Goliath: Difference between revisions

According to the Old Testament, when Palestinians and Israelites stood against each other in the Valley of Elah, Goliath went forth from among Palestinians and began his war cry. He continued this action every morning and night for forty days, which frightened Israelites. [[Saul]] (Talut), the commander of Israelites' army, had promised that he would give the killer of Goliath a great amount of properties and marry her daughter to that person. When the young [[David (a)]] heard the war cries of Goliath, convinced Saul (Talut) to fight with him and then went to the battlefield. When Goliath saw David (a) going to fight him without a sword and only holding a stick and stone, mocked and threatened him. David (a) too threatened Goliath (Jalut) and said that he (a) would kill him, so that everyone would believe that there is a God. Then, David (a) hit Goliath on the forehead with a stone sling and killed him. Then, he (a) went upon his body and severed his head. This victory led to the complete defeat of Palestinians and their escape.{{enote|For more reading, see the book [1 Samuel 17]:1-53}} Head of Goliath was taken to [[Jerusalem]]{{enote|[1 Samuel 17]:54}} and his sword remained in a temple in the city of "Nob"{{enote|Based on map of Israel in [[Old Testament]] times, this area currently is in the vicinity  of [[Jerusalem]] in the east.}} until it was later returned to David (a).{{enote|[1 Samuel 21]:9 and 22:10}}

In Islamic historical and exegetic sources, there are points mentioned about Goliath. [['Ali b. Ibrahim al-Qummi]] considered him [[Coptic]], [[Dinwari]] mentioned him among the descendants of Walid b. Rayyan{{Enote|Or Rayyan b. Walid, a contemporary [[pharaoh]] with the Prophet [[Moses (a)]] or the Prophet [[Joseph (a)]], based on contradictory information in the sources.}}, and [['Ali b. al-Husayn al-Mas'udi|al-Mas'udi]] mentioned his lineage as Jalut b. Malud b. Dabbal b. Hattan b. Faris{{Enote|"Ibn" literally means "son" in Arabic, whose abbreviated form is "b.".}}. [[Al-Tabari]] considered him among Amalek{{Enote|According to the Bible, Amalek was the first enemy that Israel encountered after the crossing of the Sea of Reeds.}} and mentioned Goliath (Jalut), the king of Amalek. Al-Mas'udi mentioned him from Berbers{{Enote|According to Britannica, Berber is any of the descendants of the pre-Arab inhabitants of North Africa. The Berbers live in scattered communities across Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Mali, Niger, and Mauretania.}} and [[Ibn Khaldun]] mentioned him from Canaanites{{Enote|According to livescience.com, the Canaanites were people who lived in the land of Canaan, an area which according to ancient texts may have included parts of modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan.}}. [[Al-Ya'qubi]] mentioned him as Goliath which is his Hebrew name and mentioned his height five cubits{{Enote|Acording to Collins dictionary, cubit is an ancient unit of linear measure, about 18-22 inches (45.4-55.5 cm); orig., the length of the arm from the end of the middle finger to the elbow.}}. Al-Tabari too described him a robust warrior.

About the place of killing Goliath (Jalut), there are different reports in Islamic sources. Al-Mas'udi mentioned Beit She'an{{Enote|Currently, this city is located in the northern district of Israel.}} as the place the battle took place. [[Ibn 'Asakir]] mentioned "Qasr Umm Hakim" near "Marj al-Sufr", in the suburb of [[Damascus]], the place where Goliath was killed. Dabbagh mentioned the place of that event, a village in southwest of [[Bethlehem]] which is now called "Khirbit al-Shawika". The naming of a region as "Ain Jalut" which is a village between "Beit She'an" and "Nablus" in [[Palestine]] is considered to be related with the battle of David (a) and Goliath.