God’s Word Translation
2 Samuel 9:8
8Mephibosheth bowed down ⌞again⌟ and answered, “Who am I that you would look at a dead dog like me?”
2 Samuel 9:8 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?
- New International Version (NIV)Mephibosheth bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?”
- English Standard Version (ESV)And he paid homage and said, "What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?"
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then he bowed himself, and said, “What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?”
Context of 2 Samuel 9:8
6When Mephibosheth (son of Jonathan and grandson of Saul) came to David, he quickly bowed down with his face touching the ground. “Mephibosheth!” David said to him. “Yes, sir,” he answered. 7“Don’t be afraid,” David told him, “I will certainly show you kindness for your father Jonathan’s sake. I will give back to you all the land of your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.” Mephibosheth bowed down ⌞again⌟ and answered, “Who am I that you would look at a dead dog like me?” 9Then the king called for Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “I have given your master’s grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. 10You, your sons, and your servants should farm the land for him and harvest ⌞the crops⌟ so that your master’s family will have food to eat. However, your master’s grandson Mephibosheth will always eat at my table.” (Ziba had 15 sons and 20 servants.)
Read all of 2 Samuel 92 Samuel 9:8 word by word
וַיִּשְׁתַּ֕חוּ וַיֹּ֖אמֶר מֶ֣ה עַבְדֶּ֑ךָ כִּ֣י פָנִ֔יתָ אֶל־הַכֶּ֥לֶב הַמֵּ֖ת אֲשֶׁ֥ר כָּמֽוֹנִי׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for 2 Samuel 9:8
- 2 Samuel 3:8Ishbosheth’s question made Abner very angry. “Have I been behaving like some Judean dog?” he asked. “Until now I’ve been faithful to your father Saul’s family, to his relatives and friends, and I haven’t handed you over to David. But now you charge me with a crime because of this woman.
- 2 Samuel 16:9Abishai, Zeruiah’s son, asked the king, “Why should this dead dog curse you, Your Majesty? Let me go over there and tear off his head.”
- 1 Samuel 24:14Against whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom are you pursuing? A dead dog? One flea?
- 1 Samuel 26:20Don’t let my blood fall to the ground, away from the Lord’s presence. The king of Israel has come to search for one flea like someone hunting a partridge in the hills.”
- Matthew 15:26Jesus replied, “It’s not right to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.”
Commentaries on 2 Samuel 9:8
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8Mephibosheth‘s humility of expression, even in the mouth of an Oriental, is painful. It was perhaps in part the result of his helpless lameness, and of the other misfortunes of his life. A dead dog - The wild dogs of the East, which still abound in every town, are the natural objects of contempt and dislike.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8a dead dog like me: Mephibosheth understood that anyone who might claim the throne could be killed as a potential threat to the king.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-122Sa 9:1-12. David Sends for Mephibosheth. 1-7. David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul--On inquiry, Saul's land steward was found, who gave information that there still survived Mephibosheth, a son of Jonathan who was five years old at his father's death, and whom David, then wandering in exile, had never seen. His lameness (2Sa 4:4) had prevented him from taking any part in the public contests of the time. Besides, according to…Read the comment
Topics related to 2 Samuel 9:8
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 2 Samuel 9
- 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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
Commentaries