Behold: See the comments on verse 5.

A cake baked on hot stones is literally “a cake of hot stones/coals.” The cake was a flat, round loaf made without sugar and baked on a hot stone or on hot coals. See 1 Kgs 17.13, where the same Hebrew noun for cake is used.

Jar renders a different Hebrew noun than the one translated “jar” in 1 Kgs 17.12. The Hebrew word here is the same as the one translated “cruse” in 1 Kgs 17.12.

He ate and drank: In those languages that require that direct objects be stated for the verbs eat and drink, it may be said that “he ate the cake and drank the water.”

The context seems to show that the expression lay down again means more than simply going back to a prone position. Contemporary English Version and New Century Version correctly translate the meaning by saying “went back to sleep.” The Septuagint adds the words “he got up” before the words he ate and drank. Even if these additional words are not original, they are implicit in the Hebrew text.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .