Sticks: the reference is to David’s shepherd’s staff mentioned in verse 40.

A dog: in the Old Testament dogs were not seen as favorably as in certain cultures today. To refer to someone as a dog was a very serious insult (see also the references to dogs in 24.14 and 2 Sam 16.9). If a person calls himself or herself a dog, this is a way of showing self-humiliation. But Goliath’s question really means that he thinks David is insulting him. He thought that, when David came toward him with a stick in hand, he was not taking Goliath seriously. So he was deeply offended.

Cursed David by his gods: the pronoun his refers to Goliath. Though Good News Translation and Revised English Bible say “god” in the singular, the Hebrew should probably be rendered with a plural, as in Revised Standard Version (also New Revised Standard Version and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). Some other possible models for this part of the verse are “He cursed David in the name of the Philistine gods” (Contemporary English Version) or “he used his gods’ names to curse David” (New Century Version). The English word curse often means “to use vulgar and offensive words.” In this context, however, the meaning is that Goliath called upon his gods, asking them to do harm to David.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .