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Selected Verse: 1 Samuel 17:4 - Strong Concordance
Verse |
Translation |
Text |
1Sa 17:4 |
Strong Concordance |
And there went out [03318] a champion [0376] [01143] out of the camp [04264] of the Philistines [06430], named [08034] Goliath [01555], of Gath [01661], whose height [01363] was six [08337] cubits [0520] and a span [02239]. |
|
King James |
And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. |
Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse
A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882] |
GOLIATH CHALLENGES A COMBAT. (Sa1 17:4-11)
a champion--Hebrew, a "man between two"; that is, a person who, on the part of his own people, undertook to determine the national quarrel by engaging in single combat with a chosen warrior in the hostile army. |
Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834] |
A champion - literally, "a man between the two camps:" i. e., one who did not fight in the ranks like an ordinary soldier, but came forth into the space between the hostile camps to challenge the mightiest man of his enemies to come and fight him.
Goliath of Gath - One of the places mentioned in Jos 11:22 as still retaining a remnant of the sons of Anak; Gaza and Ashdod being the others. The race of giants (the Rephaim, from רפא râphâ' ) is mentioned again in the account of David's Philistine wars Sa2 21:15-22; Ch1 20:4-8. It appears from these passages that Goliath had a brother Lahmi. Four are named as being "born to the giant in Gath." See Deu 2:10-11, Deu 2:20-21; Deu 3:11-13.
Six cubits ... - If the cubit, the length from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger, is about 1 12 feet; and the span, the distance from the thumb to the middle or little finger, when stretched apart to the full length, be half a cubit, six cubits and a span would equal about nine feet nine inches. The bed of Og king of Bashan was nine cubits long Deu 3:11. |
Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65] |
Six cubits - At least, nine feet, nine inches high. And this is not strange; for besides the giants mentioned in Scripture, Herodotus, Diodorus Siculus, and Pliny, make mention of persons seven cubits high. |
Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826 |
There went out a champion - Our word champion comes from campus, the field; Campio est enim ille qui pugnat in campo, hoc est, in castris, "Champion is he, properly, who fights in the field; i.e., in camps." A man well skilled in arms, strong, brave, and patriotic.
But is this the meaning of the original איש הבנים ish habbenayim, a middle man, the man between two; that is, as here, the man who undertakes to settle the disputes between two armies or nations. So our ancient champions settled disputes between contending parties by what was termed camp fight, hence the campio or champion. The versions know not well what to make of this man. The Vulgate calls him sir spurius, "a bastard;" the Septuagint, ανηρ δυνατος, "a strong or powerful man;" the Targum, גברא מביניהון gabra mibbeyneyhon, "a man from between them;" the Arabic, rujil jibar, "a great or gigantic man;" the Syriac is the same; and Josephus terms him ανηρ παμμεγεθιστατος, "an immensely great man." The Vulgate has given him the notation of spurius or bastard, because it considered the original as expressing a son of two, i.e., a man whose parents are unknown. Among all these I consider our word champion, as explained above, the best and most appropriate to the original terms.
Whose height was six cubits and a span - The word cubit signifies the length from cubitus, the elbow, to the top of the middle finger, which is generally rated at one foot six inches. The span is the distance from the top of the middle finger to the end of the thumb, when extended as far as they can stretch on a plain; this is ordinarily nine inches. Were we sure that these were the measures, and their extent, which are intended in the original words, we could easily ascertain the height of this Philistine; it would then be nine feet nine inches, which is a tremendous height for a man.
