His own grave: The man’s grave was most likely a “family grave” (so Good News Translation). See the comments on “the tomb of your fathers” at verse 22.

They mourned: The pronoun they probably refers to the old prophet and his sons. Good News Translation makes this understanding explicit by saying “he and his sons.” But it is also possible to understand this pronoun as referring to “the people” in general, as Bible en français courant does.

Alas, my brother!: It is possible that these words were a set phrase used by those who mourned (see Jer 22.18, where the same words in Hebrew occur in the context of mourning, but Revised Standard Version says “Ah my brother!”). Some other possible translation models are “Oh no, my brother, my brother!” (God’s Word) and “Alas, my brother is dead!” (Bible en français courant, Parole de Vie). The word Alas is an interjection showing sympathy or pity. In some languages it may be translated “How sad” or “What misfortune” (Nouvelle Bible Segond). And some may prefer to render this direct quotation as indirect discourse. Contemporary English Version, for example, avoids the direct quotation altogether and says simply “cried for the prophet.”

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 .