The Philistines camp between Socoh and Azekah; Israel in the valley of Elah. "There went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span" (four cubits and a span in other witnesses). He wears a bronze helmet, a coat of scale armor of 5,000 shekels, bronze greaves and a bronze javelin; his spear shaft is "like a weaver's beam" with an iron head of 600 shekels. "Choose you a man for you… if he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants."
David, sent by Jesse with grain and bread for his brothers, hears the challenge. "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" To Saul: "Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear… The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion… he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine." He tries Saul's armor and takes it off: "I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them."
He chooses five smooth stones from the brook. "Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves?" "Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts… that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel… for the battle is the LORD's." The stone sinks into Goliath's forehead; he falls on his face. David takes Goliath's sword and cuts off his head. The Philistines flee to Gath and Ekron.
Two editions of the story
The oldest Greek (Codex Vaticanus type, which the library's French Septuagint follows) lacks about 45% of the Hebrew of chapters 17–18: David's arrival with food (17:12–31), Saul's question "whose son is this?" (17:55–18:5), the Merab marriage (18:17–19) and other verses. Emanuel Tov and others argue the Greek translated a shorter Hebrew edition, and the Masoretic Text combined it with a second version of David's introduction. Others think the translator shortened the story to remove tensions. See the investigation.
How tall was Goliath? (17:4)
| Witness | Height |
|---|---|
| Masoretic Text, Vulgate, KJV | Six cubits and a span (about 2.9 m, 9 ft 6 in) |
| 4QSam-a (Qumran) | Four cubits and a span (about 2 m, 6 ft 9 in) |
| Library's Greek (Giguet) | Four cubits and a span |
| Josephus, Antiquities 6.171 | Four cubits and a span |
Conversions use a cubit of about 45 cm and a span of about 22 cm; ancient cubits varied. Both heights describe a very large warrior. This is a separate question from the two editions.
The armor
Goliath's scale armor, greaves and crested helmet resemble Aegean and Sea Peoples' equipment shown at Medinet Habu; scale armor is also known from Egypt and Nuzi. His spear "like a weaver's beam" may describe a javelin with a cord and loop, as Yigael Yadin proposed.
The sling
Slingers were a deadly part of ancient armies; sling stones are found by the hundreds at sites such as Lachish. A trained slinger could hit a target at speed and range. Judges 20:16 mentions Benjaminite slingers who "could sling stones at an hair breadth."
The Case for the Biblical Account
Scripture's account
David kills the Philistine champion Goliath (1 Samuel 17).
What evidence would we expect?
Philistine Gath; the Elah valley as a frontier; single combat as a practice; sling warfare.
The discoveries
Gath at Tell es-Safi, a large Philistine city in the 11th–9th centuries BC; Khirbet Qeiyafa above the Elah valley; a Gath ostracon with names "alwt" and "wlt" (10th–9th century BC); single combat in Egyptian (Sinuhe) and Greek (Iliad) sources.
Testing the discoveries
The setting is strongly supported. The Gath ostracon names are etymologically similar to Goliath but do not name him.
The strongest reconstruction
A tradition of David's victory over a Philistine champion of Gath, told in two editions.
What remains possible
2 Samuel 21:19 credits Elhanan with killing Goliath of Gath; 1 Chronicles 20:5 says Elhanan killed Goliath's brother. Explanations include two Goliaths, a scribal error, or transfer of the deed to David.
What the evidence shows
- Gath is Tell es-Safi.Source: A. M. Maeir et al., Tell es-Safi/Gath excavations; the "alwt/wlt" ostracon (2005)
- 4QSam-a, the Greek and Josephus give Goliath four cubits and a span.Source: NET Bible, textual notes on 1 Samuel 17 ↗; F. M. Cross, D. W. Parry, R. J. Saley and E. Ulrich, Qumran Cave 4.XII: 1–2 Samuel (DJD XVII, 2005)
- An inscription from Gath names Goliath. The ostracon has similar names, not Goliath.
- The shorter Greek reflects an earlier Hebrew edition.Source: E. Tov, "The Composition of 1 Samuel 16–18 in the Light of the Septuagint" (1999) ↗
- "The battle is the LORD's."
Continue the journey
Journey of a Passage1 Samuel 17–18: David and Goliath: the short and long editionsThe oldest Greek of 1 Samuel 17–18 lacks about 45% of the Hebrew, including David's arrival with food (17:12–31), Saul's question "whose son is this?" (17:55–18:5), Saul's first spear (18:10–11) and the Merab marriage (18:17–19).More from this lesson
Investigations
Optional deep dives: the ancient sources, the physical evidence, and every interpretation side by side, including unconventional ones, each labeled for what it is.
Goliath of GathGath: strongly supported · Goliath: not attested outside the Bible · Height: disputed
What does archaeology show about Gath and Goliath, and how tall was he?
Gath is identified with Tell es-Safi, one of the largest cities of the region in the 10th–9th centuries BC. An ostracon found there in 2005 bears two names, alwt and wlt, linguistically similar to Goliath; it does not name him. Goliath's height is six cubits and a span in the Hebrew, four and a span in 4QSam-a, the Greek and Josephus. 2 Samuel 21:19 credits Elhanan with killing Goliath.
Open the full investigation →Khirbet Qeiyafa and the Eshbaal InscriptionSite and date: documented · Political identity: disputed · Eshbaal = Saul's son: no
Does a fortified town of about 1000 BC, with a jar naming "Eshbaal," tell us about Saul and David?
Khirbet Qeiyafa, above the Elah valley, is a fortified town dated by radiocarbon to about 1020–980 BC. Its excavators identify it with Shaarayim and see it as part of an early Judahite kingdom. A jar inscription names "Eshbaal son of Beda." It is not Saul's son Eshbaal, but it shows the name was used in this period. Who built Qeiyafa is disputed.
Open the full investigation →Echoes Across Civilizations
Optional: how other ancient peoples told similar stories. Open one to compare, then come back to the lesson.
Giants, Watchers, and heavenly beingsJewish (Second Temple) · Mesopotamia · Greece
What did other cultures say about beings between heaven and earth?
- Jewish (Second Temple): 1 Enoch, the Book of the Watchers Shared literary world
- Mesopotamia: The Apkallu (the seven sages) Shared literary world
- Greece: Titans, Giants, and demigod heroes Resemblance only
Also covered: Ancient-astronaut interpretations, clearly labeled as a modern theory.
Compare side by side →Single combat between championsEgyptian · Greek · Israelite
Did other ancient peoples settle battles by a duel between two champions?
- Egyptian: The Story of Sinuhe Shared literary world
- Greek: The Iliad: Paris and Menelaus, Hector and Ajax Resemblance only
- Israelite: Twelve against twelve Possible historical contact
Why this matters to the rest of Scripture
- Elhanan and Goliath of Gath.
- "Lahmi the brother of Goliath."
- "Which teacheth my hands to war."
- "We were in our own sight as grasshoppers."
- Goliath's sword at Nob.