Answered: The Hebrew verb here is literally “said,” but Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation correctly translate the meaning in this context.

It is I is literally “I.” But as is often the case in Hebrew, the verb “to be” is understood. In some languages it will be more natural to respond to the question with a simple “Yes” or with “Yes, I’m Elijah” (Good News Translation).

The words your lord refer to King Ahab. They may be translated here as “your master” (New Living Translation).

Behold, Elijah is here is literally “Behold, Elijah.” The Hebrew focusing particle rendered Behold is often omitted in modern translations, but in those languages that have a natural equivalent to call special attention to the presence of a person, it will be good to use it here. The meaning of this whole expression may also be expressed as “I have found Elijah!” (Nouvelle Bible Segond) or “I have seen Elijah.” Since the name Elijah means “Yahweh is my God,” the original readers may also have understood a second meaning in these words, that is, “Go, tell your lord, ‘Behold, Yahweh is my God.’ ” But this should probably be given only in a footnote since it would be difficult to do so in the text itself.

In many languages it may be difficult and unnatural to translate using a quotation within a quotation as in Revised Standard Version. In those cases it will be better to make the embedded quotation an indirect statement as in Good News Translation.

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 .