goliath 2 samuel 21 19. the most well-known giant in history is goliath from the bible he was a champion from the philistine camp who fought as an armored cherioteer a champion named goliath who was from gath came out of the philistine camp his height was six cubits and a span first samuel 17 4. we don't know what that information means at face value because we don't measure things in qubits or spans we measure them in feet and inches so let us put it in layman's terms goliath was a mass of man standing at least nine feet nine inches tall and when you consider the length of his arms when he lifted them up over his head you can imagine what an imposing creature he must have been it wasn't just his size though he had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing 5 000 shekels on his legs he wore bronze greaves and a bronze javelin was slung on his back his spear shaft was like a weaver's rod and its iron point weighed 600 shekels his shield bearer went ahead of him first samuel 17 5-7 an iv he was dressed in what we'd call a male coat the philistines warmed up by donning a large canvas-like undergarment with overlapping bronze ringlets from shoulder to knee this coat of mail shielded the wearer from the enemy's weapons body armor of this size and type weighed 5 000 shekels of bronze which equates to between 175 and 200 pounds in modern terms the armor only included the coat of mail goliath on the other hand wore a bronze helmet bronze leggings greaves to protect his shins and carried a bronze javelin or spear slung between his shoulders the head of his spear alone weighed 600 shackles of iron or about 20 to 25 pounds according to the written account he marched ahead of him with a shield carrier the hebrew word used here refers to the largest battle shield which is the size of an adult man it was unmistakably intended to protect his body from incoming arrows so in addition to his body armor goliath had this guy racing ahead of him wielding a man-sized shield for extra protection allow your mind to picture such an imposing sight for a moment consider how terrifying it would have been to take on a giant of this size who is protected by this much armor without a doubt the odds are stacked against anyone foolish enough to confront him in battle take note of what this gigantic warrior did 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 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 samuel 17 8-9 goliath proposed a popular strategy in eastern civilization namely representative combat or one-on-one conflict he'd represent the philistine army while israel's choice would represent the israelite army and whoever lost his entire army perished there's no reason to involve your entire army in this just send a fighter and i'll fight him i am the victor i am the best goliath did not issue this challenge once and then disappear no this challenge lasted 40 days for 40 days the philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand first samuel 17-16 he marched out there every morning and evening for well over a month flaunting his size and strength daring someone to challenge him meanwhile in the judean mountains near bethlehem a young boy named david was tending to his father's sheep he was much too young to join the army in reality david was much likely unaware of the conflict between the israelites and the philistines at that time he might not have even heard of goliath his only knowledge was that three of his older brothers were serving in saul's army on the other hand david's father was concerned about his three eldest sons jesse was getting older and would probably be unable to complete the journey across the mountains on his own so he called his youngest and told him david i need you to run an errand for me take now for your brothers and ifa of this roasted grain and these ten loafs and run to the camp to your brothers bring also these 10 cuts of cheese to the commander of their thousand and look into the welfare of your brothers and bring back news of them first samuel 17 17 and 18 and david rose up early in the morning and left the sheep with a keeper and took and went as jesse had commanded him and he came to the trench as the host was going forth to the fight and shouted for the battle first samuel 17 20.
then as he approaches the outskirts of the israeli camp he notices the troops preparing for battle and hears the war cry he simply wants to observe and see what happens then david dashed to the front lines to greet his brothers leaving his luggage in the care of the baggage handler david left his things with the keeper of supplies ran to the battle lines and asked his brothers how they were as he was talking with them goliath the philistine champion from gath stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance and david heard it first samuel 17 22-23 consider the following scenario while standing there with his three brothers david hears a loud cry from across the valley and instantly everyone in his immediate vicinity is sprinting to the back and crawling inside their tents and all the men of israel when they saw the man fled from him and were sore afraid 1st samuel 17 24 keep in mind that david has never seen or heard of this gaff giant's challenge as he looks across the battlefield he sees a giant of a man covered in armor shouting threats in defiance and cursing the god of israel and david was enraged by this remember this is the 41st day that the israelites have faced goliath but this is the first time it has happened to david then david spoke to the men who were standing by him and saying what will be done for the man who kills this philistine and takes away the reproach from israel for who is this uncircumcised philistine that he should taunt the armies of the living god and the people answered him in accord with his word saying thus it will be done for the man who kills him first samuel 17 26-27 david then meets king saul david said to saul let no one lose heart on account of this philistine your servant will go and fight him saul replied you are not able to go out against this philistine and fight him you are only a young man and he has been a warrior from his youth but david said to saul your servant has been keeping his father's sheep when a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock i went after it struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth when it turned on me i seized it by its hair struck it and killed it your servant has killed both the lion and the bear this uncircumcised philistine will be like one of them because he has defied the armies of the living god the lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this philistine saul said to david go and the lord will be with you then saul dressed david in his own tunic he put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head david fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around