Goliath's height in the Bible is described with some variation among ancient texts:
- The most commonly cited measurement comes from the Masoretic Text (the traditional Hebrew Bible), which states that Goliath was "six cubits and a span" tall. A cubit is approximately 18 inches (46 cm) and a span about 9 inches (23 cm), making Goliath roughly 9 feet 9 inches (2.97 meters) tall
- However, other ancient sources such as the Septuagint (a Greek translation of the Old Testament), some Dead Sea Scrolls manuscripts, and the Jewish historian Josephus give a shorter height of "four cubits and a span," which translates to about 6 feet 9 inches (2.06 meters)
- This discrepancy may be due to differences in translation, scribal changes, or symbolic/metaphorical use of measurements. Some scholars suggest the longer height emphasizes Goliath's giant stature dramatically, while the shorter height still depicts him as significantly taller than the average man of that era (about 5 feet 6 inches)
In summary, biblical texts describe Goliath as either about 9 feet 9 inches tall or about 6 feet 9 inches tall, with the former being the traditional and more famous figure of a giant, and the latter a more moderate but still imposing height
