David and Goliath
1 Samuel 17:1-58
The weapons that look foolish are sometimes the ones that work.
The Israelites are paralyzed. Every morning and every evening, a nine-foot Philistine champion steps out and dares anyone to face him. Forty days, no takers. King Saul offers his own armor and his daughter's hand. No soldier moves. Then a teenage shepherd shows up with bread and cheese for his brothers, hears the giant's taunts, and asks: Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God? Saul tries to dress him in armor. David takes it off. He picks five smooth stones from a stream, walks toward the giant, and sinks the first one into Goliath's forehead.
- Courage
- Faith
- Unlikely Hero
- God's Power
David and Goliath: common questions
How did David defeat Goliath?
David refused Saul's armor and went out with a sling and five smooth stones from the brook. He struck Goliath in the forehead with a single stone, and the giant fell; David then took Goliath's own sword and cut off his head (1 Samuel 17:40-51).
How big was Goliath?
1 Samuel 17:4 gives his height as 'six cubits and a span'—about nine feet nine inches in the traditional Hebrew text. Some ancient manuscripts, including the Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint, read 'four cubits and a span,' roughly six feet nine inches.
How old was David when he fought Goliath?
The Bible does not give a number. He is called a 'youth' (1 Samuel 17:33) still tending his father's sheep and too young for the army, so most estimates place him in his mid-to-late teens.
