1 Samuel 17:4

1 Samuel 17:4

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.

a. NLT: Then Goliath, a Philistine champion from Gath, came out of the Philistine ranks to face the forces of Israel. He was over nine feet tall! [Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.]

b. ASV: 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. [Thomas Nelson & Sons first published the American Standard Version in 1901. This translation of the Bible is in the public domain.]

c. YLT: And there goeth out a man of the duellists from the camps of the Philistines, Goliath is his name, from Gath; his height is six cubits and a span, [The Young's Literal Translation was translated by Robert Young, who believed in a strictly literal translation of God's word. This version of the Bible is in the public domain.]

d. Amplified Bible Classic: And a champion went out of the camp of the Philistines named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span [almost ten feet]. [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

e. Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/Writings: A champion went forth from the Philistine camps, whose name was Goliath of Gath; his height six cubits and one span. [The Artscroll Series/Stone Edition, THE TANACH--STUDENT SIZE EDITION Copyright 1996, 1998 by Mesorah Publications, Ldt.]

1. “And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath…”

a. [And there]went out [Strong: 3318 yatsa' yaw-tsaw': a primitive root; to go (causatively, bring) out, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct and proxim.:--X after, appear, X assuredly, bear out, X begotten, break out, bring forth (out, up), carry out, come (abroad, out, thereat, without), + be condemned, depart(-ing, -ure), draw forth, in the end, escape, exact, fail, fall (out), fetch forth (out), get away (forth, hence, out), (able to, cause to, let) go abroad (forth, on, out), going out, grow, have forth (out), issue out, lay (lie) out, lead out, pluck out, proceed, pull out, put away, be risen, X scarce, send with commandment, shoot forth, spread, spring out, stand out, X still, X surely, take forth (out), at any time, X to (and fro), utter.]

b. [Strong: 376 'iysh eesh: contracted for 582 (or perhaps rather from an unused root meaning to be extant); a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation):--also, another, any (man), a certain, + champion, consent, each, every (one), fellow, (foot-, husband-)man, (good-, great, mighty) man, he, high (degree), him (that is), husband, man(-kind), + none, one, people, person, + steward, what (man) soever, whoso(-ever), worthy.]

1). Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/Writings: Literally, “the man of the middle,” i.e., a mighty warrior who would leave his camp and stand alone between the warring armies, challenging the opposing force (Rashi).

c. [a] champion [Strong: 1143 benayim bay-nah'-yim: dual of 996; a double interval, i.e. the space between two armies:--+ champion.]

d. out of the camp [Strong: 4264 machaneh makh-an-eh' from 2583; an encampment (of travellers or troops); hence, an army, whether literal (of soldiers) or figurative (of dancers, angels, cattle, locusts, stars; or even the sacred courts):-- army, band, battle, camp, company, drove, host, tents.[ 

e. [of the] Philistines [Strong: 6430 Plishtiy pel-ish-tee': patrial from 6429; a Pelishtite or inhabitant of Pelesheth:--Philistine.]

f. named [Strong: 8034 shem shame: a primitive word (perhaps rather from 7760 through the idea of definite and conspicuous position; Compare 8064); an appellation, as a mark or memorial of individuality; by implication honor, authority, character:--+ base, (in-)fame(-ous), named(-d), renown, report.]

g. Goliath [Strong: 1555 Golyath gol-yath': perhaps from 1540; exile; Goljath, a Philistine:--Goliath.]

h. [of] Gath [Strong: 1661 Gath gath: the same as 1660; Gath, a Philistine city:--Gath.]

1). The location of Gath has been known for centuries but serious archeological digging began recently. A Philistine temple was uncovered recently and researchers are trying to point to it to see perhaps a similarity to the temple Samson destroyed. I think it is important that this was Goliath’s home town. 

