Alexander Rybalka. Secrets of Goliath. Goliath and David. How did David defeat Goliath? Goliath in religion

One day the Philistines gathered their troops against the people of Israel. The Israelites, led by King Saul, also prepared for war, positioning themselves on a mountain opposite the Philistine troops. David's three older brothers went with Saul's troops. After some time, his father sent David to the Israeli camp to take bread for his brothers and find out about their needs and health. When David came to the Israeli troops, he made his way to his brothers and suddenly saw a huge Philistine named Goliath, dressed in copper armor, a helmet and holding a huge spear and shield. Goliath laughed at the people of God, reviled the living God and said that if any of the Israelites defeated him, the Philistines would be their slaves. However, no one from the Israeli camp dared to go out to fight Goliath, fearing and horrified by his appearance. David, hearing how Goliath reviled the living God and the army of the Israelites, approached Saul with a request to allow him to fight Goliath. Saul said to him: “...You are still a youth, but he has been a warrior from his youth.” But David told Saul how God helped him fight lions and bears while tending the sheep. Then Saul allowed him to fight and dressed him in armor and a copper helmet. But David was not used to such weapons. He took it off, took his staff in his hand, selected five smooth stones from the stream, put them in his shepherd's bag, and confronted the Philistine. Goliath, seeing David coming towards him, began to laugh at him, saying: “Why are you coming at me with a stick? Am I a dog?” David answered him: “You come against me with sword, spear and shield, but I come against you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, which you have defied.” Then David put his hand into his shepherd's bag, took out a stone, threw it from his sling and struck Goliath so that the stone hit Goliath right on the forehead and he fell dead to the ground. The Philistines, seeing that their strongman had died, began to scatter, and the Israeli army defeated them.

• ← Shepherd David – future king
• Shepherd David – future king →

Posted on the Bible Online website with permission of the copyright holder.

The presence of permission from Bible Online does not mean that you can freely take and copy text, images and other information for use in your own projects, without permission from the copyright holder. To obtain permission, you must contact the copyright holder yourself.

The owners of the Bible Online resource are not the authors of the Children's Bible and may partially or not at all share the views expressed in it. For questions regarding content, compliance with Biblical doctrine, and other issues, please contact the authors.

The hero of which country is not familiar with the chronicles of great battles? For a true warrior, even religious literature can easily become a useful textbook on battle tactics and psychological pressure. For example, the battle of Goliath is a clear example that faith in one’s own strength can destroy the enemy. With such motivation, one stone is enough to win. It’s a pity that for Goliath such a lesson was the last in his life.

History of appearance

The formidable man is first mentioned in the Bible. The First Book of Samuel contains a detailed description of both the hero and the battle that glorified Goliath's opponent, David. Is it worth reminding that the giant himself is presented in the Old Testament not as a valiant warrior, but as a reckless fool who does not believe in the power of God.

Despite the mythical nature of the legend, perhaps the story of Goliath is not fictional at all. The prototype of the giant warrior is mentioned in the records of the Roman military leader Josephus:

“And then one day a gigantic man named Goliath, from the city of Gitta, came out of the Philistine camp. He was four and a half arshins tall, and his weapons were fully consistent with his gigantic size.”

The second confirmation of the existence of Goliath was the discovery of archaeologists. At excavations in the city of Tel Es-Shafi (it is assumed that the city of Gath used to stand here), a part of a ceramic bowl was found, on which the name of the giant was engraved. This is the first reliable evidence that Goliath actually existed.

Today, the name of the fearsome warrior has become a household name. In the Marvel comic book universe, there are several characters named Goliath, including Bill Foster. No less famous is the namesake of Goliath from the cartoon “Gargoyles”, which, unlike the biblical character, is presented as a positive hero.

Image and character

Goliath was born in the city of Gath, located in the territory of Philistia. The character's mother, a woman named Orpha, led a free lifestyle, so the hero's father is unknown.

Goliath grew up to be a big and strong man; the hero’s height was 2.89 m. The hero’s older brothers also had outstanding appearance. The Bible states that a relative of Goliath was the warrior Lahmi, who was killed by the famous fighter Elhanan ben Yair.

From early childhood, the Philistine was trained in military affairs. The giant towered over his comrades, so from his youth he was used by commanders as a terrifying weapon. The man had many victories, but most often Goliath boasted of capturing the greatest shrine of the Jewish people - the Ark of Revelation.

Despite his fearsome appearance and extensive experience in battle, the giant did not build a career. The man remained a simple soldier; Goliath was not trusted to command an army of thousands. This allows us to conclude that physical strength is the only achievement of a man. Intelligence and military ingenuity were not included in the list of the hero’s virtues.

