The slaying of the Philistine giant Goliath is one of the most well-known stories in the Bible. Yet a curious detail emerges later on. Another character named Elhanan is also said to have killed Goliath. So who really killed the giant – the future king David or Elhanan? Let’s take a comprehensive look at what the Bible tells us.
The Story of David and Goliath
The battle between David and Goliath is narrated in 1 Samuel 17. The Philistines had gathered for war against Israel at Socoh in Judah. Saul was king of Israel at the time. For forty days, a champion named Goliath from Gath came out of the Philistine camp and challenged the Israelites to send a man to face him in single combat. Goliath was described as being six cubits and a span tall, wearing armor that weighed 5000 shekels of bronze, and having a bronze javelin slung between his shoulders (1 Samuel 17:4-7). His challenge struck fear among the Israelites, and no one was brave enough to accept it (1 Samuel 17:11, 24).
David was the youngest son of Jesse from Bethlehem. He was sent to the camp to deliver food supplies to his older brothers who were serving in Saul’s army. While there, he heard Goliath’s challenge and expressed outrage that this uncircumcised Philistine would defy the armies of the living God. David’s oldest brother Eliab rebuked him for his presumptuous talk, but David was brought before Saul anyway (1 Samuel 17:26-32). Boldly, David said “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine” (1 Samuel 17:37). So Saul dressed David in his own armor and sent him out to face Goliath. But David was not used to the armor and took it off. He instead picked up five smooth stones and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. With only his staff, sling and stones, David approached Goliath saying “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied” (1 Samuel 17:45).
As Goliath moved closer to attack, David ran and slung a stone at Goliath’s forehead. It sank into his forehead and Goliath fell facedown on the ground. David then took Goliath’s own sword and cut off his head (1 Samuel 17:48-51). When the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled and were pursued and defeated by the army of Israel. David took Goliath’s head to Jerusalem, and his armor was placed in his own tent (1 Samuel 17:54).
This vivid story establishes that as a youth, David killed the giant Philistine Goliath with a slingshot to the head. He cutting off Goliath’s head with the giant’s own sword confirmed the kill. David was hailed as a hero and went on to serve in Saul’s court (1 Samuel 18:2).
Elhanan’s Killing of Goliath
Many years later, after Saul’s death, David had become king of Israel and continued to battle with the Philistines. In 2 Samuel 21:19, we find this curious detail: “And there was again war with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim, the Bethlehemite, struck down Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.”
This is perplexing because it attributes the killing of Goliath the Gittite to Elhanan rather than David. Adding to the confusion is the parallel passage in 1 Chronicles 20:5 which states: “And there was again war with the Philistines, and Elhanan the son of Jair struck down Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.”
So do we have two different people being credited with killing Goliath? Let’s explore some possibilities:
1. Elhanan killed a different Goliath
It’s possible there was another Philistine giant named Goliath that Elhanan defeated. The descriptor “brother of Goliath” in 1 Chronicles 20:5 gives this impression. Goliath may have been a common name among the giants of Gath, just as the sons of Israeli families were often named after their fathers. Elhanan could have killed another Goliath who was related to the one David killed.
However, the parallelism between the verses describing the oversized spear shaft suggests these were referring to the same Goliath. If it was just a different Goliath, there would be no reason to mention the spear shaft again. Also, no other Goliath is mentioned anywhere else in the Bible.
2. Elhanan killed Goliath but David got credit
Some scholars propose that Elhanan was the one who actually killed Goliath but David was given credit for it. Perhaps as a senior commander in David’s army, Elhanan struck the fatal blow but David was honored as the vanquisher due to his leadership position. This helps reconcile why Elhanan is described as killing the same unique Goliath with the massive spear.
However, this directly contradicts 1 Samuel 17 which clearly establishes young David as the one who killed Goliath by striking him in the head with a stone and then cutting off his head. The description there leaves no room for Elhanan playing a role in Goliath’s death. It would be an outright fabrication of how Goliath was killed and David’s involvement.
3. Copyist error in 2 Samuel 21:19
Many biblical scholars believe the discrepancy is simply due to a copying error in 2 Samuel 21:19. A scribe may have mistakenly substituted “Elhanan” for the original name “David.” A careful look at the Hebrew texts supports this conclusion:
In 1 Chronicles 20:5, the Hebrew clearly states Elhanan killed “Lahmi the brother of Goliath.” But in 2 Samuel 21:19, the Hebrew for “brother” is missing. This shows the text was altered and originally said “Elhanan killed the brother of Goliath.” A scribe simply inserted “Goliath” when he should have left “brother.” The scribe obviously remembered David killing Goliath from the famous 1 Samuel 17 account and assumed this was talking about the same person. But textual criticism confirms it was referring to Elhanan slaying Goliath’s brother, not Goliath himself.
Numerous English translations have actually corrected 2 Samuel 21:19 to say Elhanan killed the “brother” of Goliath, including ESV, CSB, NIV, NASB. This understanding harmonizes with 1 Chronicles 20:5 as well as the original story in 1 Samuel 17.
4. Elhanan and David are the same person
A minority view is that Elhanan was another name for David, similar to Solomon also being called Jedidiah (2 Samuel 12:25). Based on this, 2 Samuel 21:19 is just affirming that David killed Goliath. However, there is no evidence that David had the alternate name Elhanan. The mention of Jaare-oregim as Elhanan’s father also does not match David being the son of Jesse. Therefore, this is an unlikely resolution to the identity confusion.
Putting the Accounts Together
Though scholarly opinions vary, the theory of a scribal error in 2 Samuel 21:19 makes the most sense when accounting for all the textual and contextual evidence. Through textual criticism and careful exegesis, we can conclude:
1 Samuel 17 accurately reports David killing Goliath as a youth with a slingshot to the head.
Later on, another Philistine giant emerged who was related to Goliath, probably his brother. His spear shaft was akin to Goliath’s (1 Chronicles 20:5).
2 Samuel 21:19 originally stated that David’s mighty warrior Elhanan killed this brother of Goliath. But a copyist mistake substitued Goliath’s name instead of “brother.”
English translations have corrected the error to reinsert “brother” and restore harmony between the accounts. David remains the slayer of the original Goliath.
Resolving the Apparent Contradiction
Once the copyist error is recognized, the supposed contradiction between 1 Samuel 17 and 2 Samuel 21:19 dissolves. The confusion arose from a scribal mistake, not any actual conflict in the narrative. Through careful examination, we see the Bible contains no contradiction regarding who killed Goliath. David’s victory over the giant still stands while Elhanan’s defeat of Goliath’s brother is also documented. Instead of contradicting, the accounts supplement each other to give us a more complete picture of Israel’s battles with the Philistines. The Word of God proves reliable when properly understood and interpreted.