Goliath

[[File:Goliath.jpg|right|thumb|upright|The day giants ceased to command respect.]]
{{biblenav}}
'''Goliath''' of Gath was a 
Terran mech in Starcraft mainly useful for anti-air defense
 [[giant|exceptionally large warrior]] in the ancient Philistine army (in earlier texts reportedly four cubits and a span, which would be approximately six feet nine inches, and later ones describing him as six cubits and a span tall — approximately ten feet), referred to in the [[Old Testament]], who was killed by 
Elhanan the Bethlehemite
 the 
Zergling
 young [[Israelite]] shepherd [[David]], who went on to become King of the [[Israelite]]s. Goliath does seem to have been a real name among the Philistines, of some non-Semitic origin, although it had no connection to physical size.

For the Philistines he was the go-to guy for [[psychological]] warfare. Goliath used to stand in the middle of the battlefield and boast of the terrible things the Philistines were going to do to the Israelites. All around, a pretty okay guy.

In more recent analysis of Goliath, several scholars have argued that he most likely had {{wpl|acromegaly}} (the disease André the Giant suffered from). Reaching six feet nine inches is entirely plausible for someone with this condition, and there are also hints that his vision might have been diminished and that he might have had joint problems; both are quite common in untreated acromegaly patients. This, combined with the fact that a sling such as David used was a highly lethal weapon (and definitely ''not'' the children's toy: that's a sling''shot'') which a shepherd like David was very skilled in using to defend his flock from predators, makes David's victory seem more plausible, but also much less impressive, and ruins the common analogy. But hey, that's the price of dealing in [[reality]].<ref>http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2981751/</ref> And, of course, even if we take the Bible story at face value, Goliath is still the underdog since David has an omnipotent deity on his side.

==The killing==
The [[Bible]] itself is contradictory about the slaying of Goliath.

'''{{bible|1 Samuel|17|23|50}}'''
<blockquote> 
''The champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name… David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone and struck the Philistine and killed him.''<ref name="Rpw">{{wayback|http://www.geocities.com/paulntobin/internal.html}}</ref>
</blockquote>

'''{{bible|2 Samuel|21|19}}'''
<blockquote>
''And there was again war with the Philistines at Gob; and Elhanan the son of Joareoregim, the Bethlehemite, slew Goliath the Gittite.''<ref name="Rpw"/>
</blockquote>

Gittite translates as "man of Gath",<ref name="Rpw"/> which makes it possible that the passage is a reference to the same person as in I Sam 17. The translators of the [[King James version]] of the Bible attempted to reconcile this problem by drawing on {{bible|1 Chronicles|20|5}}, which states that Elhanan actually killed Goliath's brother Lami. Thus, {{bible|2 Samuel|21|19}} in the King James Version now reads:

<blockquote>
''And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim, a Bethlehemite, slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.''
</blockquote>

In the Masoretic text before the translation the words "brother of" do not appear in that verse.<ref>[http://ggreenberg.tripod.com/ancientne/101david.html 101 myths of the Bible]</ref> We also get several verses that seem to support Elhanan as the slayer of Goliath. Overall, this entire question is quite difficult, with several different sources being involved, and some parts of the text possibly being corrupted. As is often the case with the [[Tanakh]], the lack of contemporary sources further complicates matters, there being several differences between the different versions in the [[Septuagint]], the Masoretic text, and the [[Guide to the Bible#Significance of Dead Sea Scrolls|Dead Sea Scrolls]].

==Two different narratives==
In the version crediting [[King David|David]] in 1 Samuel 17, after Goliath is slain, Saul says:<ref>{{bible|1 Samuel|17|55}}</ref>

<blockquote>
''Whose son is this youth? And Abner said, As thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell. And the king said, Inquire thou whose son the stripling is.''
</blockquote>

This seems inconsistent with the preceding narrative in {{bible|1 Samuel|16|14|23}}, where David enters Saul's service as his armor-bearer. The most likely explanation for this discontinuity between chapters 16 and 17 is that certain parts of chapter 17, and possibly also parts of chapter 18, in fact come from a different source which has been interlaced into the narrative.<ref group=note>Probably the so-called ''monarchial source''. For further details, see {{wpl|Books of Samuel#Authorship||.}}</ref> This is particularly evident from the passage {{bible|1 Samuel|17|12|15}}, which gives an apparently unnecessary second introduction of David. This would make better sense if chapter 17 is in fact an independent narrative from a different source.

It is also possible to explain Saul’s statement as asking whether David’s family is prestigious, rather than simply David’s father’s name, since he promised to give to Goliath’s killer his daughter’s hand in marriage. This would allow for a unified narrative.<ref>Meir Wisser’s commentary to I Samuel 17:55 c. 1870</ref>

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{biblebox}}

[[Category:Old Testament]]
[[Category:Christian mythology]]
[[Category:Biblical figures]]

Categories: Old Testament, Christian mythology, Biblical figures