1 Samuel 17:4

4 There came out a champion from the camp of the P'lishtim named Golyat, from Gat, who was nine feet nine inches tall.

1 Samuel 17:4 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 17:4

And there went out a champion out of the camp of the
Philistines
Or a "middle person", or a man "between two" ^F25; meaning either one that went and stood between the two armies of Israel and the Philistines, as the Jewish writers generally interpret it: or a "dueller" ^F26, as others, with which our version agrees; one that proposed to fight a duel, and have the war decided by two persons, of which he would be one:

named Goliath of Gath;
which was one of the places where the Anakims or giants were driven, and left, in the times of Joshua, and from whom this man descended, ( Joshua 11:22 )

whose height was six cubits and a span;
and taking a cubit after the calculation of Bishop Cumberland ^F1 to be twenty one inches, and more, and a span to be half a cubit, the height of this man was eleven feet four inches, and somewhat more; which need not seem incredible, since the coffin of Orestea, the son of Agamemnon, is said ^F2 to be seven cubits long; and Eleazar, a Jew, who because of his size was called the giant, and was presented by Artabanus, king of the Parthians, to Tiberius Caesar, is said by Josephus ^F3 to be seven cubits high; and one Gabbara of Arabia, in the times of Claudius Caesar, measured nine feet nine inches, as Pliny ^F4 relates, and who elsewhere ^F5 speaks of a people in Ethiopia, called Syrbotae, who were eight cubits high; the Septuagint version makes Goliath to be only four cubits and a span high, and so Josephus ^F6; that is, about eight feet.

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FOOTNOTES:

F25 (Mynybh vya) "vir intermedius", Montanus; "inter duo", Vatablus; "vir medietatum", Noldius, p. 194. No. 283.
F26 "Quidam duellator", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.
F1 Of Scripture Weights and Measures, c. 2. p. 57.
F2 Herodot. Clio, sive, l. 1. c. 68. Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 7. c. 16.
F3 Antiqu. l. 18. c. 5. sect. 5.
F4 Nat. Hist. ib.
F5 Ibid. l. 6. 30.
F6 Antiqu. l. 6. c. 9. sect. 1.

1 Samuel 17:4 In-Context

2 Sha'ul and the men of Isra'el assembled, set up camp in the Elah Valley and drew up their battle line opposite the P'lishtim.

3 The P'lishtim occupied a position on one hill and Isra'el a position on another hill, with a valley between them.

4 There came out a champion from the camp of the P'lishtim named Golyat, from Gat, who was nine feet nine inches tall.

5 He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he wore a bronze armor plate weighing 120 pounds.

6 He had bronze armor protecting his legs and a bronze javelin between his shoulders.