He had greaves[1] of brass on his legs, and a brazen shield on his shoulder, and the staff[2] of his spear was like a weaver’s beam. This giant, clad in armour from head to foot, came daily out, morning and evening, from the Philistine camp, and challenged any one of the Israelites to meet him in single combat, saying: “Give me a man, and let him fight with me hand to hand. If he be able to kill me, we will be servants to you; but if I prevail and kill him, you shall serve us.”
This went on for forty days, and there was no one found in all Israel to accept the challenge of Goliath. Hence Saul and the Israelites were in great terror and confusion, because of Goliath and of his proud boasting that they could find no man in Israel to fight him.
When David’s three eldest brothers had gone out with Saul to battle, his father told him to take bread and go to the camp, and see how it fared with his brothers. Whilst David was conversing with the people, Goliath came out, as usual, from the Philistine camp and repeated his insulting and contemptuous challenge. Full of surprise David asked: “What shall be given to the man that slayeth the Philistine who defieth the army of the living God?”[3] Now when Eliab, his eldest brother, heard that David was asking such questions of the soldiers, he grew angry and said: “Why earnest thou hither? Why didst thou leave those few sheep in the desert? I know thy pride and that thou earnest down to see the battle.”
However, these words were repeated to Saul, who sent for David and said to him: “Thou art not able to withstand this Philistine, for thou art but a boy, and he is a warrior.” But David said: “Let no man be dismayed; I, thy servant, will go and fight against the Philistine. For thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion and a bear and took a ram out of the midst of the flock. And I pursued after them and struck them; and they rose up against me, and I caught them by the throat, and I
- ↑ Greaves. The giant was protected from head to foot. His armour was made of leather, covered with brazen scales, through which no spear or arrow-point could pierce.
- ↑ The staff. The wooden shaft of the spear, to which the point was fastened.
- ↑ The living God. He is called the living God in contradistinction to the gods of the heathen, which were nothing but dead idols made of wood, brass &c. He is the living God because He has life in Himself, and is the Author of all life.