The most famous myth about Goliath is associated with another battle. During the war between the Jews and the Philistines, Goliath challenged any warrior of King Saul to a fair fight. For 40 days, the man called on brave men to go to battle. The only condition is that if the hero wins, then the representatives of the Jewish people will forever become slaves of the inhabitants of Gath.

A formidable man, dressed in armor and armed with a heavy sword, awed the enemy army. Imagine Goliath’s surprise when the young shepherd David answered the man’s call. The young man went out to fight, dressed in casual clothes and with a bag at the ready. To the ridicule of his opponent, David replied that God, at whom Goliath had so imprudently made fun, would lead the young man to victory.

It's amazing how the giant was defeated. David's weapons were a sling and five smooth stones. The young man, quickly swinging a long rope with a loop at the end, drove a pebble into the giant's forehead. Goliath, who did not expect such an attack, did not cover his face. The man fell to the ground from the impact. The shepherd approached the defeated man and realized that the giant had lost consciousness. David cut off the head of the Philistine warrior with Goliath's personal sword.

Goliath in religion

In Christianity, the colorful characters mentioned in the Old Testament carry an unambiguous meaning. In the person of David, the ancient scriptures demonstrate to believers a typological prototype who triumphs over the Supreme Evil, or the devil.

Researchers argue that the comparison of Goliath to Satan is supported by textual evidence. For example, the giant’s height (six cubits and a span) significantly exceeds that of a human, but does not reach the divine figure 7. The myth also mentions the scaly armor of Goliath, referring the reader to the Serpent, which was often called Satan. However, most of the arguments regarding the hidden meaning of the legend are indirect.

The Koran also contains a story telling about the victory of the Islamic prophet over the unfaithful king of the Amalekites. The names of the main characters have been changed (Goliath is called Jalut, and David is called Talut) and minor details. And the death of the giant fully corresponds to the version voiced in the Bible. The parable of Jalut and Talut demonstrates to people the strength and power of God to help them achieve victory. You just need to believe.

The Jewish Holy Scripture (Tanakh) also mentions the legendary battle. David's opponent is still a giant, but the name of the enemy is Golyath from the Plishtim tribe. Another difference from the Old Testament is that the man is equipped with a large number of weapons. In addition to a spear and sword, Golyat is equipped with a bow and arrows. As in other sources, only blind faith in a higher power contributes to David’s victory over the enemy.

Film adaptations

The biblical motif was first shown on television in 1960. The film "David and Goliath" tells the story of a spectacular battle described in religious scriptures. The role of the giant warrior was played by Italian actor Aldo Pedinotti.

In 1985, Paramount released the film King David. The film failed at the box office. New York Times critics wrote negative reviews, pointing out flaws in the script and direction. The image of Goliath in the failed film was embodied by actor George Eastman.

In 2015, Timothy Chey made another film about the famous battle. This time, the role of the fierce warrior went to the novice actor Jerry Sokoloski. The artist’s height is 2.33 m, so the tallest Canadian fits perfectly into the image.

The Wallace brothers showed their own view of the biblical motif in 2016. The film "David and Goliath" again touches on the theme of the battle between the Jews and the Philistines. The role of Goliath was played by Michael Foster, familiar to viewers from the TV series “Conan” and “Beverly Hills 90210: The Next Generation.”

• The name Goliath is derived from the verb “to open.” The full translation is “standing barefaced before God.”
• The victims of Goliath before meeting David were Hofni ben Eli and Pinchas ben Eli, the sons of the judge-high priest.
• The total weight of Goliath's armor reached 60 tons (in another source - 120 tons).
• The Bible contains references to two Goliaths. If the first soldier died at the hands of David, then Elchanan became the killer of the second soldier. For a long time it was believed that the same giant was mentioned in the parables. But the battles took place in different time periods and on different territories.

Most educated people consider the battle of David and Goliath to be an allegory. According to legend, David managed to defeat a giant from the enemy (Philistine) army and thereby ensured the victory of his army. Of course, there cannot be giants, these are all fairy tales...

However, was Goliath really that great? Let's take a look at TANAKH. This is what the Book of the Prophet Samuel (Samuel) tells us, 1, 17:4:

“And a single combatant named Goliath, from Gath, went out from the camps of the Philistines; his height is six cubits and a span. And he had a copper helmet on his head, and he was dressed in chain mail, and the weight of this chain mail was five thousand shekels of copper. And the copper shields were on his feet, and the copper javelin was on his shoulders. And the shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and the blade of his spear was 600 shekels of iron. And the shield-bearer walked before him.”

Let's first look at the tactical and technical indicators of Goliath.

To measure height, the ancient Jews used the so-called “Egyptian cubit” - this is 48 centimeters. A span is also a well-known measure, approximately 8 centimeters. That is, Goliath’s total height is 2 meters 96 centimeters. A little further we will talk about whether this is a lot or a little.

