How big was the biblical Goliath? – Historical puzzles – Science

As written in a new study, the high height of the goliath is more like a metaphor. It does not, however, reveal whether other aspects of the biblical story are true, such as whether there was such an unequal struggle at all.

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

Some ancient texts state that Goliath has four cubits and one span which scientists say is about 2.38 meters. Other texts say that it was six cubits long and about 3.46 meters long. Impressive attitude, for sure, if we’re talking about a real person. Today, the tallest man was Robert Vadlov, who was 2.72 meters tall.

However, scientists are still debating what these ancient cavities and cracks are in modern terms. Most likely, these units differed in different parts of the ancient world. Chedwick has a long history of researching ancient architectural sites in ancient Israel, measuring remains of structures and recording measurements that were frequently used. His research shows that one object in this area was 54 cm and a span of 22 cm.

Chedwick is part of a team of archaeologists conducting excavations at Gata, the Philistine town where Goliath grew up, according to the Bible.

Recently, researchers discovered a fortification wall in the northern part of the city. It was built in the 10th century BC when the Philistines controlled the city.

Chedwick told Live Science that the stone foundations were exactly 2.38 meters wide (four cubits and one span). The wall itself was probably 7 meters high.

In his presentation, Chedwick said that Bible writers could borrow Goliath from the breadth of the city’s defensive wall. Goliath is the only person in the Bible whose body is fully described.

Assuming that the authors of the Bible probably did not have access to Goliath’s corpse, the question arises as to where they got Goliath’s definite height – four cubits and a splinter.

Perhaps it’s a metaphor, and they equate a strong Goliath with strong city walls.