They took two mounted men: The pronoun they probably does not refer to the king and the official with whom he was speaking. Rather, it is more likely an indefinite pronoun indicating simply that “some men were chosen.” The Hebrew text has no explicit subject for the verb took.

Two mounted men is literally “two chariot of horses,” in which the singular noun “chariot” is used in a collective sense. This is the reading of the Masoretic Text, which receives a {B} rating from Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament. The Revised Standard Version rendering, which is based on the Septuagint and the ancient Syriac, says that two men on horseback were chosen, but Good News Translation depicts them more clearly as being “in chariots” (also New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, em>Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, American Bible). The latter rendering seems more likely since chariots were used more commonly than mounted horses.

The king sent them is literally “the king sent.” Revised Standard Version and most other modern translations have added the object pronoun them as the sense requires in English.

The army is literally “the camp.”

Go and see: Some languages may require a more complete statement of where the men are to go and what they are to see; for example, “Go out to the Syrian camp and see what has happened.” This direct quotation may also be rendered more naturally in an indirect way in some languages (so Good News Translation).

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 .