How tall was Goliath?

Response

Goliath is a biblical figure mentioned in 1 Samuel 17. According to the Bible, he was a large man who served as a champion for the Philistine army against the Israelites, God’s people.

How tall was Goliath really? Typically, we envision him as a giant, as most Bible versions indicate that he stood over nine feet tall «And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. », (1 Samuel 17:4, NIV). The Masoretic Text, the Hebrew text traditionally accepted by the Jewish people, states that Goliath’s height was “six cubits and one span.” Assuming a cubit is around eighteen inches and a span equals six, this calculates to a height of approximately nine feet, six inches. It appears Goliath may have had some Anakim lineage, as mentioned in Deuteronomy 9:2.

Nevertheless, there is a discrepancy in some ancient texts regarding Goliath’s height. The Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Old Testament, records Goliath’s height as four cubits and one span. Modern calculations convert this to about six feet, six inches. Even though this would reduce Goliath’s height, he would still have been considerably taller than the average man of that era—around five and a half feet. Other sources support the shorter measurement, including a Hebrew text from the Dead Sea Scrolls and the writings of the Jewish historian Josephus. The NET Bible adopts the shorter stature, stating that Goliath was “close to seven feet tall” «And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height

was six cubits and a span.”, (1 Samuel 17:4).

When considering the discrepancy between these measurements, it is important to note a couple of things. First, the Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew. The variation may be attributed to how the measurements were translated into Greek for the Septuagint. Second, the measurement of a cubit is not precise, as a cubit was based on the distance from a person’s elbow to the tip of a finger. Therefore, the length of a cubit would vary somewhat, depending on the individual taking the measurement and the length of their arm.

Regardless of Goliath’s exact height, we understand from God’s Word that he was a formidable adversary. He was not only tall— at least a foot taller than David, and possibly several feet taller— he was also strong. His bronze armor alone weighed 125 pounds “And he had a helmet of brass on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass.”, (1 Samuel 17:5), and he wielded a giant-sized spear (verse 7). There was a reason why Goliath was the “champion” of the Philistines (verse 4). However, in the end, a young man named David, armed with only a simple sling, a few rocks, and faith, overcame this adversary of Israel. David proved to be mightier than Goliath because he had the almighty God on his side.