2 Samuel 9:8
6 And when Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he fell facedown in reverence. Then David said, “Mephibosheth!” “I am your servant,” he replied.
7 “Do not be afraid,” said David, “for surely I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.”
Mephibosheth bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog like me?”
9 Then the king summoned Saul’s servant Ziba and said to him, “I have given to your master’s grandson all that belonged to Saul and to all his house.
10 You and your sons and servants are to work the ground for him and bring in the harvest, so that your master’s grandson may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth, your master’s grandson, is always to eat at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- Mephibosheth bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog like me?”
- KJV
- And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?
- WEB
- He bowed down, and said, “What is your servant, that you should look at such a dead dog as I am?”
- ASV
- And he did obeisance, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?
- DARBY
- And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?
- BLB
- And he bowed low and said, “What [is] your servant, that you should look upon a dead dog such as I?”
- ÅB
- Da kastet han seg ned og sa: Hva er din tjener, at du lar ditt øye falle på en død hund som meg?
- OTB
- Og han kastet seg ned og sa, "Hva er din tjener, at du skulle se på en død hund som meg?"
- B1930
- Da kastet han sig ned og sa: Hvad er din tjener, at du lar ditt øie falle på en død hund som mig?
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
2 Samuel 16:9
Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut off his head!”
Read in contextMatthew 15:26–27
But Jesus replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”
Read in context1 Samuel 24:14–15
Against whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom are you pursuing? A dead dog? A flea?
Read in context2 Samuel 3:8
Abner was furious over Ish-bosheth’s accusation. “Am I the head of a dog that belongs to Judah?” he asked. “All this time I have been loyal to the house of your father Saul, to his brothers, and to his friends. I have not delivered you into the hand of David, but now you accuse me of wrongdoing with this woman!
Read in context1 Samuel 26:20
So do not let my blood fall to the ground far from the presence of the LORD. For the king of Israel has come out to look for a flea, like one who hunts a partridge in the mountains.”
Read in context