Bible Strands
1 Samuel 17:4
Then a champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out from the Philistine camp. He was six cubits and a span in height,
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records the moment the Philistine and Israelite armies face each other across a valley, as a specific warrior steps forward from the enemy lines.
The words — The Hebrew phrase אִישׁ הַבְּנָיִם ('ish habbenayim) literally translates to "man of the two," identifying a designated single combatant chosen for one-on-one engagement.
The thread — Goliath’s origin in Gath links to Joshua 11:22, which lists Gath among the few cities retaining Anakim survivors, and mirrors 1 Samuel 17:23 where he again advances from the Philistine camp.
Why it lands — The text establishes the precise physical dimensions and foreign origin of the opposing champion, requiring the reader to acknowledge the concrete scale of the threat before any resolution unfolds.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.
Cross-references
- Joshua 11:22 No Anakim were left in the land of the Israelites; only in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod did any survive.
- 1 Samuel 17:23 And as he was speaking with them, suddenly the champion named Goliath, the Philistine from Gath, came forward from the ranks of the Philistines and shouted his usual words, which David also heard.
- 2 Samuel 21:16 Then Ishbi-benob, a descendant of Rapha, whose bronze spear weighed three hundred shekels and who was bearing a new sword, resolved to kill David.
- 1 Chronicles 20:4 Some time later, war broke out with the Philistines at Gezer. At that time Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Sippai, a descendant of the Rephaim, and the Philistines were subdued.
- Deuteronomy 3:11 (For only Og king of Bashan had remained of the remnant of the Rephaim. His bed of iron, nine cubits long and four cubits wide, is still in Rabbah of the Ammonites.)
- 1 Samuel 21:9 The priest replied, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here; it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want, you may take it. For there is no other but this one here.” And David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.”
- 1 Samuel 27:4 And when Saul learned that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him.
- 1 Chronicles 11:23 He also struck down an Egyptian, a huge man five cubits tall. Although the Egyptian had a spear like a weaver’s beam in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club, snatched the spear from his hand, and killed the Egyptian with his own spear.
- Amos 2:9 Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them, though his height was like that of the cedars, and he was as strong as the oaks. Yet I destroyed his fruit above and his roots below.