because he was not used to them i cannot go in these he said to saul because i am not used to them so he took them off then he took a staff in his hand chose five smooth stones from the stream put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag and with his sling in his hand approached the philistine 1st samuel 17 32-40 so here's david dressed in his most basic shepherd robes and armed with his most basic shepherd weapons his sling and his staff and ready to fight then there's the watershed moment meanwhile the philistine with a shield bearer in front of him kept coming closer to david he looked david over and saw that he was a little more than a boy glowing with health and handsome and he despised him he said to david am i a dog that you come at me with sticks and the philistine cursed david by his gods come here he said and i'll give your flesh to the birds and of the wild animals david said to the philistine you come against me with sword and spear and javelin but i come against you in the name of the lord almighty the god of the armies of israel whom you have defied this day the lord will deliver you into my hands and i will strike you down and cut off your head this very day i will give the carcasses of the philistine army to the birds and of the wild animals and the whole world will know that there is a god in israel first samuel 17 41-46 consider the possibilities david remained unafraid in the face of this monstrous beast david's only weapons were a sling in a stone against a giant clad in 200 pounds of armor one stone shot through the air with a whoosh whoosh and that was the end of it goliath was reduced to a size of a bag of rocks all those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the lord saves for the battle is the lord's he will give all of you into our hands as the philistine moved closer to attack him david ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him reaching into his bag and taking out a stone he slung it and struck the philistine on his forehead stone sank into his forehead and he fell face down on the ground so david triumphed over the philistine with a sling and a stone without a sword in his hand he struck down the philistine and killed him david ran and stood over him he took hold of the philistine sword and drew it from the sheath after he killed him he cut off his head with the sword when the philistines saw that their hero was dead they turned and ran first samuel 17 47-51 the philistines did not return after that when they realized their champion was no longer alive they split the scene then the men of israel and judah surged forward with a shout and pursued the philistines to the entrance of gath into the gates of akron their dead were strewn along the sheram road to gath and ekron when the israelites returned from chasing the philistines they plundered their camp first samuel 17 52-53 then david brought the head of the philistine to jerusalem david took the philistines head and brought it to jerusalem he put the philistines weapons in his own tent first samuel 17 54 biblical story of david and goliath is one of the most well-known stories in the bible it is a lesson in bravery faith and overcoming the seemingly impossible was goliath a nephilim some scholars believe that goliath the git a gath resident belonged to a race known as the nephilim other experts argue that goliath was a rapha because the nephilim were destroyed in the great flood during noah's time only noah's family survived nearly 20 times in the bible the nephites are mentioned deuteronomy 2 11 and deuteronomy 20 22 joshua 12 4 deuteronomy 3 11-13 for only ogh king of bashan remained of the remnant of giants behold his bedstead was a bedstead of iron is it not in rabbith of the children of aemon nine cubits was the length thereof and four cubits the breadth of it after the cubit of a man and this land which we possessed at that time from aror which is by the river arnan and half mount gilead in the cities thereof gave eye unto the reubenites and to the gadites and the rest of gilead in all bashan being the kingdom of ag gave eye unto the half tribe of manasseh all the region of argob with al-bashan which was called the land of giants some scholars believed the philistines descended from the anakim goliath's champion status is enhanced by the fact that gath was an ancient anakim stronghold some scientists believe goliath has an identifiable family tree implying autosomal dominant inheritance which causes familial acromegaly or giantism in biblical times goliath was a colossal figure the relations of goliath there are also other giants mentioned in 2nd samuel 21 15-22 and first chronicles 20 4-8 who were related to goliath in the bible second samuel 21 15-22 moreover the philistines had yet war again with israel and david went down in his servants with him and fought against the philistines and david waxed faint andish bibanob which was one of the sons of the giant the weight of whose spear weighed 300 shackles of brass and weight he being girded with a new sword thought to have slain david but abhishe the son of juriah secured him and smote the philistine and killed him then the men of david swore unto him saying thou shalt go no more out with us to battle that thou quenched not the light of israel and it came to pass after this that there was again a battle with the philistines at gobe then sibicai the hush athite slew saf which was of the sons of the giant and there was again a battle in gobe with the philistines where alhannon the son of terea rigam a bethlehemite slew the brother of goliath the git the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam and there was yet a battle in gath where was a man of great stature that had on every hand six fingers and on every foot six toes four and twenty in number and he also was born to the giant and when he defied israel jonathan the son of shamia the brother of david slew him these four were born to the giant and gath and fell by the hand of david and by the hand of his servants 1st chronicles 20 4-8 and it came to pass after this that there arose a war at geezer with the philistines at which time sabachi the hush athites slew saipei that was of the children of the giant and they were subdued and there was a war again with the philistines and elhannon the son of jer slew lamy the brother of goliath the gettite whose spear staff was like a weaver's beam and yet again there was war at gath where a man of great stature whose fingers and toes were four and twenty six on each hand and six on each foot and he also was the son of the giant but when he defied israel jonathan the son of shamia david's brother slew him these were born under the giant in gath and they fell by the hand of david and by the hand of his servants these were ishpanam whose bronze spearhead weighed 300 shackles or 3. 42 kilograms or 7.
