1 tn Heb “said to.”
2 tn Heb “let them seek for my master, the king, a young girl, a virgin.” The third person plural subject of the verb is indefinite (see GKC 460 §144.f). The appositional expression, “a young girl, a virgin,” is idiomatic; the second term specifically defines the more general first term (see IBHS 230 §12.3b).
3 tn Heb “and she will stand before the king.” The Hebrew phrase “stand before” can mean “to attend; to serve” (BDB 764 s.v. עָמַד).
4 tn Heb “and she will lie down in your bosom.” The expression might imply sexual intimacy (see 2 Sam 12:3 [where the lamb symbolizes Bathsheba] and Mic 7:5), though v. 4b indicates that David did not actually have sex with the young woman.
5 tn Heb “and my master, the king, will be warm.”
6 tn Heb “the man of God.”
7 tn Heb “Jeroboam extended his hand from the altar.”
8 tn Heb “saying.”
9 tn Heb “dried up” or “withered.” TEV and NLT interpret this as “became paralyzed.”
11 tn Heb “And you, you muster an army like the one that fell from you, horse like horse and chariot like chariot.”
12 tn Heb “he listened to their voice and did so.”
16 sn Your servant. By referring to Ben Hadad as Ahab’s servant, they are suggesting that Ahab make him a subject in a vassal treaty arrangement.
17 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
18 sn He is my brother. Ahab’s response indicates that he wants to make a parity treaty and treat Ben Hadad as an equal partner.