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Goliath
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{{Short description|Philistine giant in the Bible}} {{About|the biblical warrior}} {{Redirect|David and Goliath}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}} [[File:Osmar Schindler David und Goliath.jpg|thumb|''David and Goliath'' (1888) by [[Osmar Schindler]]]] '''Goliath'''{{efn|group=upper-alpha|{{langx|he|גָּלְיָת|Goləyāṯ}}; {{langx|ar|جُليات|Ǧulyāt}} (Christian term) or {{lang|ar|جَالُوت}}, {{transliteration|ar|Ǧālūt}} (Quranic term)}} ({{IPAc-en|ɡ|ə|ˈ|l|aɪ|ə|θ}} {{respell|gə|LY|əth}}) was a [[Philistines|Philistine]] giant in the [[Book of Samuel]]. Descriptions of Goliath's [[giant|immense stature]] vary among biblical sources, with various texts describing him as either {{convert|6|ft|9|in|abbr=on}} or {{convert|9|ft|9|in|abbr=on}} tall.<ref name="autogenerated2005"/> According to the text, 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 (weapon)#Biblical accounts|sling and stone]] as a weapon. The narrative signified [[Saul|King Saul]]'s unfitness to rule, as Saul himself should have fought for the [[Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy)|Kingdom of Israel]].{{sfn|Nelson|2000|p=519}} Some modern scholars believe that the original slayer of Goliath may have been [[Elhanan, son of Jair]], who features in 2 Samuel 21:19, in which Elhanan kills Goliath the Gittite,{{sfn|Finkelstein|Silberman|2007|pp=2, 57}} and that the authors of the [[Deuteronomist#Deuteronomistic history|Deuteronomistic history]] changed the original text to credit the victory to the more famous figure David.{{sfn|Halpern|2003|p=8}}{{sfn|Finkelstein|Silberman|2007|p=196}} The phrase "[[#Modern usages of David and Goliath|David and Goliath]]" has taken on a more popular meaning denoting an underdog situation, a contest wherein a smaller, weaker opponent faces a much bigger, stronger adversary.<ref name="oxford">{{cite encyclopedia | url=http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/american_english/david-and-goliath | title=David, and Goliath | encyclopedia=Oxford Advanced American Dictionary | access-date=11 February 2015}} "used to describe a situation in which a small or weak person or organization tries to defeat another much larger or stronger opponent: ''The game looks like it will be a David and Goliath contest.''"</ref>
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