Goliath is a Philistine warrior in the Book of Samuel. Descriptions of Goliath's immense stature vary among biblical sources, with the Masoretic Text describing him as 9 feet 9 inches (2.97 m) tall. Goliath issued a challenge to the Israelites, daring them to send forth a champion to engage him in single combat; he was ultimately defeated by the young shepherd David, employing a sling and stone as a weapon. The narrative signified King Saul's unfitness to rule, as Saul himself should have fought for Israel.
David and Goliath, a color lithograph by Osmar Schindler (c. 1888)
David hoists the severed head of Goliath as illustrated by Gustave Doré (1866)
David with the Head of Goliath, circa 1635, by Andrea Vaccaro
Artist's rendition of Goliath's fall (18th century, Charles Errard the Younger).
The Book of Samuel is a book in the Hebrew Bible, found as two books in the Old Testament. The book is part of the Deuteronomistic history, a series of books that constitute a theological history of the Israelites and that aim to explain God's law for Israel under the guidance of the prophets.
Page from the book of Samuel, in the Biblia de Cervera (1299/1300)
Ernst Josephson, David and Saul, 1878
David and Bathsheba, by Artemisia Gentileschi, c. 1636. David is seen in the background, standing on a balcony.
Hannah presenting Samuel to Eli, by Jan Victors, 1645
