1 Samuel 17:43 meaning and explanation
“Am I a dog,” he said to David, “that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
1 Samuel 17:43, Berean Standard Bible
Explanation preview
Goliath speaks here, the Philistine champion facing a shepherd boy armed only with a staff and sling. His question is an insult: in the ancient Near East a dog was a scavenging animal, not a pet, so being approached with sticks feels to him like a mockery of his status as a warrior.
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