1 Samuel 17:43
New International Version
He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

New Living Translation
“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.

English Standard Version
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.

Berean Standard Bible
“Am I a dog,” he said to David, “that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

King James Bible
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 King James Version
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.

New American Standard Bible
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 1995
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 1977
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.

Legacy Standard Bible
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.

Amplified Bible
The Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with [shepherd’s] staffs?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

Christian Standard Bible
He said to David, “Am I a dog that you come against me with sticks? ” Then he cursed David by his gods.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
He said to David, “Am I a dog that you come against me with sticks?” Then he cursed David by his gods.

American Standard Version
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.

Contemporary English Version
"Do you think I'm a dog?" Goliath asked. "Is that why you've come after me with a stick?" He cursed David in the name of the Philistine gods

English Revised Version
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.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The Philistine asked David, "Am I a dog that you come to [attack] me with sticks?" So the Philistine called on his gods to curse David.

Good News Translation
He said to David, "What's that stick for? Do you think I'm a dog?" And he called down curses from his god on David.

International Standard Version
The Philistine asked David, "Am I a dog that you come at me with sticks?" Then the Philistine cursed David by his own gods and

Majority Standard Bible
“Am I a dog,” he said to David, “that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

NET Bible
The Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you are coming after me with sticks?" Then the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

New Heart English Bible
The Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with a stick and stones? "And David said, "No, worse than a dog. "And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the Philistine said to David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staffs? and the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

World English Bible
The Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” The Philistine cursed David by his gods.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And the Philistine says to David, “Am I a dog that you are coming to me with sticks?” And the Philistine reviles David by his gods,

Young's Literal Translation
And the Philistine saith unto David, 'Am I a dog that thou art coming unto me with staves?' and the Philistine revileth David by his gods,

Smith's Literal Translation
And he of the rovers will say to David, Am I a dog that thou camnest to me with rods? and he of the rovers will curse David by his gods.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the Philistine said to David: Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with a staff? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you approach against me with a staff?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

New American Bible
He said to David, “Am I a dog that you come against me with a staff?” Then the Philistine cursed David by his gods

New Revised Standard Version
The Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And the Philistine said to David, Am I a dog, that you come to me with a staff? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And the Philistine said to David: “Am I a dog, that you come against me with a rod?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And the Philistine said unto David: 'Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves?' And the Philistine cursed David by his god.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the Philistine said to David, Am I as a dog, that thou comest against me with a staff and stones? and David said, Nay, but worse than a dog.And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
David Slays Goliath
42When the Philistine looked and saw David, he despised him because he was just a boy, ruddy and handsome. 43“Am I a dog,” he said to David, “that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44“Come here,” he called to David, “and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!”…

Cross References
1 Samuel 17:10
Then the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day! Give me a man to fight!”

1 Samuel 17:26
David asked the men who were standing with him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Just who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

1 Samuel 17:36
Your servant has killed lions and bears; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.”

1 Samuel 17:45
But David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

2 Samuel 21:21
and when he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of David’s brother Shimei killed him.

2 Kings 19:22
Whom have you taunted and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes in pride? Against the Holy One of Israel!

Isaiah 37:23
Whom have you taunted and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes in pride? Against the Holy One of Israel!

Isaiah 51:7
Listen to Me, you who know what is right, you people with My law in your hearts: Do not fear the scorn of men; do not be broken by their insults.

Psalm 44:16
at the voice of the scorner and reviler, because of the enemy, bent on revenge.

Psalm 74:18
Remember how the enemy has mocked You, O LORD, how a foolish people has spurned Your name.

Psalm 79:12
Pay back into the laps of our neighbors sevenfold the reproach they hurled at You, O Lord.

Psalm 89:51
how Your enemies have taunted, O LORD, and have mocked every step of Your anointed one!

Proverbs 3:34
He mocks the mockers, but gives grace to the humble.

Ezekiel 36:20
And wherever they went among the nations, they profaned My holy name, because it was said of them, ‘These are the people of the LORD, yet they had to leave His land.’

Matthew 27:39-44
And those who passed by heaped abuse on Him, shaking their heads / and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross!” / In the same way, the chief priests, scribes, and elders mocked Him, saying, ...


Treasury of Scripture

And the Philistine said to David, Am I a dog, that you come to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

Am

1 Samuel 24:14
After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea.

2 Samuel 3:8
Then 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?

2 Samuel 9:8
And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?

cursed

Genesis 27:29
Let 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.

