He sent out a second horseman: The pronoun he presumably refers to King Joram. The whole idea is rendered by a passive form in Good News Translation, but this will not be an option in some languages. New Jerusalem Bible translates the meaning correctly and clearly: “The king sent a second horseman.” Regarding the translation of horseman, see the comments on verse 17.

The wording of the rest of this verse is very similar to the previous one although some details differ. One significant difference is that the word “Again” is added in Good News Translation to reinforce the idea that the very same thing happened a second time.

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 .