And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
Parallel translations
- WEB The Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” The Philistine cursed David by his gods.
- BSB “Am I a dog,” he said to David, “that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
- NKJV So the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
- NASB So the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
- NLT “Am I a dog,” he roared at David, “that you come at me with a stick?” And he cursed David by the names of his gods.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Goliath, insulted by David's simple staff, curses him by his gods. His reliance on idols stands against David's trust in the living God.
Overview
The Philistine takes offense at facing what he sees as mere sticks and invokes his false gods to curse David. His words frame the confrontation as a clash between the dead idols of the nations and the living God of Israel. The outcome will vindicate Yahweh alone, demonstrating the powerlessness of idols before the true God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- 2 Sam 9:8And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?
- 2 Sam 3:8Then was Abner very wroth for the words of Ishbosheth, and said, Am I a dog’s head, which against Judah do shew kindness this day unto the house of Saul thy father, to his brethren, and to his friends, and have not delivered thee into the hand of David, that thou chargest me to day with a fault concerning this woman?
- 1 Sam 24:14After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea.
- Gen 27:29Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother’s sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.
- Prov 26:2As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come.
- 2 Kgs 8:13And Hazael said, But what, is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing? And Elisha answered, The LORD hath shewed me that thou shalt be king over Syria.
- 2 Sam 16:9Then said Abishai the son of Zeruiah unto the king, Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? let me go over, I pray thee, and take off his head.
- Num 22:6Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: for I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.
- Judg 9:27And they went out into the fields, and gathered their vineyards, and trode the grapes, and made merry, and went into the house of their god, and did eat and drink, and cursed Abimelech.
- Num 22:11–12Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt, which covereth the face of the earth: come now, curse me them; peradventure I shall be able to overcome them, and drive them out.
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Christ at the center
The rise of the anointed king after Israel's failed first choice points to the true Anointed One (Messiah means 'anointed'), the shepherd-king after God's own heart from Bethlehem.
How 1 Samuel 17:43 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.