Bible Timeline · About 1025 BC

David and Goliath

God sent Samuel to anoint Jesse's youngest son, the shepherd David, saying He looks at the heart. Soon after, the giant Goliath of Gath defied Israel for forty days, and young David killed him with a sling and a single stone in the Valley of Elah.

Read it in the Bible: 1 Samuel 16:1-23 1 Samuel 17:1-58 1 Samuel 16:7 1 Samuel 17:45-47 Hebrews 2:14-15

David and Goliath is the story of a young shepherd who killed a Philistine giant with a sling and a stone. It happened in the Valley of Elah in Judah, about 1025 BC, while Saul was still king. Not long before, the prophet Samuel had quietly anointed David, the youngest son of Jesse, as Israel's next king, because God looks at the heart, not the outside. Goliath mocked Israel's army for forty days, and no one would fight him until David showed up. David's point was not that underdogs win. It was that the battle belongs to Yahweh.

Why Did Samuel Anoint David?

God had rejected Saul as king, and He sent Samuel to Bethlehem to anoint one of Jesse's sons. Samuel took one look at the oldest, Eliab, and thought, surely this is the one. He was tall and impressive, just like Saul. God stopped him.

But Yahweh said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him; Yahweh does not see as man does. For man sees the outward appearance, but Yahweh sees the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

Seven sons passed by, and God chose none of them. Samuel asked if there were any more. Jesse said there was still the youngest, out with the sheep. He had not even been invited to the party.

So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit of Yahweh rushed upon David from that day forward. 1 Samuel 16:13

David did not become king that day. He went back to the sheep. Soon he was also playing the harp for Saul whenever the troubled king needed calm, 1 Samuel 16:23. God was training him in a pasture and a palace at the same time.

Who Was Goliath?

The Philistines camped on one hill and Israel on another, with the Valley of Elah between them, 1 Samuel 17:2 to 3. Every morning and evening a champion walked out.

Then a champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out from the Philistine camp. He was nine feet nine inches tall, and he had a bronze helmet on his head. He wore a bronze coat of mail weighing 125 pounds, and he had armor of bronze on his legs and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and its iron point weighed fifteen pounds. In addition, his shield bearer went before him. 1 Samuel 17:4 to 7

Gath was one of the five main Philistine cities. Archaeologists identify it with Tell es Safi in Israel, which has been excavated since 1996 and turned out to be a large and powerful city in this period.

How Tall Was Goliath?

The standard Hebrew text, which most English Bibles follow, says six cubits and a span, about nine feet nine inches. But the oldest copy of Samuel, found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, along with the ancient Greek Septuagint and the historian Josephus, says four cubits and a span, about six feet nine inches. Many scholars think the shorter number is the original. Others defend the longer one.

Either way, Goliath was enormous for his time, when most men stood around five and a half feet. He was covered in bronze and had been a warrior since his youth, 1 Samuel 17:33. Picture an NBA center in full body armor, and you get the idea. The Bible does not say how David felt, but it does tell us how Israel's army felt. Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and greatly afraid, 1 Samuel 17:11.

How Old Was David When He Fought Goliath?

The Bible does not give his age. Saul calls him just a boy, 1 Samuel 17:33, and Goliath sneers at him for the same reason, 17:42. His three oldest brothers were in the army, and he was still at home with the sheep, so he was likely in his teens. Many teachers guess around fifteen to eighteen, but that is an estimate. David became king at thirty, 2 Samuel 5:4, more than a decade later.

What Happened When David Fought Goliath?

Jesse sent David to the front lines with bread, grain and cheese for his brothers. He arrived just as Goliath came out shouting. David could not believe no one would answer.

Just who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” 1 Samuel 17:26

His big brother Eliab told him to go back to his few sheep. Older brothers have not changed much in three thousand years. But word reached Saul, and David told him about fighting lions and bears to protect the flock.

David added, “Yahweh, who delivered me from the claws of the lion and the bear, will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” “Go,” said Saul, “and may Yahweh be with you.” 1 Samuel 17:37

Saul put his own armor on David. David could barely walk in it, so he took it off. He went with what he knew.

And David took his staff in his hand, selected five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag. And with his sling in hand, he approached the Philistine. 1 Samuel 17:40

Five stones, not three. Some say he picked extra because Goliath had giant relatives, 2 Samuel 21:22. Maybe he just wanted spares. A shepherd's sling was no toy, either. Slingers were part of ancient armies, and Judges 20:16 mentions men who could sling a stone at a hair and not miss. Goliath cursed David by his gods. David answered with a speech about his God.

But David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of Yahweh of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 1 Samuel 17:45

And all those assembled here will know that it is not by sword or spear that Yahweh saves; for the battle is Yahweh’s, and He will give all of you into our hands.” 1 Samuel 17:47

David ran toward the giant. One stone struck Goliath in the forehead, and he fell face down. David had no sword, so he used Goliath's own to finish the job and cut off his head, 1 Samuel 17:49 to 51. The Philistines ran, and Israel chased them all the way to Gath.

What Does Archaeology Show About the Valley of Elah?

The Valley of Elah is still there, southwest of Bethlehem, and you can walk the brook bed where smooth stones still lie. On a hill above the valley, archaeologists found Khirbet Qeiyafa, a fortified town dated to about 1020 to 980 BC by its excavators. Yosef Garfinkel and Saar Ganor think it was a Judean fortress from the time of David. Other scholars think it belonged to another group. The Archaeology page on this site has more on these finds.

How David and Goliath Points to Jesus

It is easy to read this story as a pep talk about facing your giants. There is truth in that. God helps the weak who trust Him. But the bigger point is that Israel was too scared to fight, and one chosen champion went out alone and won the victory for all of them. The whole army shared in a battle they did not fight.

That is the gospel. Our giant is sin and death, and we could not beat it. Jesus, the Son of David, was anointed by the Spirit, stepped into the valley alone and won. Like David, He even used the enemy's own weapon against him. Death was Satan's sword, and Jesus defeated death by dying and rising again.

Now since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity, so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. Hebrews 2:14 to 15

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Questions People Ask

How tall was Goliath?

The standard Hebrew text of 1 Samuel 17:4 says six cubits and a span, about nine feet nine inches. The oldest Dead Sea Scroll of Samuel, the Greek Septuagint and Josephus say four cubits and a span, about six feet nine inches. Either way he was a giant for his time.

How many stones did David pick up?

David chose five smooth stones from the brook, 1 Samuel 17:40. He needed only one to bring Goliath down.

How old was David when he killed Goliath?

The Bible does not say. Saul called him just a boy, 1 Samuel 17:33, so he was likely a teenager. He became king at age thirty, 2 Samuel 5:4.

What does God looks at the heart mean?

When Samuel was impressed by David's tall oldest brother, God told him that man sees the outward appearance, but Yahweh sees the heart, 1 Samuel 16:7. God chose David, the overlooked youngest son, for his heart toward God.

Where did David fight Goliath?

In the Valley of Elah in Judah, between the Philistine camp at Socoh and Azekah and Israel's camp, 1 Samuel 17:1 to 3. The valley lies southwest of Bethlehem in modern Israel.

Sources

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