Archaeologists Find Goliath

1 Samuel 17:4
“And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.”

Sometimes you just have to feel sorry for Bible skeptics who cast doubt on the historical accuracy of the Bible. With each passing year, archaeologists keep finding evidences that the Bible is thoroughly reliable!

Take, for instance, the story of David and Goliath. Bible skeptics insist that the biblical account has no connection to reality. But in 2005, archaeologists digging at the biblical home of Goliath unearthed a shard of pottery bearing an inscription of the Philistine’s name.

While the discovery does not prove Goliath’s existence, it does support the Bible’s depiction of life at the time of the supposed battle, said excavation director Dr. Aren Maeir of Israel’s Bar-Ilan University. “What this means is that at the time there were people there named Goliath,” he said. “It shows us that David and Goliath’s story reflects the cultural reality of the time.”

Though many skeptics tell us that David slaying the giant Goliath is a myth written down hundreds of years later, Dr. Maeir said that finding the inscription gives credence to the biblical story. As reported in Great Britain’s The Independent, “The shard dates to about 950 BC, within 70 years of when biblical chronology says David squared off against Goliath, making it the oldest Philistine inscription found. It was at Tel es-Safi in southern Israel, thought to be the site of the Philistine city of Gath.”

Clearly, the Bible’s account of David and Goliath is no tall tale!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for leading archaeologists to more evidence supporting the historical accuracy of the Bible. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Author: Steven J. Schwartz
Ref: Rachel Hoag, “Shard of pottery supports Bible account of David and Goliath,” The Independent, 11/11/05. Lithograph: David and Goliath by Osmar Schindler (c. 1888). (PD)

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