Then, at the beginning of this verse, translates the common Hebrew conjunction. The context seems to require some sort of temporal connector. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “Thereupon.”

God do so to me and more also: It was a common form of oath to call evil things upon oneself and then ask that God would add additional evils if the person failed to keep his promise. The same formula occurs often in 1-2 Samuel and 1–2 Kings (for example, 1 Sam 3.17; 14.44; 20.13; 2 Kgs 6.31). Some modern renderings of the meaning, in addition to Good News Translation, are as follows: “May God bring unnameable ills on me, and worse ills, too” (New Jerusalem Bible), “I pray that God will severely punish me” (Contemporary English Version), and “May God inflict on me the most terrible punishments” (Bible en français courant). The rendering of Revised English Bible (“So help me God”) seems to be a rather weak representation of the meaning of the Hebrew and is therefore not recommended.

This word does not cost Adonijah his life: This word does not refer to a particular single word spoken by Adonijah or by Bathsheba. Rather, it refers to the request made by Adonijah through the queen mother, Bathsheba. In some languages it will be better translated “this matter,” “this affair,” or “this request” (Parole de Vie).

A literal rendering for the whole clause may be difficult or undesirable in some languages. The meaning is rather “Adonijah has devised this scheme at the risk of his life” (New Revised Standard Version) or “Adonijah must pay for this with his life” (Revised English Bible). Perhaps the best simple rendering of the meaning is found in Contemporary English Version: “Adonijah will die because he asked for this.”

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 .