2 Samuel 16:9

9 And Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, said to the king, Why curseth this dog, that shall die, my lord the king? I shall go, and I shall gird off his head. (And Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, said to the king, Why let this dead dog curse my lord the king? I shall go, and I shall cut off his head!)

2 Samuel 16:9 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 16:9

Then said Abishai the son of Zeruiah unto the king
A sister's son of his, and a general in the army, who could not bear to hear the king abused in this manner:

why should this dead dog curse my lord the king?
be suffered to do it with impunity; a "dog" he calls him, because of his vileness and baseness, and because of his impudence, and on account of his reproachful and abusive language, aptly signified by the snarling and barking of a dog; and a "dead" dog, as being useless, detestable, and abominable:

let me go over, I pray thee, and take off his head;
go over the plain where David and his men were, to the hill on which Shimei was, and strike off his head with his sword; which he could easily do, and soon put an end to his cursing.

2 Samuel 16:9 In-Context

7 And Shimei spake thus, when he cursed the king, Go out, go out, thou man of bloods, that is, the shedder out of much guiltless blood, and man of Belial!

8 The Lord hath yielded to thee all the blood of the house of Saul, for thou hast ravished the realm from him (for thou hast stolen the kingdom from him); and the Lord hath given the realm into the hand of Absalom, thy son; and lo! thine evils oppress thee, for thou art a man of bloods.

9 And Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, said to the king, Why curseth this dog, that shall die, my lord the king? I shall go, and I shall gird off his head. (And Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, said to the king, Why let this dead dog curse my lord the king? I shall go, and I shall cut off his head!)

10 And the king said, Ye sons of Zeruiah, what is (it) to me and to you? Suffer ye him, that he curse (But the king said, Ye sons of Zeruiah, what is it to me, or to you? Allow ye him to curse me); forsooth the Lord hath commanded to him, that he should curse David; and who is he that dare say, Why did he so?

11 And the king said to Abishai, and to all his servants, Lo! my son, that went out of my womb, seeketh my life; how much more now this son of Benjamin? Suffer ye him, that he curse (me) by [the] commandment of the Lord;