In Hebrew this verse begins with the verbal transition that is sometimes rendered “And it happened.” Most modern versions do not render it here to avoid overtranslation. Good News Translation simply begins a new paragraph here.

He rent his clothes: For this way of showing extreme sorrow, see the comments at 1 Kgs 21.27 and 2 Kgs 2.12.

Now he was passing by upon the wall: This is a reminder to the reader of what has already been said in verse 26, but it interrupts the account in a way that will be unacceptable in certain languages. Some modern English translations, such as Good News Translation, omit the repetition. In those languages where it may be awkward to repeat this information here, it may possibly fit better at the end of the verse.

Once again the Hebrew particle rendered behold includes an element of surprise. But as in verse 17, it may interrupt the flow of the discourse if retained at the same point as in Revised Standard Version and in Hebrew.

He had sackcloth beneath upon his body; that is, the king was wearing coarse cloth under the outer garment that he had torn showing his grief. For a detailed discussion of the word sackcloth, see 1 Kgs 20.31.

The following is a possible model for the verse as a whole, including the repetition of the information about the king’s location:

• When the king heard this story, he ripped his clothes to show his distress, and the people could see that he was wearing sackcloth under his clothes because he was standing above them on the wall.

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 .