As the LORD of hosts lives: See 1 Kgs 1.29 and 2 Kgs 2.2 for the more common formula “As the LORD lives.” Here the longer formula introduces a very strong statement by the prophet that he would not consider helping Joram if it were not for the fact that Jehoshaphat is caught in the same predicament. For the title the LORD of hosts, see 1 Kgs 18.15.
Whom I serve is literally “before whom I stand.” In some cases it may be legitimate to translate “who is my master.” Contemporary English Version makes this an independent clause, beginning the statement of Elisha with “I serve the LORD….”
Were it not that I have regard for Jehoshaphat …: Elisha is still responding directly to Joram and states that it is only because of his respect for Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, that he is willing to consider the case of the three kings. Elisha considers the northern kingdom to be displeasing to God because all of their kings have followed the bad example of Jeroboam, the first king of that kingdom. The Hebrew verb translated have regard for has been rendered “respect” by most modern English versions. The basic meaning of the Hebrew verb here is actually “lift up” or “carry.” The whole Hebrew expression here is literally “if I did not lift up the face of Jehoshaphat…,” but the meaning of it is “if I did not have respect for the presence of Jehoshaphat…” (New International Version). In other languages this idea may be translated by a verbal expression like “think well of” or “honor.”
I would neither look at you, nor see you: Some translators take the second verb in this expression as meaning “notice” (New International Version, New Century Version). New Revised Standard Version takes the two verbs as of diminishing significance, saying “I would give you neither a look nor a glance.” In some languages the best translation may have a single verbal expression followed by an adverbial phrase, for example, “I would not look at you even a little” or “I would not consider you at all.”
In some languages it will be more natural to restructure the statement of Elisha with something like the following:
• I would not even consider helping you if I didn’t think highly of King Jehoshaphat of Judah, who is with you. I swear this by the living LORD of hosts, whose servant I am.
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 .
In Mandarin Chinese it is translated as “one who sees first” (xiānjiàn / 先见) compared to “prophet” as “one who knows first” (xiānzhī / 先知). (Source: Zetzsche)
In Mandarin, the word “先” can mean “first,” focusing on position in a sequence, but it can also mean “before,” emphasizing the order of events. In this context, the word “先知” likely carries the latter sense—referring to someone who knows beforehand, likewise “先见,” which describes someone who foresees what will happen.