They went after them as far as the Jordan: The pronoun they refers to the two chariot teams that had been sent out to investigate the situation, and the pronoun them refers to the enemy army. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch (similarly Bible en français courant) says “The scouts followed their trail as far as the Jordan.” They followed the fleeing Syrians as far as the Jordan River, which would have been about 35 kilometers (22 miles). Translators are reminded that in some languages it will be necessary to add the term “river” to Jordan.
Lo renders the same Hebrew word as “behold” in verses 6 and 10 in the account of the original discovery of the Syrians’ departure. Here it shifts the narrative to the viewpoint of the men who discover the garments and equipment and highlights the evidence that proved that the report was indeed true.
All the way was littered …: This expression is intended to show the disorganized way in which the Syrians fled in panic. The Hebrew, which does not have a verb here, is literally “all the way full of….” The Revised Standard Version translation here is passive in form. An active expression for the same idea is “all along the way they found…” or “they saw … in disarray beside the road.”
The Hebrew noun rendered garments is a general term that covers a wide range of clothing, from bedclothes (1 Kgs 1.1) to outer garments and kings’ robes (1 Kgs 22.10).
The word equipment may be difficult to translate in many languages. The Hebrew term used here is a very general one that may refer to utensils used in the preparation of food (Lev 6.28), work implements and tools (1 Kgs 6.7), or military armor and weaponry (2 Kgs 20.13). Quite possibly it included all of these in the hasty retreat of the Syrians. Other translations include “other objects” (New American Bible) and “gear” (New Jerusalem Bible). Some languages may have a general word for “belongings” while others will have to use an expression like “their things.”
The messengers returned, and told the king: The messengers are the men who had been sent to find out what the situation was. In some languages the word messengers will not be appropriate since these men had no message to deliver. They were more like a “patrol” (La Bible du Semeur) or “scouts” (New Jerusalem Bible) who returned with their own report rather than with a message from another person.
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 .