The Bible Book

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.

US_116-117_David_and_Goliath.indd 117 21/09/17 11:30 am