How tall was Goliath? Scientists reveal the amazing height of the biblical giant

There is a well-known biblical story about the giant Goliath, who challenged the Israelites. Scientists claim to have uncovered the secret of how tall this giant was.

The Bible says that Goliath, who fought the future King David, was at least 3 meters tall. However, researchers say that his height was less because there was a different measurement system, writes DailyMail.

The Philistine warrior Goliath is described in the Old Testament. His figure was so gigantic that his very name became synonymous with enormous size.

However, scientists say that there was nothing supernatural about Goliath's tall stature. After all, archaeologists have found the remains of other "giants" dating back to 2700 BC, roughly the time of the biblical battle.

However, scientists emphasize that these giants probably suffered from a rare genetic disease that caused them to grow to incredible sizes. It was this disease that probably played a fatal role for Goliath in his duel with young David, the future king of Judea and Israel, experts say.

How tall was Goliath

In the Bible, the book of Samuel tells of a great battle between the armies of the Philistines and the Israelites. It describes Goliath's appearance in great detail: his height is "six cubits and a span," and he wears bronze armor weighing "five thousand shekels."

However, most archaeologists believe that this estimate is somewhat overstated. Although six cubits and a span became the standard translation, older versions of the Bible show a different measurement.

For example, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, written between the first and third centuries BC, states that Goliath was four cubits and a span. It is this version of Goliath's height that biblical scholars consider correct.

Calculations of ancient units

Experts note that the exact conversions of these ancient units are unclear.

"An ancient cubit is the distance from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger. The span is the width of the hand, for example, as a horse's height is measured today. However, this varied from person to person, and only in Egypt was the cubit standardized at 52.5 cm," said Clyde Billington, a biblical scholar and executive director of the Institute of Biblical Archaeology.

If we use Egyptian units, Goliath's six cubits and span are 3.28 meters. And if we use more accurate data – four cubits – this gives Goliath 2.26 meters.

However, archaeologists now believe that the ancient Israelites used a different measurement system.

Although researchers have not found any remains that would have belonged to Goliath, the giant's hometown of Gath is undoubtedly a real place. This settlement is now known by the Arabic name Tell es-Safi. It was continuously occupied from about 5000 BC until its population was expelled during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, historians say.

The discovery of arrowheads and evidence of weapons production at the site is consistent with the biblical account of the Israelite invasion of Gath in the ninth century BC. And the excavation of the city walls could be the key to understanding Goliath's height.

After measuring hundreds of architectural elements, researchers led by Professor Jeff Chadwick of Brigham Young University determined the units of measurement used by ancient architects.

This showed that the ancient elbow was equivalent to 54 cm, and the span was 22 cm. Using these units, Goliath's height is 2.38 meters.

Given that the average height of a Bronze Age man was 160 cm, Goliath seemed to his contemporaries to be a real giant, the researchers say.

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