EasyEnglish Bible 2018
1 Samuel 17:43
43He said to David, ‘Do you think that I am just a dog? Can you knock me down with a little stick?’ Then he prayed to his gods that they would curse David.
1 Samuel 17:43 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)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.
- New International Version (NIV)He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And the Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
- New King James Version (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.
Context of 1 Samuel 17:43
41The Philistine slowly walked towards David. The man who was carrying his shield walked in front of him. 42As he came nearer, the Philistine looked carefully at David. He saw that David was no more than a healthy, handsome boy. That made him laugh at David. He said to David, ‘Do you think that I am just a dog? Can you knock me down with a little stick?’ Then he prayed to his gods that they would curse David. 44The Philistine said to David, ‘Come nearer to me. I will feed the birds and the wild animals with your dead body.’ 45David said to him, ‘You have come to fight against me with a sword, a knife and a spear. But I come to fight against you with the authority of the Lord Almighty. He is the God who leads Israel's army, and you have insulted him!
Read all of 1 Samuel 171 Samuel 17:43 word by word
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי֙ אֶל־דָּוִ֔ד הֲכֶ֣לֶב אָנֹ֔כִי כִּֽי־אַתָּ֥ה בָֽא־אֵלַ֖י בַּמַּקְל֑וֹת וַיְקַלֵּ֧ל הַפְּלִשְׁתִּ֛י אֶת־דָּוִ֖ד בֵּאלֹהָֽיו׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And the Philistineפְּלִשְׁתִּיpelishtîy · PhilistineH6430
- saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- unto Davidדָּוִדdâvid dâvîyd · DavidH1732
- I a dogכֶּ֫לֶבkeleb · dogH3611
- that thou comestבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
- to me with stavesמַקֵּלmaqqêl maqqelâh · rodH4731
- cursedקָלַלqâlal · to lightenH7043
- by his godsאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
Cross-references for 1 Samuel 17:43
- 1 Samuel 24:14You are Israel's king. So why are you chasing after someone like me? I am less important than a dead dog or a little fly!
- 2 Samuel 3:8Abner was very angry because of what Ish-Bosheth had said to him. Abner said, ‘Do you think that I am a useless dog that belongs to Judah? I have always been faithful to your father Saul and to his family and his friends. I have not deceived you to put you under David's power. But now you say that I am guilty of a sin with this woman.
- 2 Samuel 9:8Mephibosheth bent his body low. He said, ‘I am your servant, no better than a dead dog. I do not deserve that you should be so kind to me.’
- 2 Samuel 16:9Then Zeruiah's son, Abishai, said to the king, ‘This man is only a useless dog! He must not curse you, my lord the king. I should go and cut off his head!’
- 2 Kings 8:13Hazael said, ‘I am only an ordinary man, sir. I am not more important than a dog! How could I ever do great things like that?’ Elisha answered, ‘The Lord has shown me that you will become the king of Syria.’
- Genesis 27:29May the people of many nations serve you. May they respect you as their master. You will rule over your brothers. Yes, your mother's sons will bend down to respect you. May God curse anyone who curses you. And may he bless anyone who blesses you.’
- Numbers 22:6They are more powerful than I am. Come here and put a curse on them. If you do that, maybe I will win against them. Then I can chase them away from our land. I know that you have the authority to bless people or to curse them.’
- Judges 9:27They went out of the city to pick grapes in their fields. They squeezed the grapes to make wine. They went to the temple of their god and they had a party. They ate a lot of food and they drank a lot of wine. At their party, they cursed Abimelech.
- Proverbs 26:2If someone curses you for no reason, it will not stay with you. Their words will be like birds that never stop to rest.
Commentaries on 1 Samuel 17:43
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 43Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? - It is very likely that Goliath did not perceive the sling, which David might have kept coiled up within his hand. Cursed David by his gods - Prayed his gods to curse him. This long parley between David and Goliath is quite in the style of those times. A Hindoo sometimes in a fit of anger says to his enemy, The goddess Kalee shall devour thee! May Doorga destroy thee! Homer's heroes have generally an…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 40-47Verses 40-47 The security and presumption of fools destroy them. Nothing can excel the humility, faith, and piety which appear in David's words. He expressed his assured expectation of success; he gloried in his mean appearance and arms, that the victory might be ascribed to the Lord alone.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 43a dog: This phrase is a metaphor (a word picture) for a low-status servant who bows and obeys others. Goliath used it to insult David and treat him as worthless (see 2 Samuel 9:8). sticks: David had hidden his sling. Goliath could see only David’s staff, so he thought David was coming with a simple weapon. by his gods: Goliath called on his gods, so David's win would also show God's victory over Dagon, the main god of the Philistines (see 1 Samuel 5:2, 5).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 42-4742-47. the Philistine said ... said David to the Philistine--When the two champions met, they generally made each of them a speech, and sometimes recited some verses, filled with allusions and epithets of the most opprobrious kind, hurling contempt and defiance at one another. This kind of abusive dialogue is common among the Arab combatants still. David's speech, however, presents a striking contrast to the usual strain of these invectives. It was full…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Samuel 17:43
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 1 Samuel 17
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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