How Tall Was Goliath Really? Revisiting the Biblical Evidence

Was Goliath Really 9'9" Tall? The Oldest Manuscripts Reveal a Different Height

Few figures in the Bible are as famous for their size as Goliath of Gath. For centuries, many Christians have imagined him as a towering giant nearly ten feet tall. That image largely comes from the traditional Hebrew text of the Old Testament. However, when we look closely at the earliest manuscripts of 1 Samuel, the historical evidence becomes more complex—and perhaps more interesting.

The Masoretic Text: A Ten-Foot Giant

Most modern English Bibles follow the Masoretic Text (MT), the standard medieval Hebrew form of the Old Testament preserved by Jewish scribes. In 1 Samuel 17:4, this tradition says that Goliath was “six cubits and a span.”

Using  ancient measurements—where a cubit is about 18 inches and a span about 9 inches—this produces a height of roughly 9 feet 9 inches. If this reading is correct, Goliath would have been an extraordinary giant by any standard, even today. This has led many people to conclude that Goliath may have been a descendant of the Nephilim mentioned in Genesis 6, even though the Scriptural evidence for this is scant.

The Earliest Evidence: A Shorter Goliath

However, when we examine earlier textual witnesses, a different number appears. The Greek Septuagint (LXX), the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the first-century historian Flavius Josephus all report Goliath’s height as “four cubits and a span.” Using the same measurements, this equals roughly 6 feet 9 inches.

Because the Dead Sea Scroll manuscript of Samuel and the Greek Septuagint predate the earliest Masoretic manuscripts by roughly a thousand years, many textual scholars consider this earlier reading to be strong evidence that the original text likely described Goliath as around 6'9" rather than nearly ten feet tall.

Why would the number change? Textual critics often note that numbers were especially prone to scribal alteration in ancient manuscripts. In Hebrew, numbers were written with letters, making them susceptible to copying errors.

Some scholars, therefore, propose that the number “four” may have been accidentally or intentionally changed to “six” during transmission. One possibility is a simple scribal error; another is that a later scribe may have amplified the figure to heighten the drama of David’s victory. In either case, the earlier textual evidence strongly favors the four-cubit reading.

Why Some Scholars Still Defend the Masoretic Height

Despite the early evidence, some scholars still argue that the Masoretic reading of six cubits and a span might preserve the original number. There are several reasons for this.

First, the Masoretic tradition became the standard Hebrew text used within Judaism and later Christianity, which means most surviving manuscripts reflect this reading. Second, later ancient translations—including the Latin Vulgate—follow the Hebrew tradition that records the taller height, indicating that the “six cubits” reading existed in some Hebrew textual traditions quite early. Third, some scholars suggest that the Masoretic reading fits better within the confines of the story, since Goliath would have had to be significantly taller than King Saul, who was the tallest man in Israel (1 Samuel 9:2). Finally, others suggest the Septuagint translators may have intentionally reduced the number to make the story appear more historically plausible.

For these reasons, the debate remains open in some scholarly circles, though a growing number of textual critics believe the shorter height has the stronger manuscript support, considering all of the earliest manuscripts agree on the 6’9” number.

Why 6'9" Would Still Be Astonishing

Even if Goliath stood around 6 feet 9 inches, that would still have made him a remarkably imposing warrior in the ancient Near East.

In previous research on the average height of Judean men in antiquity, scholars generally estimate that adult males in the region were around 5 feet to 5 feet 5 inches tall. This means a man standing 6'9" would have towered more than a foot taller than most soldiers.

In a pre-modern world with poor nutrition and limited medical care, such height would have been extremely rare. A warrior of that stature—combined with heavy armor, elite training, and Philistine military equipment—would easily have appeared terrifying on the battlefield.

In other words, even the “shorter” Goliath would still have looked like a giant to the young shepherd David and the Israelite army.

The Real Point of the Story

Ironically, the Bible itself never emphasizes Goliath’s height as much as later readers do. The narrative focuses far more on the contrast between human strength and divine deliverance. Whether Goliath was 9'9" or 6'9", the story ultimately highlights the same theological truth: the victory belonged not to the strongest warrior but to the God of Israel.

And perhaps that makes the account even more powerful. David did not defeat a mythical monster. He defeated a real, formidable warrior—one who, even at 6'9", would have seemed unstoppable.

How Tall Was Goliath Really? Revisiting the Biblical Evidence

Blake Barbera is the founder and Lead Teaching Minister at That You May Know Him. He has been teaching the Bible for more than two decades, and has served the Church in various capacities during that time, including as a missionary and pastor.

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