Each shekel mentioned in the TANAKH is the so-called “sacred shekel”, 22 grams. That is, Goliath’s chain mail weighed 110 kilograms.

Although it is possible that in this case they meant the usual shekel - 11 grams. This brings the entire Goliath chain mail down to 55 kilograms - I think that's not much heavier than the old diving equipment.

The “blade,” that is, the tip of the spear, weighed 600 shekels - that is, 12.5 kilograms (quite feasible for a trained person), or a little more than six kilograms, which is not even too heavy. Let's say the author of this book could easily lift such a spear (although he would no longer be able to fight with it).

The sword of Goliath, according to ancient sources, was first kept in Nob, and then was transferred to Jerusalem.

Let's move on to growth - is it so fantastic? Let's say that today the tallest man on earth is officially the Ukrainian Leonid Stadnik. His height is 2 meters 57 centimeters. That is, Stadnik is only 42 centimeters short of Goliath.

However, Stadnik is not the limit. It has been documented that the tallest man who lived in our time was Robert Pershing Wadlow. He was born in 1918 in Alton, Illinois, USA. Wadlow's height reached 2 meters 72 centimeters. By the way, his arm span reached 288 cm, and his weight reached 223 kg.

So, American Wadlow was only 24 cm behind Goliath. The difference is quite small.

I think that if my average reader is of average height, then he has repeatedly had to meet people who are 24 cm taller than him, and even more. That is, Wadlow wouldn't be all that surprised if he met Goliath.

In our time, it was said about the Terek Cossack Timofey Bakulin that his height was almost three meters. (True, some witnesses claim that Bakulin’s height did not exceed two and a half meters).

In the mid-fifties of the last century, according to memoirs, near the city of Izberbash (New Town) in Dagestan, a father and son, almost three meters tall, lived on a pier near the lighthouse. The reason for the seclusion from ordinary people was not the enormous height of the two men, but the unusual appearance of the younger one, who was completely covered with hair. People called this guy “kaptar”, that is, Bigfoot.

In the mountains of Dagestan there was one village in which people more than two meters tall lived. However, at the end of the fifties of the last century, there was a strong earthquake in the mountains of Dagestan, which buried an aul with tall people in the gorge. People say that one of the tall people from the dead village remained alive. The three-meter man was often seen high in the mountains of Dagestan with a flock of sheep. The further fate of the giant is unknown.

But these are already legends (in no way do I want to discredit the people who provided this information, but they did not make scientific observations).

One more giant remained in the memory of previous generations - Fyodor Makhnov.

According to the Russian Book of Records, the tallest man in world history was Russian citizen Fyodor Makhnov! His height was 2 meters 85 centimeters (with a weight of 182 kilograms).

A correspondent for the magazine “7 Days” reports that he personally saw the grave of our hero - at the Staroye Selo railway station, near Vitebsk. Today the giant is called in newspapers either Makhnov or Makhno.

The story from the Bible about David and Goliath is familiar today not only to believers. It became famous for its amazing plot: a shepherd defeats a huge soldier with a sling, relying only on God's help. Scientists have found evidence that such a battle actually took place, but who the winner actually was - different hypotheses are put forward.

David and Goliath - who are they?

Historians call David the second king of the Israeli people, who was the ruler of Judah for more than 7 years, and then for another 33 years - the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Who is David in the Bible? The handsome and strong young shepherd proved his courage more than once, defeating the huge warrior Goliath in a fair fight, thereby granting victory to the Israelites. The Old Testament calls Goliath a descendant of the giants Rephaim, who fought for the Philistines and took on a single battle with a representative of the hostile camp.

David and Goliath - Bible

The biblical legend of David and Goliath tells how a young shepherd was recognized as the king of the Israelites. This right was granted to him by his victory over the strongest warrior of his enemies, Goliath. The Bible says that the young shepherd did this in the name of the God of Israel, for which the Lord granted him victory. How did David defeat Goliath? The Bible says that the young man used an ancient weapon - a sling.

It worked on the principle of a slingshot: a stone was placed in a rope and thrown at the enemy. With a well-aimed throw, David hit the giant in the head, and when he fell, he cut off his head with his sword. This victory made the young man a popular favorite, and later the ruler of the country, whose years of reign are called the golden age. The young king saved the people from Philistine attacks and introduced many useful reforms.

Battle of David and Goliath

And today, scholars of the Holy Letter argue about the reality of this legend. The first refer to the works of the historian Josephus, who claims that such a battle is recorded in history. The latter explain their position by saying that there is no evidence to confirm that such people once lived. But in 1996, archaeologists managed to find evidence from excavations in the valley of the Judean Mountains that David went to battle against Goliath:

1. The skeleton of a giant up to three meters tall with a severed head in which a stone was stuck.
2. The age of the find was about 3 thousand years BC.

