... with and without David and Goliath.

For those of you who are interested, a small compilation of passages of the Bible in which the sling (or slingstones) are mentioned.

There may be more than these, so feel free to search! 


Judges, 20
14 The Benjaminites left their towns and mustered at Gibeah to fight the Israelites. 15 At the time, a count was made of the Benjaminites from the various towns: there were twenty-six thousand swordsmen; and the count excluded the inhabitants of Gibeah. 16 In this great army there were seven hundred first-rate left-handers, every man of whom could sling a stone at a hair and not miss it.

1 Samuel, 17
40 He took his stick in his hand, selected five smooth stones from the river bed and put them in his shepherd's bag, in his pouch; then, sling in hand, he walked towards the Philistine. [...] 49 Putting his hand in his bag, he took out a stone, slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead; the stone penetrated his forehead and he fell face downwards on the ground. 50 Thus David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; he hit the Philistine and killed him, though he had no sword in his hand.

1 Samuel, 25
[Abigail speaking to David]29 Should anyone set out to hunt you down and try to kill you, your life will be kept close in the wallet of life with Yahweh your God, while your enemies' lives he will fling out of the pouch of the sling.

1 Chronicles, 12
1 These are the men who rallied to David at Ziklag while he was still being kept away from Saul son of Kish; they were among the champions, the warriors. 2 They were equipped with bows and could sling stones or shoot arrows from the bow with either right hand or left. Of Saul's fellow-tribesmen from Benjamin: [...]

2 Chronicles, 26
[The deeds of king Uzziah]
13 Under them was an army of three hundred and seven thousand five hundred men ready for war, a powerful force to support the king against the enemy. 14 Uzziah provided shields, spears, helmets, armour, bows and sling-stones for the entire army.


Judith, 6
10 Holofernes having commanded his tent-orderlies to seize Achior, to take him to Bethulia and to hand him over to the Israelites, 11 the orderlies took him, escorted him out of the camp and across the plain, and then, making for the hill-country, reached the springs below Bethulia. 12 As soon as the men of the town sighted them, they snatched up their weapons, left the town and made for the mountain tops, while all the slingers pelted them with stones to prevent them from coming up. 13 However, they managed to take cover at the foot of the slope, where they bound Achior and left him lying at the bottom of the mountain and returned to their master. 14 The Israelites then came down from their town, stopped by him, unbound him and took him to Bethulia, where they brought him before the chief men of the town...


Judith, 9
7 See the Assyrians, with their army abounding glorying in their horses and their riders, exulting in the strength of their infantry. Trust as they may in shield and spear, in bow and sling, in you they have not recognised the Lord, the breaker of battle-lines...

Job, 41
[speaking about the Leviathan]
20 No arrow can make him flee, a sling-stone tickles him like hay.
21 Club seems to him like straw, he laughs at the whirring javelin.

Proverbs, 26
8 As well tie the stone to the sling as pay honour to a fool.

Ecclesiasticus, 47
2 As the fat is set apart from the communion sacrifice, so was David chosen out of the Israelites. 3 He played with lions as though with kids, and with bears as though with lambs. 4 While still a boy, did he not slay the giant and take away the people's shame, by hurling a stone from his sling and cutting short the boasting of Goliath? 5 For he called on the Lord Most High, who gave strength to his right arm to put a mighty warrior to death and assert the strength of his own people.

Zechariah, 9
15 Yahweh Sabaoth will protect them! They will devour, will trample on the sling-stones, they will drink blood like wine, awash like bowls, like the corners of the altar. 16 Yahweh their God will give them victory when that day comes, like the sheep who are his people; yes, the stones of a diadem will sparkle over his country.