A champion warrior from Gath, Goliath wore a bronze coat that weighed 125 pounds (1 Samuel 17:5). The shaft of his spear was as heavy and thick as a weaver’s beam, with the spearhead alone weighing in at 15 pounds (1 Samuel 17:7). It is quite obvious that David was dealing with a big strong man, but just how tall was Goliath?
The Masoretic Text Says Six Cubits And a Span
A majority of the Bible translations go with the Masoretic Text that says Goliath was six cubits and a span (1 Samuel 17:4). This means he would have been around 9 feet 9 inches tall. Assuming this height to be correct, this would make Goliath the tallest man in the Bible. The Bible says when the men of Israel saw their enemy Goliath, they fled from him and were very afraid. That’s not hard to imagine if the man was almost ten feet tall.
The Septuagint Says Four Cubits And A Span
In the Greek translation of the Old Testament known as the Septuagint, Goliath’s height is recorded as being four cubits and a span. If this is the case it means he would have been an estimated 6 feet 9 inches tall. This still makes him one tall dude, but definitely a lot shorter than most have always thought him to be.
So How Tall Was Goliath, 6 Feet or 9 Feet?
A lot of scholars have sided with the Septuagint as giving the correct height (6ft. 9in.) for Goliath. One reason for this is the fact that the Dead Sea Scrolls text agrees with the shorter height given in the Septuagint manuscripts. In addition to this, the writings of first century historian Josephus also give Goliath’s height as being four cubits and a span.
No Match For The Living God
With the average man’s height at this point in history for that area being around five feet six inches, Goliath would have proven to be a very big opponent even at the shorter 7 feet tall. Even so, he could have been 20 feet tall for all David cared. When David heard him taunting the army of Israel he asked the question, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”(1 Samuel 17:26) Regardless of how big the champion warrior was, David knew the giant was no match for the living God of Israel!
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