In Hebrew this verse begins with the verbal transition that is sometimes rendered “And it came to pass” (so King James Version, Jewish Publication Version). However, it is ignored by most modern versions since it serves only to move the story along to the next stage.

When the vessels were full: Some other possibilities for conveying the meaning of this clause are “when the last container was full” and “when all the containers had been filled.”

Her son refers to “one of her sons” (Contemporary English Version, Parole de Vie) since verse 1 clearly states that she had two sons.

Bring me another vessel: The woman was obviously unaware that all the containers had been filled. Good News Translation transforms this into indirect discourse and slightly alters the meaning. But the result is the same; the woman is told that there are no more containers available.

Then the oil stopped flowing: In some cases translators may wish to say “Then the increase of oil ceased” or “Then there was no more olive oil to pour out.” One African language says “At that the oil came to stand.”

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 .