1tn Heb “stuck close after.”

2tn Heb “the Philistines.”

3tn Heb “and the battle was heavy against Saul.”

4tn Heb “the shooters, men with the bow.”

5tn Heb “fallen.”

6tn Heb “his”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity (likewise in the following verse).

7sn The Semitic goddess Astarte was associated with love and war in the ancient Near East. See the note on the same term in 7:3.

8tc The translation follows the MT, which vocalizes the verb as a Qal. The LXX, however, treats the verb as a Hiphil, “they brought.”