Here we go again. The NIV clearly says in 2 Samuel 21:19 that David did not kill Goliath. Now even the unbelieving world knows that David slew Goliath. Little children know that David slew Goliath. The NIV translators don't know that David slew Goliath. People tell me, "The NIV is more accurate". They actually believe this hogwash. Let's look at some facts. 2 Samuel 21:19:

THE NIV

"...Elhanan son of Jaare-Oregim the Bethlehemite killed Goliath the Gittite, who had a spear with a shaft like a weaver's rod."

THE AUTHORIZED KING JAMES VERSION

"...Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim, a Bethlehemite, slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.

I recently received an e-mail defending the NIV passage. The writer said that the II Samuel 21:19 Goliath lived during the days of David but that he was a DIFFERENT Goliath than the one David slew. My response to the writer:

"You're telling me that during the days of David there just happened to be

• Two notable Goliaths,
• BOTH from Gath ( I Sam 17:4, II Sam 21:9, see note below); and,
• BOTH carried huge spears described as large as "weaver's beams" (I Sam 17:7, II Sam 21:19).

I don't think so. I believe that the Bible gives us this information to ensure that we correctly identify this man. I believe you're wrong. The article stands as is. In fact, I should update it, thank you."

Note: Gittites come from Gath. II Samuel 15:18, ...and all the Gittites, six hundred men which came after him from Gath, passed on before the king.

Another update: I got an e-mail from a reader with a King James Bible about the above passage. The writer said,

"I have a Bible published by the John Hertel Company, King James Version and this bible states that there were two Goliaths from Gath. Perhaps you should do more research..."

So I made a request,

"Thanks for writing. Please give me the scriptures that you refer to so that I can better understand."

So the writer said,

"...the Bible... has a Comprehensive Bible Dictionary in the back and it gives the definition of Goliath as [a giant]... In 2 Sam. xxi. 19, we find that ANOTHER Goliath of Gath was slain by Elhannan, also a Bethlehemite."

So the writer's correction was based on the Bible dictionary and not the Bible. The writer's King James text says Elhanan slew the BROTHER of Goliath, but her dictionary said that Elhanan slew Goliath. So I wrote:

"...I believe that you need to go back and determine if you believe the Bible text or your study guide because the two conflict, no?"

The Bible MUST always take precedence! Commentaries are written by men who can twist and wrest with the scripture. That is why I usually shun commentaries and NEVER take the commentator's word over the scripture. Commentaries can be helpful in terms of dates but they have messed a lot of people up. THE BIBLE IS THE ONLY AUTHORITY. NOTHING SHOULD BE EXALTED ABOVE IT. When I say "the Bible," I mean the Authorized King James of 1611, of course.

Interesting how the writer's Bible dictionary agreed with the NIV...

Yet another update: I got an e-mail from another reader concerning I Chronicles 20. This scripture really nails the fact that Elhanan slew the BROTHER of Goliath, not another man named Goliath:

And there was war again with the Philistines; and Elhanan the son of Jair slew LAHMI THE BROTHER OF GOLIATH THE GITTITE, whose spear staff was like a weaver's beam. 1 Chronicles 20:5

The writer's e-mail offers a little further insight:

I was doing a bit of "surfing" and ended up on your home page. The topic displayed referrenced David & Goliath, and scripture references made to 1Sam:17 vs 2Sam:21.

The topic caught my interest, so I read both chapters. I discovered David in his youth, with Saul present, as depicted in 1Sam:17, and in comparison, David in his prime, with Saul now dead, in 2Sam:21.

I too uitilize the King James version.

Further reference to 1Chr:20 puts the whole history of the "giant issues" together, from David in his youth to David in his prime. Here the question is answered: the brother of Goliath is named "Lahmi". (please, do read 1Chr:20 --- it is quite plain)

In summary: we are talking about two differing time-frames, as depicted in 1Sam:17 and 2Sam:21. In confirmation of what the Lord has revealed (refer to 1Chr:20) we find that the "brother of Goliath", named "Lahmi" was slain, and not Goliath. This supports what is revealled in the KJV. 1Chr:20 is worth the reading because it kinda walks through a short history and sums up the issue being discussed.

One more update:

As you probably know, the KJB translators routinely used italics to express the meaning of the Bible, even though the words themselves might not have occurred in the Hebrew/Greek texts. Such is the case at 2 Samuel 21:19. The italics are necessary to understand (comparing Scripture to Scripture) that the Giant referred to in 2 Sam 21:19 was in fact Lahmi, brother to Goliath. Thus if it is the Goliath that David slew (this is often used as a supposed "contradiction" in the Bible by atheists and other Bible doubters), then we would not have God's clarification in verse 22 that there were four brothers. The three mentioned in the passage, plus Goliath, means that there were four "born to the giant in Gath" and slain by David AND HIS SERVANTS, just as the KJB math demonstrates. Why did the KJB translators include the words "the brother of?" Because it clarifies that it was not Goliath who was killed by Elhannan, nor was it a "different Goliath" else there would have been FIVE and not FOUR "born to the giant in Gath" who were slain by David and his servants. And they were fully justified in including the words in the text (in italics) by the parallel passage at 1 Chron. 20:5.

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