(17:4) A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span.
The term “champion” (ʾîš-habbēnayim) literally means “the man between two [armies].”[] He was the man an army would in single-man combat to decide the fate of the battle.
The Masoretic Text states that Goliath is six cubits and a span (NASB). This would make him 9 feet 9 inches tall. We should consider several observations:
First, many texts state that Goliath wasn’t this tall. The Septuagint, the Dead Sea Scrolls (4QSama), and Josephus (Antiquities 6.171) all state that Goliath was four cubits and a span (or 6 feet 9 inches tall). Textual scholars of the OT have long recognized that the text of Samuel is difficult—especially when it comes to the transmission of numbers. If so, this would mean that Goliath was simply tall—not 9 feet tall. The difficulty with holding this view is the fact that Goliath’s armor and weapons are enormous (e.g. 200 lbs armor and a 15 lbs spearhead!).
Second, others argue that Goliath may have had a medical condition that gave him his massive height. Two medical conditions lead to extreme sizes in humans: (1) gigantism and (2) acromegaly. Several people throughout history have grown to extreme heights as a result of gigantism (e.g. Potsdam Giants, Daniel Cajanus, Andre the Giant, Robert Wadlow, John Middleton). While gigantism and acromegaly often lead to clumsy and uncoordinated people (e.g. Robert Wadlow), this is not always the case. The soldiers in the Potsdam Giants, Andre the Giant, and Big Show are all examples of incredibly strong and coordinated men who were highly athletic. Furthermore, Goliath isn’t depicted as a coordinated warrior. David’s agility and skill may have helped him in this physical contest.
Third, and finally, the biblical account is far more plausible than other religions. Giants exist across the spectrum of world religions. Jainism teaches that different eras in history result in humans being as small as two feet tall and as large as six miles tall! In Norse mythology, Ymir (the grandfather of Odin) was so large that the Planet Earth is made of his corpse. The biblical descriptions pale in comparison.
(17:5) He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels.
5,000 shekels would be roughly 125 pounds.[]
(17:6) On his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back.
“Greaves” protected his shins.
(17:7) His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer went ahead of him.
A “weaver’s rod” had a cord tied around it, so that it could be thrown farther and more accurately.[] Goliath had additional weapons that are not mentioned here (e.g. his sword, v.45). This is the “longest description of military attire in the Old Testament.” The goal of these details is to demonstrate that Goliath was “invincible.”[] Yet, Bergen adds, “The reader has just been warned against paying undue attention to outward appearances. The detailed description of Goliath’s external advantages here suggests that chap. 17 was intended in part to serve as an object lesson in the theology of the previous chapter (cf. 16:7).”[]
(17:8) Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me.”
Goliath was looking at this battle from a humanistic perspective. He calls the soldiers “servants of Saul,” rather than servants of God.
(17:9) “If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.”
This is an example from the ancient world of “representative warfare.” Just as Menelaus fought Paris (Homer Iliad bk. 3), these sort of acts “were not uncommon in ancient times.”[] Of course, as we see in this account, there was often a lack of sincerity in following through on the agreement.
(17:10) Then the Philistine said, “This day I defy the armies of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.”
Again, Goliath’s fatal flaw was that he was focusing on fighting a “man,” not God himself.
(17:11) On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.
Every soldier in Israel was looking at this battle from a humanistic perspective as well. Consequently, they were “dismayed and terrified.” They were all trusting in self-effort and their own adequacy, rather than in the power of God.
Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 695.
Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 695.
Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 696.
Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 190.
Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 190.
Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 693.
James is an elder at Dwell Community Church, where he teaches classes in theology, apologetics, and weekly Bible studies.
