Goliath's Skeleton

It has been reported that the famed archaeologist Dr. Simon Dor claims to have found the skeleton of the Biblical giant Goliath - with the stone from David’s slingshot still embedded in his forehead. Dr. Dor said, “Those who would have us believe that the tale of David and Goliath is mere myth and is not to be taken literally are wrong - and we now have scientific evidence to prove that.” The story of the battle between Israel and the Philistines is recorded in 1 Samuel 17. It was in the Valley of Elah, in the foothills of the Judean Mountains west of Jerusalem that all the action took place nearly 3,000 years ago. Dr. Dor continued, “We knew we had unearthed something truly remarkable because it’s not often you find a human skeleton that measures 9 feet 8 3/4 inches from head to toe. After one look at those impressive remains and that massive skull with the rock buried in its forehead, in our hearts we felt certain that we had indeed found Goliath’s skeleton, but none of us dared say so, even to each other, until tests confirmed the skeleton was between 2,900 and 3,000 years old - meaning this man lived at the precise time the Bible tells us that David fought Goliath. That, combined with the facts that these remains were found near the very spot of that historic battle, led us to the undeniable conclusion that this could be no one other than Goliath. In the skeleton we found, the head had been severed from the body, apparently by a sharp instrument - giving us yet another reason to feel certain that these are the remains of Goliath.” In the Biblical account David cut off the giant’s head with Goliath’s own sword and took it to Jerusalem, but it is very likely that some time afterwards the head was returned to the Philistines where it was buried with the rest of Goliath’s body.

The true Christian Believer does not need scientific evidence to prove the Bible is the inerrant, infallible Word of God, for the Bible is a Living Book and is capable of defending itself, nevertheless, it is thrilling when the spade of the archaeologist produces confirmation to what is most surely believed amongst us.

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