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.
And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines,.... Or a "middle person", or a man "between two" {y}; meaning either one that went and stood between the two armies of Israel and the Philistines, as the Jewish writers generally interpret it: or a "dueller" {z}, as others, with which our version agrees; one that proposed to fight a duel, and have the war decided by two persons, of which he would be one:
named Goliath of Gath; which was one of the places where the Anakims or giants were driven, and left, in the times of Joshua, and from whom this man descended, Joshua 11:22
whose height was six cubits and a span; and taking a cubit after the calculation of Bishop Cumberland {a} to be twenty one inches, and more, and a span to be half a cubit, the height of this man was eleven feet four inches, and somewhat more; which need not seem incredible, since the coffin of Orestea, the son of Agamemnon, is said {b} to be seven cubits long; and Eleazar, a Jew, who because of his size was called the giant, and was presented by Artabanus, king of the Parthians, to Tiberius Caesar, is said by Josephus {c} to be seven cubits high; and one Gabbara of Arabia, in the times of Claudius Caesar, measured nine feet nine inches, as Pliny {d} relates, and who elsewhere {e} speaks of a people in Ethiopia, called Syrbotae, who were eight cubits high; the Septuagint version makes Goliath to be only four cubits and a span high, and so Josephus {f}; that is, about eight feet.
{y} Mynybh vya "vir intermedius", Montanus; "inter duo", Vatablus; "vir medietatum", Noldius, p. 194. No. 283.
{z} "Quidam duellator", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.
{a} Of Scripture Weights and Measures, c. 2. p. 57.
{b} Herodot. Clio, sive, l. 1. c. 68. Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 7. c. 16.
{c} Antiqu. l. 18. c. 5. sect. 5.
{d} Nat. Hist. ib.
{e} Ibid. l. 6. 30.
{f} Antiqu. l. 6. c. 9. sect. 1.