a). Archaeologists Uncover Philistine Temple in Goliath's Hometown 8/4/2010, By Ethan Cole | Christian Post Reporter: Archaeologists in Israel recently discovered a Philistine temple at the site where the giant warrior Goliath’s hometown would have been. The temple ruins are located in the ancient city of Gath and dates back to the 10th century B.C., according to Prof. Aren Maeir of Bar Illan University’s Martin Department of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology. The uncovered temple has a similar architectural image to the one described in the Bible story of Samson who pulled down the Philistine temple of Dagon on himself. “We’re not saying this is the same temple where the story of Samson occurred or that the story even did occur,” said Maeir, who has directed the excavation at the site for the past 13 years, to The Jerusalem Post last week. “But this gives us a good idea of what image whoever wrote the story would have had of a Philistine temple.” This is the first Philistine temple found at Gath. In addition to the temple discovery, the team also found evidence of a major earthquake from the 8th century B.C. that could be the quakes mentioned in the books of Isaiah and Amos. “If the seismologists are right, an 8 on the Richter scale would have leveled a major city,” said Maeir. “The intensity of the energy required to move the walls seem to have been from something very powerful.” “What we have here is very strong arch-evidence of a dramatic earthquake, a natural event that left a very significant impression on the biblical prophets of the time.” Maeir and his international team uncovered the temple at the ancient ruin mounts of Tel Tzafit National Park on the Southern coastal plain.

b). Goliath gates: Entrance to famous Biblical metropolis uncovered 

By Tia Ghose. A massive gate unearthed in Israel may have marked the entrance to a biblical city that, at its heyday, was the biggest metropolis in the region.

The town, called Gath, was occupied until the ninth century B.C. In biblical accounts, the Philistines — the mortal enemies of the Israelites — ruled the city. The Old Testament also describes Gath as the home of Goliath, the giant warrior whom the Israelite King David felled with a slingshot. The new findings reveal just how impressive the ancient Philistine city once was, said lead archaeologist of the current excavation, Aren Maeir, of Bar-Ilan University in Israel. "We knew that Philistine Gath in the 10th to ninth century [B.C.] was a large city, perhaps the largest in the land at that time," Maeir told Live Science in an email. "These monumental fortifications stress how large and mighty this city was." The gates were uncovered in Tell es-Safi, which was occupied almost continuously for nearly 5,000 years, until the Arab village at the site was left in 1948, Maeir said. Though archaeologists have been excavating at the site since 1899, it wasn't until the past few decades that they realized how massive the Iron Age remains really were. Both the impressive settlement size and mentions in biblical accounts suggest to scholars that the site is the historic city of Gath, which was ruled by the Philistines, who lived next to the Jewish kingdoms of Judah and Israel. Most scholars think that Gath was besieged and laid to waste by Hazael, King of Aram Damascus, in 830 B.C., Maeir said. The team was digging trenches to look for the ancient city's fortifications when they found the top surface of a monumental gate and fortifications. Because the remaining walls are so massive, it may take several seasons to fully uncover them, Maeir said. So far, only the top surface of the structures are visible, but based on the size and shape of the stones used to make them, the city walls must have been quite large. The mighty fortifications would have formed a rather imposing boundary that prevented the Kingdom of Judah from expanding westward, he added. The team also found ironworks and a Philistine temple near the monumental gate, with some pottery and other finds typically associated with Philistine culture. Though the pottery represents a distinctive Philistine style, it also shows elements of Israelite technique, suggesting the cultures did influence each other in ways unrelated to war. "This mirrors the intense and multifaceted connections that existed between the Philistines and their neighbors," Maeir said. Though the Philistines were often seen as the absolute enemies of the Israelites and Judahites, he added, in reality, "it was much more complex." http://www.foxnews.com/science/2015/08/05/goliath-gates-entrance-to-famous-biblical-metropolis-uncovered/?intcmp=hpff

2. “…whose height was six cubits and a span.

a. [whose] height [Strong: 1363 gobahh go'-bah from 1361; elation, grandeur, arrogance:--excellency, haughty, height, high, loftiness, pride.] 

b. six [Strong: 8337 shesh shaysh masculine shishshah {shish-shaw'}; a primitive number; six (as an overplus (see 7797) beyond five or the fingers of the hand); as ord. sixth:--six((-teen, -teenth)), sixth.]

c. cubits  [Strong: 520 'ammah am-maw': prolonged from 517; properly, a mother (i.e. unit of measure, or the fore-arm (below the elbow), i.e. a cubit; also a door-base (as a bond of the entrance):--cubit, + hundred (by exchange for 3967), measure, post.]

1). Unger’s Bible Dictionary: It was commonly reckoned as the length of the arm from the point of the elbow to the end of the middle finger, about 18 inches.

b. [and a] span [Strong: 2239 zereth zeh'-reth: from 2219; the spread of the fingers, i.e. a span:--span.]

1). Unger’s Bible Dictionary: The width from the end of the thumb to that of the little finger, when they were extended, about 9 inches.

2). Goliath was about 9 feet 9 inches tall.

3). Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/Writings: He was 12-13 feet tall. A cubit is just under two feet, and a span is half a cubit.