But the versions are not all agreed in his height. The Septuagint read τεσσαρων πηχεων και σπιθαμης, four cubits and a span; and Josephus reads the same. It is necessary however to observe that the Septuagint, in the Codex Alexandrinus, read with the Hebrew text. But what was the length of the ancient cubit? This has been variously computed; eighteen inches, twenty inches and a half, and twenty-one inches. If we take the first measurement, he was nine feet nine; if the second, and read palm instead of span, with the Vulgate and others, he was ten feet seven inches and a half; if we take the last, which is the estimate of Graevius, with the span, he was eleven feet three inches; or if we go to the exactest measurement, as laid down in Bishop Cumberland's tables, where he computes the cubit at 21.888 inches, the span at 10.944 inches, and the palm at 3.684 inches, then the six cubits and the span will make exactly 11 feet 10.272 inches. If we take the palm instead of the span, then the height will be 11 feet 3.012 inches. But I still think that the nine feet nine inches is the most reasonable. |
4 And there went out [03318] a champion [0376] [01143] out of the camp [04264] of the Philistines [06430], named [08034] Goliath [01555], of Gath [01661], whose height [01363] was six [08337] cubits [0520] and a span [02239].
5 And he had an helmet [03553] of brass [05178] upon his head [07218], and he was armed [03847] with a coat [08302] of mail [07193]; and the weight [04948] of the coat [08302] was five [02568] thousand [0505] shekels [08255] of brass [05178].
6 And he had greaves [04697] of brass [05178] upon his legs [07272], and a target [03591] of brass [05178] between his shoulders [03802].
7 And the staff [06086] [02671] of his spear [02595] was like a weaver's [0707] beam [04500]; and his spear's [02595] head [03852] weighed six [08337] hundred [03967] shekels [08255] of iron [01270]: and one bearing [05375] a shield [06793] went [01980] before [06440] him.
8 And he stood [05975] and cried [07121] unto the armies [04634] of Israel [03478], and said [0559] unto them, Why are ye come out [03318] to set your battle [04421] in array [06186]? am not I a Philistine [06430], and ye servants [05650] to Saul [07586]? choose [01262] you a man [0376] for you, and let him come down [03381] to me.
9 If he be able [03201] to fight [03898] with me, and to kill [05221] me, then will we be your servants [05650]: but if I prevail [03201] against him, and kill [05221] him, then shall ye be our servants [05650], and serve [05647] us.
10 And the Philistine [06430] said [0559], I defy [02778] the armies [04634] of Israel [03478] this day [03117]; give [05414] me a man [0376], that we may fight [03898] together [03162].
11 When Saul [07586] and all Israel [03478] heard [08085] those words [01697] of the Philistine [06430], they were dismayed [02865], and greatly [03966] afraid [03372].
11 For only Og [05747] king [04428] of Bashan [01316] remained [07604] of the remnant [03499] of giants [07497]; behold, his bedstead [06210] was a bedstead [06210] of iron [01270]; is it not [03808] in Rabbath [07237] of the children [01121] of Ammon [05983]? nine [08672] cubits [0520] was the length [0753] thereof, and four [0702] cubits [0520] the breadth [07341] of it, after the cubit [0520] of a man [0376].
11 For only Og [05747] king [04428] of Bashan [01316] remained [07604] of the remnant [03499] of giants [07497]; behold, his bedstead [06210] was a bedstead [06210] of iron [01270]; is it not [03808] in Rabbath [07237] of the children [01121] of Ammon [05983]? nine [08672] cubits [0520] was the length [0753] thereof, and four [0702] cubits [0520] the breadth [07341] of it, after the cubit [0520] of a man [0376].
12 And this land [0776], which we possessed [03423] at that time [06256], from Aroer [06177], which is by the river [05158] Arnon [0769], and half [02677] mount [02022] Gilead [01568], and the cities [05892] thereof, gave [05414] I unto the Reubenites [07206] and to the Gadites [01425].
13 And the rest [03499] of Gilead [01568], and all Bashan [01316], being the kingdom [04467] of Og [05747], gave [05414] I unto the half [02677] tribe [07626] of Manasseh [04519]; all the region [02256] of Argob [0709], with all Bashan [01316], which [01931] was called [07121] the land [0776] of giants [07497].
