He: because it may be possible to misunderstand the reference of this pronoun, it may be better to replace it by the name, Mephibosheth. This is done by New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, and Revised English Bible as well as Good News Translation. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh also does this, but it puts the name in brackets.
Did obeisance: since Mephibosheth had already bowed down to the king (see verse 6 above where the verb is the same), Good News Translation here adds the word “again.” While it is hardly common language, the verb “grovel” used by Anchor Bible captures the meaning well.
Your servant: this is once again an indirect way used by Mephibosheth to refer to himself. In most languages it will be better to use the first person singular pronoun. The respect shown by the use of this expression is conveyed in Good News Translation by the addition of the word “sir.”
A dead dog: in the Old Testament dogs were not seen as favorably as in certain cultures today. To refer to someone else as a dog was a very serious insult (see 2 Sam 16.9; compare also 1 Sam 17.43; 24.14; and 2 Sam 3.8). If a person calls himself a dog, this is a way of showing his self-humiliation. The addition of the adjective “dead” simply adds to the degradation. In some languages it will be more meaningful to say something like “I am as worthless as a dead dog.”
In some languages the structure of this verse will need to be altered as in Good News Translation, giving first the statement of self-debasement as a separate sentence and then the expression of astonishment at the gracious act of the king. This expression may or may not be in the form of a question as in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. It is possible to say “I am amazed that you are so kind to me!” or “It is astonishing that you even pay attention to me!”
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .