So he went in; that is, Elisha went into the small upper room that had been built for his visits, but which had become the resting place of the child’s body.

Shut the door upon the two of them: As in verses 4, 5 and 21, this highlights the privacy of the situation. The dead boy and the prophet were alone together in the room. New Century Version conveys this idea with “shut the door, so only he and the boy were in the room.”

Prayed to the LORD: In languages where it is necessary to indicate the content of the prayer, translators may say something like “prayed to the LORD for the boy” or “asked the LORD for help.” It is, however, better not to be too precise since the text does not tell us exactly what Elisha prayed.

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 .