Exactly how tall was goliath?

 

Note: This response is an edited analysis taken from a paper published by the author responding to claims made by a poster created by late young-Earth creationist Joe Taylor. The paper in its entirety can be found here.

CLAIM: The Biblical Goliath was about 9ft. tall. (Hovind, 2003, 49:58)

RESPONSE: The idea that Goliath was upwards of nine or ten feet tall comes from some biblical translations (notably the Masoretic Text, particularly 1 Samuel 17:4, which described him as being "six cubits and a span", or 9 feet 9 inches). (Armstrong, 2021) However, the earliest known manuscript, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Septuagint, give his height as "four cubits and a span", which is about 6 feet 9 inches. The "shorter" height, which would go on to be cited as the accurate figure by the 1st-century Jewish historian Josephus, is generally agreed upon as the original, with the later greater height being the result of scribal exaggeration. (Armstrong, 2021; Hays, 2005) Goliath certainly was a veritable giant, given that he lived in a day and age when the average height for individuals was less than 5 feet 5 inches tall, possibly due to hereditary hyperthyroidism that affected the rest of his family. (Donnelly & Morrison, 2014; Roser et al., 2024) However, his height did not likely reach the anomalous figures later attributed to him - as such, he would not make a good representative for an ancient race of biblical giants.

REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING

Armstrong, D. (2021, August 30) How Tall Was Goliath? National Catholic Register.

Donnelly, D. E., Morrison, P. J. (2014) Hereditary gigantism-the biblical giant Goliath and his brothers. Ulster Medical Journal, 83(20), 86-88.

Hays, J. D. (2005) Reconsidering the Height of Goliath. Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, 48(4), 701-714.

Roser, M., Appel, C., Ritchie, H. (2024, January) Human Height. Our World in Data.

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