Who is…
Goliath
Meaning: Great
This was the name of 2 biblical men, both giants.
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Goliath, a Gittite
This is the famed giant of Gath, and the battlefield champion of the Philistines.
For 40 days Goliath openly defied the armies of Israel. At length, he was killed by David with a stone from a sling (1 Samuel 17:4). David then beheaded Goliath.
Goliath was probably descended from the Rephaim who found refuge among the Philistines after they were dispersed by the Ammonites (Deuteronomy 2:20-21).
His height was “six cubits and a span.” If the cubit referred to was 18 inches and the span 6 inches, then Goliath was 9′6″ (2.8956 meters). If the cubit was 21 inches (0.5334 meters), then he was 10′6″ (3.2004 meters).
See: Biblical Weights and Measures
David cut off Goliath’s head (1 Samuel 17:51) and brought it to Jerusalem. He hung Goliath’s armor which he took from him in his own tent.
Goliath’s sword was preserved at Nob as a religious trophy (1 Samuel 21:9).
David’s victory over Goliath was the turning point in his life. He came into public notice now as the deliverer of Israel and the chief among Saul’s men of war (18:5), and the devoted friend of Prince Jonathan.
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Goliath, a giant killed by Elhanan
2 Samuel 21:19 mentions another giant of the same name who was slain by Elhanan.
The staff of his spear “was like a weaver’s beam.”
The King James Version interpolates the words “the brother of” from 1 Chronicles 20:5, where this giant is called Lahmi.