“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.”
My Notes
What Does 1 Samuel 17:43 Mean?
"Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves?" Goliath is insulted. The Philistine champion — nine feet tall, armored head to toe, carrying a spear like a weaver's beam — is confronted by a boy with a stick and a sling. The insult isn't the confrontation. It's the disrespect of the weapon choice. You came with STAVES? A stick? Against ME?
The curse — "the Philistine cursed David by his gods" — means Goliath invokes his deities against David. The battle is framed as gods-versus-God: Goliath calls on Dagon (or whoever his gods were). David will call on the LORD of hosts (verse 45). The military confrontation is simultaneously a theological contest. The weapons are secondary. The gods behind the weapons are primary.
Goliath's contempt for David's equipment is the giant's blindness: he evaluates the threat based on the visible armament and misses the invisible advantage. The boy with the staves carries the name of the LORD of hosts. The stick is irrelevant. The God behind the boy is everything.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What giant dismisses you because of your visible equipment?
- 2.How does Goliath's evaluation by appearance mirror how the world evaluates you?
- 3.What does David bringing the Name of the LORD teach about what actually wins battles?
- 4.What contempt are you facing that's actually blindness to the God behind you?
Devotional
Am I a dog? You came with sticks? Goliath is offended — not threatened. The giant looks at the shepherd boy's equipment and concludes: this is an insult, not a battle. You didn't even bring real weapons. You brought a stick.
Goliath's contempt is his blindness: he evaluates the threat by the visible equipment and misses the invisible reality. By every measurable standard — height, armor, experience, weaponry — Goliath wins. The mismatch is absurd. A professional warrior versus an amateur shepherd. Iron versus sling-stones. A spear like a weaver's beam versus a stick.
The curse by his gods adds the theological dimension: Goliath invokes supernatural power against David. The contest isn't just physical. It's spiritual. Goliath calls on his gods. David calls on the LORD of hosts — the God of Israel's armies, the Commander of heaven's forces (verse 45). The gods behind the combatants determine the outcome more than the weapons in their hands.
David's response (verses 45-47) reframes the entire encounter: you come with sword and spear. I come in the name of the LORD of hosts. The equipment list is irrelevant. The name behind the equipment is everything. The battle is the LORD's. The sword and spear are Goliath's. And the LORD outweighs the sword.
What 'Goliath' in your life evaluates you by your visible equipment and dismisses you? What giant looks at your 'staves' and says 'am I a dog?' The giant's contempt for your equipment is the giant's blindness to your God. The Name you carry outweighs the weapons you lack.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And the Philistine said unto David, am I a dog?.... Truly David did not think him much better, because of his impudence,…
Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? - It is very likely that Goliath did not perceive the sling, which David…
We are now coming near this famous combat, and have in these verses the preparations and remonstrances made on both…
Am I a dog The Sept. (B) reads: "Am I a dog that thou comest to me with a staff and stones? And David said, Nay but…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture