers to the king of Israel and in certain languages it will be important to make this reference explicit as Good News Translation has done. Otherwise, the pronoun may be understood as referring to the prophet.

The actions of the king follow the basic outline of Elisha’s command in the previous verse, but he exceeds the prophet’s requirements in ordering the preparation of a great feast. Translators should ensure that they do not give the impression that the king himself did the cooking. He simply saw to it that this work was done.

And the Syrians came no more on raids into the land of Israel: This final sentence in the verse is a kind of conclusion to this story. It is introduced by the common conjunction in Hebrew, but as a concluding statement a different kind of introduction may be required in many languages. Good News Translation has “From then on…,” but this seems too strong since it is immediately contradicted by the story that follows. Perhaps a better model would be “For a long time…” or “for a while…” (Knox).

The Syrians stopped raiding the land of Israel, either because they were grateful that Elisha had spared the soldiers’ lives, or more likely, because they were afraid of his power.

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 .