Ashtaroth: since the goddess is elsewhere named “Astarte,” many translations (New Revised Standard Version, New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible) keep that name here rather than using the pejorative Hebrew form (see the comment on 7.3). Good News Translation makes explicit the fact that the reference is to a “goddess” and not to a human being.

Fastened: this is the verb used of driving tent pegs into the ground. Good News Translation and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible attempt to show this sense of the verb, but the verb “nailed” probably does not capture the action as well as the verb “impaled” (New American Bible, An American Translation, Fox). Some languages will have specific verbs for attaching something to a wall or tree by means of large sticks or stakes. Such a verb is appropriate here.

Since Saul is dead, it may be preferable to say that they fastened Saul’s “corpse” (so Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente and Bible en français courant) or his “dead body” to the wall. See the comments on verse 8.

A literal translation of to the wall of Beth-shan will be meaningless in many languages. This phrase contains the following implicit information: (1) Beth-shan was a city, and (2) like many other ancient cities it was surrounded by a wall for protection. Some languages have a technical term for a wall built for protection; Traduction œcuménique de la Bible says “rampart” here and in verse 12.

Beth-shan was located where the Jezreel and Jordan valleys meet (see Josh 17.11-13; Judges 1.17). During the New Testament period this city was called Scythopolis and was the most important city of the Decapolis region. It was the only one of the ten cities of the Decapolis to be located on the west side of the Jordan.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .