Personally I belive that david used a hang sling do do his business, This arguement does come up from time to time and it seems to be Fueled by the refernce below. Not fun argueing the point against people who take that particular work literaly
I am also Basing my arguements on An early 20th century reference that I Have ( Found it on Google Books). The notes that would be of intrest to this arguement are posted below.
The Shepard Song Notes (1907)
by Rev. Faddoul Moghabghab
Pg. 66 (pdf) Pg 46 (mans)
Shepherds always carry a sling with them, which they make from the wool of the sheep. They practice a great deal with these slings, so that after a few yearsthey become expert at using them. Davids's sling was of more service to him than any other weapon. He certainly must have been an expert, for he killed Goliath, the phillistine, with the first stone. The tribesman of Benjamin, most of whom were shepherds, were noted for thier accurate use of the sling. " every one could sling stones at an hair bredth and not miss ( Judges xx 16)
Pg. 67 (pdf) Pg. 47 (mans) to Pg. 68 (pdf) Pg.48 (mans)
Varients of the Rod or Nabbot
The shephers also carries a rod for defense, a weapon very helpful to him in times of danger. It is called "Dabbous" or "Dabassia" It is made from a stout stick of oak wood. At the end is a large ball covered with nails and pieces of iron. It is indeed a terrible weapon in his hands.
The Roman soldiers suffered greatly from the armies of Zenobia which carried such "dabbous"
Sometimes this rod is called "Nabbout", which differs from this "dabbassia" in that it's ball at the end is not a seperate piece, but is as it has grown. A shepherd occassionally pulls out small tree from the ground, and then cuts off all the roots that shoot out from the stem, leaving only a round ball. Thi she covers with nails in the same manner as the "dabassia"
I belive the Psalmist ment the "nabbout" when he said "rod" etc. because the hebrew word used for rod is "shebet", which expresses the idea of a rod springing out of the ground. This "nabbout" or "dabassia" must not be confused with the staff ("ikkaaz") which the shepards also carries with him. The staff is a straight, long can upon which he leans , and which also is usefull in managing the sheep.
Pg 125 (pdf) Pg. 93 (mans) to Pg. 126 (pdf) Pg. 94 (mans) Nabbot
The shepard always carries both a rod and a staff.As previously stated there is a distinction between them. The rod called "nabbout" or "dabassia" in Arabic, ia a club used for defense against the enimies of the sheep. he never strikes the sheep with this terrible rod. It was this rod that god used to punish the Egyptians; with the rod moses smote the rock in the wilderness, and water gushed forth. David, referring to his enemies, says " Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron"
The staff called " irkakz" is that on which the shepherd leans while walking. He also uses this long staff to punish the sheep when they go astray, and to extricate them when they are caught in the bushes. With this staff he makes the sheep to lie down, and to rise up. He sticks it into the ground, and over it places his coat to get a little shade from the sultry heat of the sun. therefore this staff is a necessity bothe for himself and his flock.
Marc Adkins
Aussie wrote on Nov 2
nd, 2008 at 6:45pm:
Funny how the writer almost as an afterthought inserts the notion that David used a staffsling in his famous encounter with Goliath. Pity he doesn't give any evidence to support his claim. This notion that David used a staffsling surfaces every now and then but the general concensus of opinion is that staffslings are slower to deploy, less accurate and more suited to siege type situations. Sure Goliath berates David for facing him armed with a "stick", but does that mean the staff and the sling were the same thing?