How tall was Goliath the giant? Dan Wallace's NET "brillancy"
Here is another example of Dan Wallace and company's NET "brillance". By the way, Tanner, did you actually READ the article about the liberal RSV and how the NET perversion has now gone back to these perverted readings?
How tall was Goliath?
In 1 Samuel 17:4 the Hebrew texts tell us that the height of Goliath was SIX cubits and a span, which would make him about 9 feet 6 inches tall. That indeed is a giant. However the LXX tells us that Goliath was a mere FOUR cubits and a span - "ὕψος αὐτοῦ τεσσάρων πήχεων καὶ σπιθαμῆς" - which would make him only 6 feet 6 inches tall, which would hardly be much among NBA players today. All Jewish translations, like the JPS 1917 or the Complete Tanach of 2004 or Hebrew Names Bible follow the Hebrew texts and say "six cubits and a span". A cubit was about 18 inches and a span was the length of an open hand between the tip of the thumb and the tip of the little finger, or about 6 inches. This means Goliath was around 10 feet tall. Not even the Message or the NIV 2011 follow the LXX reading here. They agree with the Hebrew text and the KJB as do even the liberal RSV, the NRSV, ESV, 2001-2011, NASB, 1995, Common English Bible 2011, Holman Standard 2003 - "HE WAS NINE FEET, NINE INCHES TALL", The Voice 2012 and the NKJV. The Modern Greek Bible has now followed the Hebrew reading of "six cubits and a span" instead of the corrupt LXX reading. The Modern Greek Bible says: υψους εξ πηχων και σπιθαμης· = "height SIX cubits and a span"
However there are a few loonies out there like Daniel Wallace and gang's NET version that says: "His name was Goliath; he was from Gath. He was CLOSE TO SEVEN FEET TALL." Then in Daniel Wallace and company's goofy, faith destroying footnotes they tell us: "Heb “his height was six cubits and a span” (cf. KJV, NASB, NRSV). A cubit was approximately eighteen inches, a span nine inches. So, according to the Hebrew tradition, Goliath was about nine feet, nine inches tall (cf. NIV, CEV, NLT “over nine feet”; NCV “nine feet, four inches”; TEV “nearly 3 metres”). However, some Greek witnesses, Josephus, and a manuscript of 1 Samuel from Qumran read “four cubits and a span” here, that is, about six feet, nine inches (cf. NAB “six and a half feet”). This seems more reasonable; it is likely that Goliath’s height was exaggerated as the story was retold."!!!
Actually, the so called 1 Samuel Qumran manuscript is more confusing that what Dan Wallace tells us. I have a copy of 'The Dead Sea Scroll Bible' translated and with commentary by Martin Abegg Jr., Peter Flint & Eugene Ulrich. When dealing with the passage of 1 Samuel 17:4 on page 229 they show the first part of the number placed in [brackets], meaning that part of the number was lost and not in this text. It looks like this, meaning that all the words between the brackets were NOT found in the manuscript. [Then] a cha[mpion named Goliath, who was from Gath, ca]me out [of the Philistine camp. His height was f]our [cu]bits and a span." So what they have actually written in this manuscript scrap is: "a cha me out our bits and a span." Pretty conclusive, huh?! Then on top of all this, they footnote telling us that the number 'four' is from the 4QSam mss. and some LXX copies, but that other LXX copies read "FIVE" and other LXX copies read "SIX" along with the Hebrew Masoretic text! What utter confusion. Yet on the basis of this obviously false reading that would have the "giant" Goliath to be surely no taller than king Saul himself who was head and shoulders above most other men of Israel, into a man no more than 6 feet 6 inches tall.
There are also a few other perverted bible versions like the new ISV (International Standard Version) that says: "A champion named Goliath from Gath came out from the Philistine camp. HE WAS SIX AND A HALF FEET TALL."
Among the Catholic versions the Douay-Rheims 1610, the Douay 1950, and the newer New Jerusalem bible of 1985 say he was "SIX cubits and a span", but the previous St. Joseph New American bible of 1970 had "HE WAS SIX AND A HALF FEET TALL" thus following the corrupt Greek Septuagint reading and rejecting the Hebrew text. We also can see the newest Catholic version called The Catholic Public Domain Bible of 2009 and it also has gone back to the Hebrew reading and says: "whose height was six cubits and a palm."
We should ask ourselves about the total inconsistency of people like Dan Wallace and company's NET version and the ISV. Why would they follow the corrupt reading of "FOUR cubits and a span" from ONE copy of the so called Greek Septuagint here in 1 Samuel 17:4 (remember, another copy says "five" and another one says "six"), and yet in the book of Jonah 3:4 where the Hebrew texts all have Jonah preaching: "Yet FORTY DAYS, and Nineveh shall be overthrown." the so called Greek Septuagint actually says: "Yet THREE DAYS, and Nineveh shall be overthrown." = "ἔτι τρεῖς ἡμέραι καὶ νινευη καταστραφήσεται"
Do either Dan Wallace or the ISV follow the Septuagint reading here and have THREE DAYS instead of FORTY DAYS? Nope. Not even a footnote. They both say: "At the end of FORTY DAYS, Nineveh will be overthrown." and so do the ESV, NIV, NASB and the Modern Greek Bible - "Ετι τεσσαρακοντα ημεραι και η Νινευη θελει καταστραφη." Such is the true nature of their so called "science" of textual criticism.