Another indirect proof of the reality of this battle is that it is described in the Koran, which talks about the battle of the prophet David with the warrior of unbelievers Goliath. This parable is a lesson that one should never doubt God's help. There is another interesting version, allegedly the giant was defeated by the son of Yagare-Orgim of Bethlehem, Elkhanan; the battle, judging by the quotes from the Holy Letter, took place in Gob. Such confusion gave rise to very different versions of theologians and atheists; later chroniclers supposedly attributed the victory to the great King David.

How did David defeat Goliath?

Historians believe that David killed Goliath in an unequal duel, which gave this victory symbolic meaning. The shepherd abandoned the armor, which hindered his movement, and easily dodged the blows of the clumsy giant. There are two versions that explain the victory of the inexperienced David:

1. Real. The shepherd's maneuverability gave him the opportunity to freely throw stones; even the first throw could be fatal. And after that it turned into the only one, and was marked as God’s support.
2. Mystical. Allegedly, the guy had with him an inscribed sign, which was later called the “Star of David.” The symbol in the form of a star with 6 ends is a hexagram; in this version, Goliath and the Star of David are symbols of the confrontation between spiritual and physical strength.

Movies about David and Goliath

The story of David and Goliath has been repeatedly mentioned in the works of authors from different times and countries, and in cinema masterpieces. The most famous films about this event:

1. "David and Goliath", 1960, Italy.
2. "King David", 1985, USA.
3. "David and Goliath", 2015, USA.
4. "David and Goliath", 2016, USA.

, (whom God himself ordered to be chosen) defeats Goliath in a duel with a sling, and then cuts off his head (1 Samuel 17:49-51).

David's victory over Goliath began the offensive of the Israeli and Jewish troops, who were expelled from their land (1 Sam. 17:52). Koran (2.251)

According to another version, Goliath was killed by Elkhanan, the son of Jagare-Orgim of Bethlehem: “...There was another battle in Gob; Then Elchanan, the son of Jagare-Orgim of Bethlehem, killed Goliath the Gittite, whose spear shaft was like a weaver’s beam” (2 Sam. 21:19). Goliath's brother, Lachmiah (also a giant, a descendant) was defeated by Elhanam, the son of Jairus (1 Chron. 20:5).

Old Testament

Goliath was an unusually strong warrior of enormous stature, a native of the city. Goliath was 6 cubits and a span tall, or 2.772 m (1 cubit = 42.5 cm, 1 span = 22.2 cm). The Philistine giant was dressed in scale armor weighing about 57 kg (5000 shekels of copper, 1 shekel = 11.4 g) and copper knee pads, on his head was a copper helmet, and in his hands was a copper shield. Goliath carried a heavy spear, the tip alone weighing 600 shekels of iron (6.84 kg), and a large sword.

David had no armor at all, and his only weapon was a sling. ordered to dress him in copper armor and give him a sword, but David was unaccustomed to carrying weapons, and therefore took off his armor.

The Philistine giant considered it an insult that a young man, just a boy, came out to fight him. Goliath and David were chosen by their fellow tribesmen for single combat, which was supposed to decide the outcome of the battle: the winner in the duel won victory for his side.

It seemed to everyone who watched what was happening that the result of the fight was a foregone conclusion, but physical strength does not always determine the outcome of the battle.

Details of the duel between Goliath and David, which took place in the oak valley between Succoth and southwest of Jerusalem, are described in the Bible, in the 17th chapter of the 1st book of Samuel:

...The Philistine also stepped forward, walking and approaching David, and the armor bearer walked ahead of him... And the Philistine said to David: “Why are you coming at me with sticks and stones? Am I a dog? And David said: “No, but worse than a dog.” And the Philistine cursed David with his gods. And the Philistine said to David: “Come to me, I will give your body to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth.” And David answered the Philistine: “You come against me with sword and spear and shield, but I come against you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, which you have defied; Now the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will kill you, and take off your head, and I will give your corpse and the corpses of the army of the Philistines to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the earth, and all the earth will know that there is a God in Israel. and this entire crowd will know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear, for this is the Lord’s war, and He will deliver you into our hands.” When the Philistine stood up and began to approach David, David quickly ran towards the line to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand into his bag and took a stone from there, and threw it with a sling and struck the Philistine on the forehead, so that the stone pierced his forehead, and he fell face down to the ground, so David overpowered the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him; but the sword was not in David's hands. Then David ran up and, stepping on the Philistine, took his sword and took it out of its scabbard, struck him and cut off his head with it; The Philistines, seeing that their strongman had died, ran...

1 Sam. 17:41-51

The sword of Goliath, kept by David, was first kept in Nob, and then was transferred by him to Jerusalem.

Photo gallery