thumb|David and Goliath (1888) by [[Osmar Schindler]]

Goliath ( ) is a Philistine warrior of giant stature who plays a pivotal role in the origin myth of King David in the Book of Samuel. Some modern scholars now believe that the original slayer of Goliath in the text may have been Elhanan, son of Jair, who features in 2 Samuel 21:19, in which Elhanan kills Goliath the Gittite, and that the authors of the Deuteronomistic history changed the original text to credit the victory to the more famous figure of David.

Biblical accounts

thumb|David hoists the severed head of Goliath as illustrated by [[Gustave Doré (1866)]]

thumb|Head of Goliath ([[V&A, Casts room)]]

In 1 Samuel 17, Saul and the Israelites are facing the Philistines in the Valley of Elah. Twice a day for 40 days, morning and evening, Goliath, the champion of the Philistines, comes out between the lines and challenges the Israelites to send out a champion of their own to decide the outcome in single combat, but Saul is afraid. David accepts the challenge. Saul reluctantly agrees and offers his armour, which David declines, taking only his staff, sling, and five stones from a brook.

David and Goliath confront each other, Goliath with his armor and javelin, David with his staff and sling. "The Philistine cursed David by his gods", but David replies:

David hurls a stone from his sling and hits Goliath in the center of his forehead, Goliath falls on his face to the ground, and David cuts off his head. The Philistines flee and are pursued by the Israelites "as far as Gath and the gates of Ekron". David puts the armor of Goliath in his own tent and takes the head to Jerusalem, and Saul sends Abner to bring the boy to him. The king asks whose son he is, and David answers:

Composition of the Book of Samuel

The Books of Samuel, together with the books of Joshua, Judges and Kings, make up a unified history of Israel which biblical scholars call the Deuteronomistic History. The first edition of the history was probably written at the court of Judah's King Josiah (late 7th century BCE) and a revised second edition during the exile (6th century BCE), with further revisions in the post-exilic period. Traces of this can be seen in contradictions within the Goliath story, such as that between 1 Samuel 17:54, which says that David took Goliath's head to Jerusalem, although according to 2 Samuel 5 Jerusalem at that time was still a Jebusite stronghold and was not captured until David became king.

Structure of the David and Goliath narrative

The Goliath story is made up of base-narrative with numerous additions made probably after the exile:

: Original story

  • The Israelites and Philistines face each other; Goliath makes his challenge to single combat;
  • David volunteers to fight Goliath;
  • David selects five smooth stones from a creek-bed to be used in his sling;
  • David's courage strengthens others and eventually others defeat four other giants, possibly brothers, but relatives, reference 2 Samuel 21:15–22.
  • David defeats Goliath, the Philistines flee the battlefield.

:Additions

  • David is sent by his father to bring food to his brothers, hears the challenge, and expresses his desire to accept;
  • Details of the account of the battle;
  • Saul asks who David is, and he is introduced to the king through Abner.

Textual considerations

Goliath's height

thumb| David with the Head of Goliath, , by [[Andrea Vaccaro]]

The oldest manuscripts, namely the Dead Sea Scrolls text of Samuel from the late 1st century BCE, the 1st-century CE historian Josephus, and the major Septuagint manuscripts, all give Goliath's height as "four cubits and a span" (), whereas the Masoretic Text has "six cubits and a span" (). Many scholars have suggested that the smaller number grew in the course of transmission (only a few have suggested the reverse, that an original larger number was reduced), possibly when a scribe's eye was drawn to the number six in line 17:7.

Goliath and Saul

The underlying purpose of the story of Goliath is to show that Saul is not fit to be king (but that David is). Saul was chosen to lead the Israelites against their enemies, but when faced with Goliath, he refuses to do so; Saul is a head taller than anyone else in all Israel (1 Samuel 9:2), which implies he was over tall and the obvious challenger for Goliath, yet David is the one who eventually defeated him. Also, Saul's armour and weaponry are apparently no better than Goliath's: