Lifted up his face: This literal rendering of the Hebrew means nothing more than “looked up” (New Revised Standard Version and most other modern versions).
Instead of the verb said, the context seems to require something like “shouted” (New American Bible as well as Good News Translation). But in view of the question that follows, some may prefer “asked” (Contemporary English Version).
Who is on my side? Who? is literally “Who with me, who?” The Hebrew contains no verb. The interrogative pronoun Who is repeated at the end of the question and this is reflected in most translations. But such wording may not be natural in the receptor language. In some cases it may be necessary to frame a second question, saying something like “Is there anyone?” New American Bible translates the second Who as “Anyone?” One African language has “Where is that person?”
Two or three: In Hebrew, when the number three is used in combination with adjacent numbers, the meaning is “a few” (see Isa 17.6; Jer 36.23). Translators should simply seek a natural equivalent for this expression in their own language. Contemporary English Version has “A few” while others say simply “Some.”
Eunuchs: The same word is translated “officer[s]” in the story of Joseph (Gen 37.36, 39.1, 40.2) as well as in 1 Sam 8.15 and 1 Kgs 22.9. The word was originally used of a castrated male person who was entrusted with the care of women’s quarters in a royal household. Eventually it came to be used to refer to any official who was especially trusted by the king. It is for this reason that Good News Translation translates “palace officials” and New Jerusalem Bible has simply “officials.” Bible en français courant translates “men of confidence of the royal palace.” There is no reason to believe that the sexuality of these men is in focus in this passage. See the comments on 1 Kgs 22.9 and 2 Kgs 8.6.
Looked out at him: It is not clear from the Hebrew whether the eunuchs were looking out the same window as Jezebel, but the most natural reading of the Hebrew is that the same window is in view. The Good News Translation rendering “looked down at him from a window” seems to suggest a different window. It is also not clear from the Hebrew whether these officials looked out at Jehu in positive response to his question about who was on his side or whether they were simply looking out. The first interpretation is more likely. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, which translates the common Hebrew conjunction at the beginning of the last sentence in this verse, seems to imply that the eunuchs looked out at Jehu in answer to his question by saying “And two or three eunuchs leaned out toward him.” Traduction œcuménique de la Bible is similar with “So two or three eunuchs….”
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 .