In some languages it may be necessary to say more precisely what it was that happened to him. This seems to refer to the words of Elisha at the end of verse 19: that he would see the food with his own eyes but not eat any of it. However, some interpreters understand what happened to him as referring to his death; for example, for the whole verse New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “That is exactly what happened to him: The people trampled him to death in the gate” (similarly Good News Translation).

Once again, it may be important to avoid giving the impression that the people intentionally executed the officer by trampling him to death. As far as they were concerned, his death was an accident.

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 .