David and Goliath
by Guido Reni (1607)
Wikimedia Commons
Goliath was a warrior in the Philistine army. He was from Gath, one of the five cities of the Philistines (Joshua 13:3). When Goliath first appears in the Bible, he was defying the army of Saul, challenging any soldier in Israel’s army to meet him in a fight to decide who would be the victor in the struggle between Israel and the Philistines.
According to the text of 1 Samuel 17, Goliath was killed by David, a musician in Saul’s service. Goliath was a giant, a warrior “the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam” (2 Samuel 21:19).
There is another biblical tradition about Goliath’s death. According to 2 Samuel 21:19, Goliath was killed by Elhanan, one of David’s mighty men.
In the studies below I deal with the problem of who killed Goliath. There are three studies trying to answer this question. In part 3 of my study, I offer a unique interpretation of this problem, one that comes out of a recent archaeological discovery in the Valley of Elah.
Some of the studies also discuss how the NIV deals with the problem. I believe that the NIV is inconsistent in dealing with 2 Samuel 21:19 and the translation of the NIV 2011 is not good.
Studies on David and Goliath
The City of Gath, Goliath’s Residence
The City Where David Killed Goliath
The NIV and the TNIV: Two Bibles with Contradictory Views
The Revised NIV: A Step Backward
Bible Politics and Theological Bias
David and Goliath as Metaphors
Claude Mariottini
Emeritus Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary
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If you are looking for other series of studies on the Old Testament, visit the Archive section and you will find many studies that deal with a variety of topics.
Dr. Claude Mariottini - Professor of Old Testament 