Who was Goliath in the Bible?
Giant, during the united monarchy
Goliath was a Philistine warrior from the city of Gath who fought against the Israelites during the reign of King Saul. He is described as a giant, standing at six cubits and a span (approximately 9 feet 9 inches or 3 meters) tall, and wearing heavy bronze armor (1Sa.17.4-7). Goliath appears in 6 verses across 3 books of the Bible.
What does the Bible say about Goliath?
Goliath was a Philistine warrior from the city of Gath who fought against the Israelites during the reign of King Saul. He is described as a giant, standing at six cubits and a span (approximately 9 feet 9 inches or 3 meters) tall, and wearing heavy bronze armor (1Sa.17.4-7). Goliath challenged the Israelites to send a champion to face him in single combat, but no one dared to accept the challenge until David, a young shepherd, volunteered. With a sling and a stone, David defeated Goliath, striking him on the forehead and killing him (1Sa.17.48-50). David then cut off Goliath's head with the giant's own sword (1Sa.17.51). This event is significant in David's life, as it marked the beginning of his rise to prominence in Israel. The sword of Goliath was kept as a trophy, and David later retrieved it from the tabernacle at Nob when he was fleeing from Saul (1Sa.21.9, 22:10). In 2Sa.21.19 and 1Ch.20.5, there is mention of another Goliath, also from Gath, who was killed by Elhanan, one of David's warriors. Some scholars believe this may refer to a brother or relative of the Goliath killed by David.
Definition text: STEPBible · Tyndale House Cambridge. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Lightly edited for length and formatting.
Compiled by Protos: the verse list on this page. Where one name belongs to more than one person or place, each of them gets a separate entry.
Where does Goliath appear in the Bible?
Goliath is referenced in 6 verses across 3 books. Every passage below is about this one, not just every verse the word turns up in.
- 1 Chronicles 20:5
- 1 Samuel 17:4
- 1 Samuel 17:23
- 1 Samuel 21:9
- 1 Samuel 22:10
- 2 Samuel 21:19
What else appears in these passages?
These turn up in the same passages as Goliath.
Common questions
How many times does the Bible mention Goliath?
Goliath appears in 6 verses across 3 books, most often in 1 Samuel, which accounts for 4 of them.
Which books of the Bible mention Goliath?
1 Samuel, 1 Chronicles, 2 Samuel.
Where can I read every verse about Goliath?
This page lists 6 of them. Protos carries all 6, and opens this entry on the verse you are reading rather than in a separate tab.
