Goliath

Reference1 Samuel 17:4

Writtenc. 600–500 BCE

Setc. 1000 BCE

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.

Translation: KJV

What scholars say

The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Greek Bible give 'four cubits and a span', about 6 ft 9 in. The later Hebrew text says six cubits, about 9 ft 9 in.

People and places hereGath Goliath

Quick answers about 1 Samuel 17:4

1 Samuel 17:4 (Hebrew Bible). Translation quoted: King James Version (1611; standard 1769 text), with Apocrypha.

c. 600–500 BCE.

The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Greek Bible give 'four cubits and a span', about 6 ft 9 in. The later Hebrew text says six cubits, about 9 ft 9 in.

Scholarly dates are rounded. The wording follows the named public-domain translation.

Updated October 2026