Philistine giant defeated by David
c. 1024 BC · Old Testament
The Philistine champion of Gath who defied Israel and her God for 40 days, until a teenage shepherd boy named David killed him with a stone and a sling — one of the Bible's most famous victories.
Goliath was a Philistine giant from Gath. 1 Samuel 17 describes him: 'six cubits and a span' (about 9 feet 9 inches) — a coat of mail weighing 5,000 shekels of brass, a spear shaft 'like a weaver's beam,' and a spear head weighing 600 shekels of iron. He stood between the Philistine and Israelite armies in the Valley of Elah and shouted a challenge: 'Choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants' (1 Samuel 17:8-9). For forty days, morning and evening, Goliath came forth and defied the armies of Israel. King Saul and all Israel were 'dismayed, and greatly afraid' (1 Samuel 17:11). David, a shepherd boy bringing food to his brothers, heard the defiance and asked: 'Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?' (1 Samuel 17:26). David volunteered. Saul tried to clothe him in royal armor, but David refused — 'I have not proved them' — and took only his sling and five smooth stones from the brook (1 Samuel 17:38-40). Goliath disdained David. David answered with one of the most famous declarations in the Bible: 'Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied' (1 Samuel 17:45). David ran toward Goliath, slung a stone, and struck the giant in the forehead. Goliath fell. David ran, drew Goliath's own sword, and cut off his head (1 Samuel 17:50-51). The Philistines fled. Goliath's death was the first great public victory of David's life and the turning point in his rise to the throne. Goliath had four giant relatives or sons (2 Samuel 21:18-22) who were also killed by David's warriors.
Twice daily
Trusting "the LORD that delivered me"
Five smooth stones
"I come to thee in the name of the LORD"
A stone to the forehead; beheaded with his own sword
Goliath's significance: (1) He is the supreme example of arrogant defiance of God — the model of every 'giant' that mocks faith. (2) His defeat is the supreme example of God's strength in human weakness — a boy with a sling against a champion in heavy armor. (3) The story is one of the most quoted accounts in the Bible — used in countless sermons about faith. (4) Goliath's defeat marks the moment David emerged as Israel's rising leader, foreshadowing Christ's victory over the great accuser. (5) Christians read it typologically — Christ as our David defeats the giant powers of sin and death on our behalf.
“Choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me.”— 1 Samuel 17:8
“I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.”— 1 Samuel 17:10
“Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves?”— 1 Samuel 17:43
Goliath was a Philistine giant from Gath — about 9 feet 9 inches tall — who served as the Philistine army's champion. For 40 days he defied the armies of Israel in the Valley of Elah, challenging anyone to single combat. He was killed by David, a teenage shepherd, with a stone from a sling (1 Samuel 17). His death was the turning point in David's rise to the throne.
1 Samuel 17:4 (Masoretic Text) gives Goliath's height as 'six cubits and a span' — about 9 feet 9 inches (2.97m). Some ancient manuscripts (Dead Sea Scrolls, some LXX) read 'four cubits and a span' — about 6 feet 9 inches. Either way, he was enormously tall by ancient standards. His coat of mail weighed 5,000 shekels (about 125 pounds) and his spear head 600 shekels (about 15 pounds).
1 Samuel 17:40 — David 'took five smooth stones out of the brook.' The Bible doesn't explicitly say why five. Some suggest he was preparing for the possibility of multiple shots (perhaps including against Goliath's brothers, 2 Samuel 21:22, which mentions four other giants). Others see no symbolic significance. He used only one — and it was enough.
Goliath has long been a metaphor for any seemingly overwhelming obstacle — illness, addiction, injustice, fear, or opposition to faith. The Christian application is not 'name and slay your giants' but: God is bigger than any giant; the battle belongs to him; he gives victory through faith and humility, not through human strength. Christ has already defeated the greatest giants (sin, death, Satan) on the cross.