The Bible Book

116

THERE WAS NO

SWORD IN THE

HAND OF DAVID

1 SAMUEL 17:50, DAVID AND GOLIATH

T

he heroic victory of a

simple farm boy over a

giant warrior is one of the

most inspiring tales in the Bible.

As the king of the Israelites, Saul,

wavers uncertainly on the edge of

battle, David’s firm actions and his

enduring faith in God grant the

Israelites a decisive victory.

For 40 days, the Israelites have

been locked in a stalemate with the

Philistines, about 15 miles (24 km)

southwest of Jerusalem. Each

morning on the battlefield, a warrior

named Goliath emerges from the

Philistine ranks and bellows out a

challenge to the Israelites, daring

one of them to come out and fight

him. Although sources differ on his

exact height, Goliath is described

as a giant, and any man foolish

enough to fight him looks certain

to be defeated.

David is tending sheep when

his father tells him to take some

food to his older brothers, who are

serving in Saul’s army. Although

he is the youngest of his brothers,

David raises his sword to cut off

the head of Goliath in this 17th-century

painting by Guillaime Courtois. David’s

against-the-odds victory has inspired

artists throughout history.

IN BRIEF

PA S SAGE

1 Samuel 17

THEME

God’s anointing is greater

than earthly powers

SETTING

Around 1020 bce

Valley of Elah, Judah.

KEY FIGURES

David The youngest son of

Jesse of Bethlehem. He starts

off as a shepherd and rises to

become a mighty warrior and

second king of the Israelites

after the death of Saul.

Goliath A giant from Gath

who is the champion of

the Philistines.

Saul Israel’s first king, who

proves to be a weak ruler.

Samuel The last of the judges

and an important prophet who

anoints Saul and David as

Israel’s first and second kings.

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117

See also: Samson 104–07 ■ David and Bathsheba 118–19 ■ The Wisdom of Solomon 120–23 ■ The Psalms 138–43

THE HISTORICAL BOOKS

David’s potential has already been

recognized by God. As related in

1 Samuel 16, he has been secretly

anointed by Samuel to be Israel’s

next king, although David is

unaware of this at the time.

The arrival of David

When he arrives at the battlefield

and sees Goliath’s challenge going

unanswered, David is determined

to fight him. Although Saul has

offered rich rewards for anyone

brave enough to take on Goliath, at

first he tries to deter David, telling

the shepherd that Goliath “has

been a warrior from his youth”

(1 Samuel 17:33). David responds

by telling Saul how, when tending

his father’s sheep, he fought off and

killed a lion and a bear. David has

faith that, with God on his side,

taking on Goliath will not be a

problem. Armed only with his staff,

a slingshot, and five pebbles from

the bed of a stream, he goes off to

fight the Philistines’ champion.

The duel starts with Goliath

hurling curses at David, while the

latter tells the giant he is fighting

him in the name of God—whom

Goliath and the Philistines have

foolishly defied. “This day,” he says,

“the Lord will deliver you into my

hands and I’ll strike you down and

cut off your head” (17:46). As the

heavily armored Goliath advances,

David seizes his chance. Reaching

into his bag, he takes out one of the

pebbles, slips it into his slingshot,

and shoots it, striking Goliath on

the forehead. The giant falls to the

ground, and David uses Goliath’s

own sword to chop off the giant’s

head. The Philistines flee—pursued

by the Israelites, who chase them to

Gath and Ekron before returning

to plunder the Philistines’ camp.

Saul’s failings

David’s faith in God allows him to

defeat Goliath, and this story can

also be seen as evidence of Saul’s

moral deficiencies as king, as he

does not trust in God enough to

have faith in victory. Although Saul

rewards David by promoting him

to a high rank in his army, he soon

becomes jealous and begins to

plot David’s downfall. ■

Clash of champions

David and Goliath’s duel

was not the only clash of

champions in the ancient

world, although it is the only

one recorded in the Bible. In

classical Greece, champions

from Sparta and Argos fought

the so-called Battle of the

Champions in 546 bce. It

ended with both sides

claiming victory. Much later,

in around 133 bce, Scipio

Aemilianus accepted a

challenge from an Iberian

warrior parading in front

of the Roman ranks, daring

someone to fight him. Sources

say the Iberian was a giant,

while Scipio was a much

smaller man. Nevertheless,

like David, he prevailed.

In medieval times, the

notion of champions became

embedded in law. Trial by

combat was used to determine

God’s favor and thus a

person’s guilt or innocence.

Goliath’s size

varies according

to the source, but

it is likely that it

was within

human range

and the result

of a hereditary

disorder of the

pituitary gland.

Sizing up David and Goliath

10

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

M Ft

0.3

0.6

0.9

1.2

1.5

1.8

2.1

2.4

2.7

3.0

You come against me

with sword and spear

and javelin, but I come

against you in the name

of the Lord Almighty.

1 Samuel 17:45

Goliath The height

of Goliath according

to the Dead Sea

Scrolls, Septuagint,

and Josephus.

David The

average height

of an Israelite,

according to

archaeology

Goliath The

height of Goliath

according to

Masoretic text.

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