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Was Goliath only shot unconscious? (Read 4085 times)
funditor
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Was Goliath only shot unconscious?
Jul 28th, 2004 at 7:08am
 
Surfing through the web, I found a cite from the bible on
http://www.bibleview.org/en/modules/Judges/26_Slingshot/
which said:

As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. 49 Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.

50 So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.

51 David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from the scabbard. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword.


Now why does it say he killed him TWICE, when the shot with the stone would have finished Goliath? What does the second "killed" mean? Does he finish him with the sword, because he was only unconscious? Or does the second refer to the stone shot, which already killed him? Do you have any ideas?
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« Last Edit: Jul 31st, 2004 at 5:45am by Chris »  
 
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Zorrro
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Re: Was Goliath only shot unconscious?
Reply #1 - Jul 28th, 2004 at 8:28am
 
i think David  knoked down goliath with the stone and this wound didn't killed Goliath inmediatly (some people with shots in their head can survive  for several days) so i think the 1st kill means totally out of combat. then David just finished him and ended cutting off his head.
no one can literally kill two times.
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Re: Was Goliath only shot unconscious?
Reply #2 - Jul 28th, 2004 at 11:59am
 
Cutting the head off was a simybal also. The other day on TV I saw a show on giants. When it went into the story of david and golith. It showed david in a church (is he a saint?) in stainded glass with the head of golith.
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"A Knifeless man is a lifeless man" Old Nordic Proverb
 
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Hobb
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Re: Was Goliath only shot unconscious?
Reply #3 - Jul 28th, 2004 at 4:00pm
 
I've always read it as David having stunned Goliath, then killed him.  Of course, if the stone "sunk into his forehead," Goliath probably wasn't real happy.
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Re: Was Goliath only shot unconscious?
Reply #4 - Jul 28th, 2004 at 4:05pm
 
If the stone had actually killed Goliath, then the beheading could have been symbolic.  David had killed his enemy and takes the head as a trophy.  Or sometimes mutalation of the body is considered to be a dishonor to the fallen or their family.  I geuss it's one of those things that requires a primative mind to comprehend....

That's just my 2 cents on the matter.
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JeffH
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Re: Was Goliath only shot unconscious?
Reply #5 - Jul 28th, 2004 at 5:06pm
 
The text Funditor quoted has to be read as the kind of literature it is, historical narative, and with the understanding of the idioms of both the hebrew and late middle english of the translation. It is not uncommon to find this style of moderately lilted speach in different languages from different periods.  The author's style of narration must also be considered.

Even with the apparent difficulties, the text does not say that David killed Goliath twice.  It says that he killed the giant with the sling and stone, then AFTER he killed the giant, he cut off his head with the sword. Don't make the mistake of assuming the text bears a contradiction simply because the syntax and style are unfamiliar.

jeff <><
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So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone. (1 Samuel 17:50)
 
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Re: Was Goliath only shot unconscious?
Reply #6 - Jul 28th, 2004 at 6:31pm
 
I've always understood it to mean that David killed Goliath with his sling. David was a big kid, not some scrawny little runt. He talks of killing a bear and a lion with his hands(1sam 17:34-36). Also, King Saul was a big man(1sam 9:24). Several verses say that he is head and shoulders taller than any other israelite. When David goes to his camp, saul looks the boy over and says, Here, wear my armor. David declined, not because it didn't fit, but because he didn't know how to use armor. (1sam 17:38-39)

So here we have a large young man, who has nothing to do all day but sling rocks at anything bothering his father's sheep. When describing his actual shot, it says that the rock sank into Goliath's forehead(1sam 17:49).

I've personaly put rocks through doors and as much as an inch of plywood.  I'd say that Goliath was stone dead when David lifted his head from off his shoulders. The whole beheading thing, I'm sure, was to make sure none of the phillistines mistook what just happend. Bet it put the fear of God in them real quick.
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Re: Was Goliath only shot unconscious?
Reply #7 - Jul 28th, 2004 at 9:58pm
 
nwmanitou
I have to agree with you here, Goliath was dead when he hit the ground; for the rock sunk into his forehead.

The cutting off of his head was a signal to the Philistines that their champion was dead, and to the children Israel that their ememy was dead.

Over and above that, there were certain promises given to whoever would kill Goliath. So when David appears before Saul at the end of the battle he has proof that it was by a sling stone that Goliath was killed, as that stone was still stuck in his forehead, and David was able to prove he was beyound question the one who had killed him.

And that's the view from here.

WalkingBird
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