CLAIM: Goliath’s height was “six cubits and a span” (NASB). This is roughly 9 feet 9 inches tall. Is it reasonable to believe in nine-foot-tall giants?
RESPONSE: A number of observations can be made:
First, many texts state that Goliath wasn’t this tall. The Septuagint, the Dead Sea Scrolls (4QSama), and Josephus (Antiquities 6.171) all state that Goliath was four cubits and a span (or 6 feet 9 inches tall). Textual scholars of the OT have long recognized that the text of Samuel is difficult—especially when it comes to the transmission of numbers. If so, this would mean that Goliath was simply tall—not 9 feet tall. The difficulty with holding this view is the fact that Goliath’s armor and weapons are enormous (e.g. 200 lbs armor and a 15 lbs spearhead!).
Second, others argue that Goliath may have had a medical condition that gave him his massive height. Two medical conditions lead to extreme sizes in humans: (1) gigantism and (2) acromegaly.
(1) Gigantism comes from the Greek word for “giant” (gigas). This condition occurs when benign tumors on the anterior pituitary gland produce an excess of human growth hormone (HGH). Normally, the “growth plate” (or epiphyseal plate) at the end of our bones hardens and ossifies during puberty. This is an “epiphyseal closure” or “growth plate fusion.” This usually occurs around puberty. However, those with gigantism have an excess of human growth hormone (HGH) before the growth plate ossifies, growing to excessive heights.
(2) Acromegaly comes from the Greek words “large” (megas) and “extremity” (akron). This condition occurs when the same pituitary gland produces HGH after the growth plate on the bones solidifies. Consequently, this creates large extremities (e.g. forehead, jaw, nose, etc.).
Several people throughout history have grown to extreme heights as a result of gigantism:
- The Potsdam Giants (1645-1806) was an infantry of exceptionally tall men who fought for Prussia, until they were defeated by Napolean. The minimum height for each soldier was 6 feet 2 inches. (This was during a time when the average height for a European man was 5 feet 5 inches.) One of the men, Daniel Cajanus (1704-1749), was between 7 feet 8 inches and 8 feet 1 inch tall.
- Anna Haining Bates (1846-1888) was roughly 7 feet 11 inches tall.
- Some professional wrestlers have acromegaly, which accounts for their size and strength. “Andre the Giant” was 7 feet 4 inches tall and 500 lbs, and “Big Show” is 7 feet 2 inches tall and 400 lbs.
- Robert Pershing Wadlow (1918-1940) was just under 9 feet tall and 439 lbs. He died at the age of 22 of an infection, and he was reportedly still growing! His massive size required him to use braces for his legs and a walking stick—though he never used a wheelchair.
- John Middleton (1578-1623) was allegedly 9 feet 3 inches tall—though this is disputed. He lived near Liverpool, and the sheriff of Lancashire hired Middleton as a bodyguard. His gravestone reads, “Here lyeth the bodie of John Middleton the Childe of Hale. Nine feet three. Borne 1578 Dyede 1623.”
While gigantism and acromegaly often lead to clumsy and uncoordinated people (e.g. Robert Wadlow), this is not always the case. The soldiers in the Potsdam Giants, Andre the Giant, and Big Show are all examples of incredibly strong and coordinated men who were highly athletic. Furthermore, Goliath isn’t depicted as a coordinated warrior. David’s agility and skill may have helped him in this physical contest. Two Irish geneticists argue that Goliath may have had gigantism. They write:[1]
“Pituitary giants look impressive in terms of stature, but may not have speed and agility to match their perceived strength. David, having agility, particularly having declined the heavy set of armour that was offered to him, and being skilled at sling shots, may have found a way around the fearsome looking giant by firing a sling shot from the side of the battlefield.”
“Families of giants have been described in the medical literature, but this may be one of the oldest and most famous examples to be documented. Perusal of the archaeological literature of that period gives evidence of giants being excavated but numerous fakes exist. Technology now exists to extract DNA from giant skeletons, and if any new excavations in the Middle East unearth a skeleton suggestive of Goliath, or of Og or similar biblical giants, more proof may be obtained by careful DNA analysis and it may be possible in the future to delineate the exact relations between different giant lineages in the bible, and dissect them further.”
“Goliath may have had an AIP mutation causing early onset autosomal dominant pituitary gigantism and one of his sons may have had a syndrome involving both AIP and BBS1, which could some way account for the physical characteristics of his family and their good success rate on the battle field until they met David.”
Third, and finally, the biblical account is far more plausible than other religions. Giants exist across the spectrum of world religions. Jainism teaches that different eras in history result in humans being as small as two feet tall and as large as six miles tall! In Norse mythology, Ymir (the grandfather of Odin) was so large that the Planet Earth is made of his corpse. The biblical descriptions pale in comparison.
[1] Deirdre E Donnelly and Patrick J Morrison. “Hereditary Gigantism-the biblical giant Goliath and his brothers.” Ulster Medical Journal. 2014 May; 83 (2): 86-88.