I just finished reading an illuminating article by Daniel Hays about Goliath’s height. I was not aware that there is a textual variant at this point in the text (as well as many other points in 1-2 Samuel, and the story of David and Goliath in particular), but there is. While the Masoretic Text contains the 9’9” version we are all familiar with (most English translations of the OT use the Masoretic text), there are earlier manuscripts and translations that say he was 6’9”. Hays shows how both the external and internal evidence support the 6’9” reading over the 9’9” reading. Check it out.
Thinking to Believe 
September 18, 2007 at 7:18 am
I seem to remember reading somewhere that the ancients were shorter than most folks today so it makes sense that a 6’9″ man( pretty tall even by modern standards)could be considered a giant.
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September 18, 2007 at 10:27 am
Hays states in the article that evidence indicates Semites in that era were only 5’0″ – 5’3″ tall. That’s a pretty big difference in height.
The broader issues raised by this text and Hays’ article is the quality of the Masoretic Text, particularly for 1-2 Samuel and Jeremiah. It seems that in some cases the LXX and Dead Sea Scrolls preserve an earlier, more accurate reading of the Hebrew text. What I found interesting is that there was no one single standard Hebrew text even in the time of Jesus. There were about 3 different versions floating around, and only toward the end of the 1st century were they more or less standardized.
Jason
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