Here is another example of Dan Wallace and company's NET "brillance". By the way, Tanner, did you actually READ the article about the liberal RSV and how the NET perversion has now gone back to these perverted readings?
How tall was Goliath?
In 1 Samuel 17:4 the Hebrew texts tell us that the height of Goliath was SIX cubits and a span, which would make him about 9 feet 6 inches tall. That indeed is a giant. However the LXX tells us that Goliath was a mere FOUR cubits and a span - "ὕψος αὐτοῦ τεσσάρων πήχεων καὶ σπιθαμῆς" - which would make him only 6 feet 6 inches tall, which would hardly be much among NBA players today. All Jewish translations, like the JPS 1917 or the Complete Tanach of 2004 or Hebrew Names Bible follow the Hebrew texts and say "six cubits and a span". A cubit was about 18 inches and a span was the length of an open hand between the tip of the thumb and the tip of the little finger, or about 6 inches. This means Goliath was around 10 feet tall. Not even the Message or the NIV 2011 follow the LXX reading here. They agree with the Hebrew text and the KJB as do even the liberal RSV, the NRSV, ESV, 2001-2011, NASB, 1995, Common English Bible 2011, Holman Standard 2003 - "HE WAS NINE FEET, NINE INCHES TALL", The Voice 2012 and the NKJV. The Modern Greek Bible has now followed the Hebrew reading of "six cubits and a span" instead of the corrupt LXX reading. The Modern Greek Bible says: υψους εξ πηχων και σπιθαμης· = "height SIX cubits and a span"
However there are a few loonies out there like Daniel Wallace and gang's NET version that says: "His name was Goliath; he was from Gath. He was CLOSE TO SEVEN FEET TALL." Then in Daniel Wallace and company's goofy, faith destroying footnotes they tell us: "Heb “his height was six cubits and a span” (cf. KJV, NASB, NRSV). A cubit was approximately eighteen inches, a span nine inches. So, according to the Hebrew tradition, Goliath was about nine feet, nine inches tall (cf. NIV, CEV, NLT “over nine feet”; NCV “nine feet, four inches”; TEV “nearly 3 metres”). However, some Greek witnesses, Josephus, and a manuscript of 1 Samuel from Qumran read “four cubits and a span” here, that is, about six feet, nine inches (cf. NAB “six and a half feet”). This seems more reasonable; it is likely that Goliath’s height was exaggerated as the story was retold."!!!
Actually, the so called 1 Samuel Qumran manuscript is more confusing that what Dan Wallace tells us. I have a copy of 'The Dead Sea Scroll Bible' translated and with commentary by Martin Abegg Jr., Peter Flint & Eugene Ulrich. When dealing with the passage of 1 Samuel 17:4 on page 229 they show the first part of the number placed in [brackets], meaning that part of the number was lost and not in this text. It looks like this, meaning that all the words between the brackets were NOT found in the manuscript. [Then] a cha[mpion named Goliath, who was from Gath, ca]me out [of the Philistine camp. His height was f]our [cu]bits and a span." So what they have actually written in this manuscript scrap is: "a cha me out our bits and a span." Pretty conclusive, huh?! Then on top of all this, they footnote telling us that the number 'four' is from the 4QSam mss. and some LXX copies, but that other LXX copies read "FIVE" and other LXX copies read "SIX" along with the Hebrew Masoretic text! What utter confusion. Yet on the basis of this obviously false reading that would have the "giant" Goliath to be surely no taller than king Saul himself who was head and shoulders above most other men of Israel, into a man no more than 6 feet 6 inches tall.
There are also a few other perverted bible versions like the new ISV (International Standard Version) that says: "A champion named Goliath from Gath came out from the Philistine camp. HE WAS SIX AND A HALF FEET TALL."
Among the Catholic versions the Douay-Rheims 1610, the Douay 1950, and the newer New Jerusalem bible of 1985 say he was "SIX cubits and a span", but the previous St. Joseph New American bible of 1970 had "HE WAS SIX AND A HALF FEET TALL" thus following the corrupt Greek Septuagint reading and rejecting the Hebrew text. We also can see the newest Catholic version called The Catholic Public Domain Bible of 2009 and it also has gone back to the Hebrew reading and says: "whose height was six cubits and a palm."
We should ask ourselves about the total inconsistency of people like Dan Wallace and company's NET version and the ISV. Why would they follow the corrupt reading of "FOUR cubits and a span" from ONE copy of the so called Greek Septuagint here in 1 Samuel 17:4 (remember, another copy says "five" and another one says "six"), and yet in the book of Jonah 3:4 where the Hebrew texts all have Jonah preaching: "Yet FORTY DAYS, and Nineveh shall be overthrown." the so called Greek Septuagint actually says: "Yet THREE DAYS, and Nineveh shall be overthrown." = "ἔτι τρεῖς ἡμέραι καὶ νινευη καταστραφήσεται"
Do either Dan Wallace or the ISV follow the Septuagint reading here and have THREE DAYS instead of FORTY DAYS? Nope. Not even a footnote. They both say: "At the end of FORTY DAYS, Nineveh will be overthrown." and so do the ESV, NIV, NASB and the Modern Greek Bible - "Ετι τεσσαρακοντα ημεραι και η Νινευη θελει καταστραφη." Such is the true nature of their so called "science" of textual criticism.
