PROOF OF DAVID’S EPIC BATTLE WITH GOLIATH

BY DAVID PARSONS, VICE PRESIDENT & SENIOR SPOKESMAN

The battle between David and Goliath is one of the best-known stories in the Bible, and one of its most hotly-debated as well. Some scholars dismiss it as fable – like mythical Greek tales of heroic one-on-one battles. But in recent years, numerous archaeological finds in and near the Elah Valley, where the Bible says the battle took place, have only enhanced the authenticity of this key event in ancient Israel’s history.

The epic story is found in 1 Samuel 17. Young David has already been anointed by the prophet Samuel to replace Saul as Israel’s king one day. When David is sent by his father Jesse to check on his brothers away at war, he finds the Israelite camp gripped in fear of a giant Philistine warrior named Goliath, who daily taunts Saul to send someone to fight him in single combat for all the spoils. David rises to the challenge but uses a slingshot, instead of a sword or spear, to fell Goliath and then cut off the giant’s head with his own sword. The Israelites greatly rejoice, crediting David with more gallantry than Saul, which makes the jealous king angry.

The first point in the story’s favour is the growing evidence such man-to-man challenges actually occurred in the regional cultures of those days.

Second, the biblical account identifies several locations linked to the story, namely that the Israelites were encamped in the Elah Valley while the Philistines camped on a ridge opposite them “between Sochoh and Azekah, in Ephes Dammim” (1 Samuel 17:1). Later, when David beheads Goliath and Israel begins to pursue the fleeing Philistines, “the wounded of the Philistines fell along the road to Shaaraim, even as far as Gath and Ekron” (1 Samuel 17:52).

Over recent decades, all of these places have been located and identified, all dating to the relevant period. Tel Azekah is an impressive fortress situated in today’s British Park, and served as Israel’s main lookout point over no-man’s land between Israel and Philistia. Meanwhile, Gath and Ekron both lie to the west. Perhaps the most interesting find is Shaaraim, which in Hebrew means “gates”, though archaeologists use the local Arabic name Khirbet Qeiyala, uncovered on a ridge near Tel Azekah.

Here, a very interesting discovery was made: the ancient walled fortress had two gates. The vast majority of Canaanite cities in those days had a single gate, as gates usually were the hardest points to defend in a walled village. So, Khirbet Qeiyala is extremely rare, having two gates on opposite ends of town. Thus, it fits the Hebrew name Shaaraim, or “gates”, which the Philistines would have fled through on their way back to the coast.

Further, the ruins of a village identified as Sochoh have been found on the other side of the Elah Valley opposite Khirbet Qeiyala, while Ephes Dammim has been found closer to Tel Azekah. This all aligns with the biblical description of the warring encampments.

Many other finds over the years are confirming that the story of David and Goliath was a real event. The extensive excavations at Gath (Tell-es-Safi) have uncovered enormous building stones and abnormally wide gates – suggesting giant people lived there. And of course, there is the old and often forgotten “Monash” find nearby, uncovered by an Israeli farmer in 1961. This consisted of a hoard of outsized metal combat objects, including four enormous and well-preserved copper spearheads, the largest being 66 cm (26 inches) long and weighing 2 kilos (4.5 lbs). These are far beyond the size that can be wielded in battle by normal humans. The trove also featured scores of large copper scales which appear to have once formed protective chain-mail suits for extremely huge fighters. All this points to not one but several giant warriors – and remember, Goliath was said to have four brothers and a spear like a weaver’s beam.