David’s battle with Goliath is among the Hebrew Bible’s best known stories. Even in 21st-century America, where biblical references no longer inform much speech or writing, the image of the scrappy young shepherd defeating the lumbering Philistine giant has not lost its grip—perhaps because of the deep-seated American fondness for underdogs.
But this biblical episode, which occurs about midway through the first book of Samuel, is more than an exciting tale. It marks the first public appearance of David, founder of the dynasty that will rule Judea until its destruction and one of ancient literature’s most complex and fascinating characters. By reading the story in its context, we can better grasp the message it conveys. Among other distinctions, that message is intriguingly different from the one in the book of Exodus, now being read as part of the annual Torah cycle in synagogues around the world. It also has nothing to do with David-as-underdog, let alone with the inverse, anti-Israel message being purveyed by supporters of the Middle East’s latest claimants to that title.
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