20 (That also was accounted [02803] a land [0776] of giants [07497]: giants [07497] dwelt [03427] therein in old time [06440]; and the Ammonites [05984] call [07121] them Zamzummims [02157];
21 A people [05971] great [01419], and many [07227], and tall [07311], as the Anakims [06062]; but the LORD [03068] destroyed [08045] them before [06440] them; and they succeeded [03423] them, and dwelt [03427] in their stead:
10 The Emims [0368] dwelt [03427] therein in times past [06440], a people [05971] great [01419], and many [07227], and tall [07311], as the Anakims [06062];
11 Which [01992] also were accounted [02803] giants [07497], as the Anakims [06062]; but the Moabites [04125] call [07121] them Emims [0368].
4 And it came to pass after this [0310], that there arose [05975] war [04421] at Gezer [01507] with the Philistines [06430]; at which time [0227] Sibbechai [05444] the Hushathite [02843] slew [05221] Sippai [05598], that was of the children [03211] of the giant [07497]: and they were subdued [03665].
5 And there was war [04421] again with the Philistines [06430]; and Elhanan [0445] the son [01121] of Jair [03265] slew [05221] Lahmi [03902] the brother [0251] of Goliath [01555] the Gittite [01663], whose spear [02595] staff [06086] was like a weaver's [0707] beam [04500].
6 And yet again there was war [04421] at Gath [01661], where was a man [0376] of great stature [04060], whose fingers [0676] and toes [0676] were four [0702] and twenty [06242], six [08337] on each hand, and six [08337] on each foot: and he also was the son [03205] of the giant [07497].
7 But when he defied [02778] Israel [03478], Jonathan [03083] the son [01121] of Shimea [08092] David's [01732] brother [0251] slew [05221] him.
8 These [0411] were born [03205] unto the giant [07497] in Gath [01661]; and they fell [05307] by the hand [03027] of David [01732], and by the hand [03027] of his servants [05650].
15 Moreover the Philistines [06430] had yet war [04421] again with Israel [03478]; and David [01732] went down [03381], and his servants [05650] with him, and fought [03898] against the Philistines [06430]: and David [01732] waxed faint [05774].
16 And Ishbibenob [03430], which was of the sons [03211] of the giant [07497], the weight [04948] of whose spear [07013] weighed three [07969] hundred [03967] shekels of brass [05178] in weight [04948], he being girded [02296] with a new [02319] sword, thought [0559] to have slain [05221] David [01732].
17 But Abishai [052] the son [01121] of Zeruiah [06870] succoured [05826] him, and smote [05221] the Philistine [06430], and killed [04191] him. Then the men [0582] of David [01732] sware [07650] unto him, saying [0559], Thou shalt go [03318] no more out with us to battle [04421], that thou quench [03518] not the light [05216] of Israel [03478].
18 And it came to pass after this [0310], that there was again a battle [04421] with the Philistines [06430] at Gob [01359]: then Sibbechai [05444] the Hushathite [02843] slew [05221] Saph [05593], which was of the sons [03211] of the giant [07497].
19 And there was again a battle [04421] in Gob [01359] with the Philistines [06430], where Elhanan [0445] the son [01121] of Jaareoregim [03296], a Bethlehemite [01022], slew [05221] the brother of Goliath [01555] the Gittite [01663], the staff [06086] of whose spear [02595] was like a weaver's [0707] beam [04500].
20 And there was yet a battle [04421] in Gath [01661], where was a man [0376] of great stature [04067] [04055], that had on every hand [03027] six [08337] fingers [0676], and on every foot [07272] six [08337] toes [0676], four [0702] and twenty [06242] in number [04557]; and he also was born [03205] to the giant [07497].
21 And when he defied [02778] Israel [03478], Jonathan [03083] the son [01121] of Shimea [08092] the brother [0251] of David [01732] slew [05221] him.
22 These four [0702] were born [03205] to the giant [07497] in Gath [01661], and fell [05307] by the hand [03027] of David [01732], and by the hand [03027] of his servants [05650].
22 There was none of the Anakims [06062] left [03498] in the land [0776] of the children [01121] of Israel [03478]: only in Gaza [05804], in Gath [01661], and in Ashdod [0795], there remained [07604].