Numbers 22:6,11,12
Come 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…

Judges 9:27
And 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.

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Cursed Curses David Dog Philistine Revileth Staffs Staves Sticks
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Cursed Curses David Dog Philistine Revileth Staffs Staves Sticks
1 Samuel 17
1. The armies of the Israelites and Philistines being ready to battle
4. Goliath challenges a combat
12. David, sent by his father to visit his brothers, takes the challenge
28. Eliab chides him
30. He is brought to Saul
32. shows the reason of his confidence
38. and slays the giant
55. Saul takes notice of David














Am I a dog
In ancient Near Eastern cultures, dogs were often seen as unclean and despised animals, unlike the domesticated pets we know today. The Philistine's rhetorical question underscores his disdain and incredulity at being confronted by someone he perceives as insignificant. The Hebrew word for "dog" (כֶּלֶב, kelev) is used here metaphorically to express contempt. This phrase highlights the Philistine's arrogance and sets the stage for the dramatic reversal of expectations that God often orchestrates in Scripture.

he said to David
This phrase marks the direct confrontation between Goliath and David. The Philistine's words are not just a personal insult but a challenge to the God of Israel. David, a young shepherd, represents the people of God, and his encounter with Goliath is a microcosm of the larger spiritual battle between the forces of God and the pagan world. The narrative invites readers to consider the power of faith and divine providence over human strength and weaponry.

that you come at me with sticks?
The word "sticks" (מַקְלוֹת, maklot) refers to David's shepherd's staff, which Goliath perceives as a laughable weapon against his own formidable armor and weaponry. This phrase emphasizes the contrast between human expectations and divine reality. While Goliath sees only a stick, David's true weapon is his faith in God. This moment foreshadows the biblical theme that God often uses the weak and humble to confound the strong and proud.

And the Philistine cursed David by his gods
The act of cursing by his gods (אֱלֹהָיו, elohav) reveals the Philistine's reliance on his deities for victory. In the ancient world, battles were often seen as contests between the gods of the respective nations. This curse is not merely a verbal insult but a spiritual invocation, calling upon the Philistine deities to defeat David. However, this sets the stage for the demonstration of the power of the one true God, Yahweh, who will deliver David and Israel. This phrase serves as a reminder of the futility of idolatry and the supremacy of the God of Israel.

(43) Am I a dog?--The Philistine warrior--as the shepherd boy, all unarmed, drew near--rose apparently, for he was seated, as was often the custom with these heavily-clad warriors of antiquity when not actually engaged in combat, and coming towards David, taunted him and his cause with the most contemptuous expressions. "Am I a dog," he asked--and dogs are animals held in many parts of the East in great contempt--"that you come against me with sticks and staves?" The LXX. missed the force of this plural "of contempt," and altering the text, translates "with staff and with stones."

By his gods.--This should be rendered by his God. No doubt the idolator here made use of the sacred Name, so dear to every believing Israelite, thus defying the Eternal of Hosts.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“Am I
אָנֹ֔כִי (’ā·nō·ḵî)
Pronoun - first person common singular
Strong's 595: I

a dog,”
הֲכֶ֣לֶב (hă·ḵe·leḇ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3611: A dog, a male prostitute

he
הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי֙ (hap·pə·liš·tî)
Article | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 6430: Philistines -- inhabitants of Philistia

said
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

David,
דָּוִ֔ד (dā·wiḏ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1732: David -- perhaps 'beloved one', a son of Jesse

“that
כִּֽי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

you
אַתָּ֥ה (’at·tāh)
Pronoun - second person masculine singular
Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you

come
בָֽא־ (ḇā-)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

at me
אֵלַ֖י (’ê·lay)
Preposition | first person common singular
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

with sticks?”
בַּמַּקְל֑וֹת (bam·maq·lō·wṯ)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 4731: A shoot, stick

And the Philistine
הַפְּלִשְׁתִּ֛י (hap·pə·liš·tî)
Article | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 6430: Philistines -- inhabitants of Philistia

cursed
וַיְקַלֵּ֧ל (way·qal·lêl)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7043: To be slight, swift or trifling

David
דָּוִ֖ד (dā·wiḏ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1732: David -- perhaps 'beloved one', a son of Jesse

by his gods.
בֵּאלֹהָֽיו׃ (bê·lō·hāw)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative


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OT History: 1 Samuel 17:43 The Philistine said to David Am (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa)
1 Samuel 17:42
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