KJV ORIGINAL
And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE
And he bowed down low and said, 'What is your servant, that you would show kindness to someone as worthless as a dead dog like me?'
⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE
This verse shows someone expressing deep humility and unworthiness when receiving unexpected kindness from someone in power.
📚 Historical Context
This is Mephibosheth speaking to King David after being summoned to the palace. Mephibosheth was the disabled son of Jonathan (David's best friend) and grandson of former King Saul, who had tried to kill David. In that culture, new kings often eliminated the previous royal family to prevent future claims to the throne, so Mephibosheth expected death, not kindness.
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