How big was the Biblical Goliath? – History Puzzles – Science

The goliath’s high altitude is more of a metaphor, the new study wrote. It does not reveal whether other aspects of this Bible story are true, such as whether such an unequal battle has taken place at all.

“We’re not trying to verify the truth of this story. The key here is the length of the Goliath. Where did it come from?” Said archaeologist Jeffrey Chedwick.

Some ancient texts state that Goliath is four cubits and a span long, which is approximately 2.38 meters according to researchers. In other texts it was stated that he was six cubits tall and about 3.46 meters long. It is definitely an impressive figure when we talk about a real person. Today Robert Vadlov was the tallest man, who was 2.72 meters tall.

However, researchers are still debating what these ancient hollows and crevices are in modern terms. Most likely, these units differed in different parts of the ancient world. Chedwick has long been involved in the study of ancient architectural sites in ancient Israel, measuring the remains of structures and noticing measurements that were often used. His study indicates that one cub in the region was equal to 54 centimeters, while the wingspan was equal to 22 centimeters.

Chedwick is part of a team of archaeologists who, according to the Bible, are excavating in Gata, the Philistine city where Goliath grew up.

Researchers recently found a fortress wall in the north of the city. It was built in the 10th century BC, when the Philistines controlled the city.

Chadwick told Live Science that the foundations of the stone wall were exactly two feet wide (four cubits and one span). The wall itself was probably 7 meters high.

In his presentation, Chedwick said that Bible writers may have borrowed Goliath from the width of the city’s defensive wall. Goliath is the only person in the Bible whose body is accurately described.

Assuming that the authors of the Bible probably did not have access to Goliath’s corpse, the question arises where they got such a distinct Goliath form – four cubits and a crack.

It is possible that this is a metaphor and they equate the strong Goliath with the strong city walls.