Hebrew word · H1555

גׇּלְיַת

galyat

Goliath

A personal name. It is not Semitic. Scholars often compare it with Anatolian or Lydian names (such as Alyattes) or with Luwian name forms, which fits Philistine roots in the Aegean and Anatolian world.

Appears 6 times in 6 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

A man living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Sa.17.4;

son of: Rapha (H7497A);

brother of: Ishbi-benob (H3430), Saph (H5593), Lahmi (H3902), huge_man (H4060A)

§ Goliath = "splendour"

the Philistine giant of Gath slain by David's sling

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of 1 Samuel 17:4

Range of meaning

A personal name. It is not Semitic. Scholars often compare it with Anatolian or Lydian names (such as Alyattes) or with Luwian name forms, which fits Philistine roots in the Aegean and Anatolian world.

Against the English

All English versions transliterate it as 'Goliath'. In English 'a Goliath' has become an ordinary word for any overwhelming opponent. That's a fair extension, but the verse names a particular man from a particular city.

Used elsewhere in the period

At Tell es-Safi (biblical Gath), excavators found a potsherd from about the 10th–9th century BCE inscribed with two names, written ʾLWT and WLT, which are linguistically similar to 'Goliath' (Maeir et al., BASOR 351, 2008). It is not a reference to the biblical Goliath. It does show that names of this non-Semitic type were really in use at Gath around the period of the story. Goliath of Gath is also named in 2 Sam 21:19, where Elhanan kills him, and 1 Chr 20:5 has Elhanan kill 'Lahmi the brother of Goliath'.

Where it appears

1 Samuel · 4

  1. 1 Samuel 17:4 גָּלְיָ֥ת [was] Goliath

    Then a champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out from the Philistine camp. He was six cubits and a span in height,

    Here: The champion's name. It does not look Hebrew or even Semitic, and is often compared with names from western Asia Minor (modern Turkey), fitting the Philistines' origins among the 'Sea Peoples' who came from the Aegean world.

  2. 1 Samuel 17:23 גָּלְיָת֩ [was] Goliath

    And as he was speaking with them, suddenly the champion named Goliath, the Philistine from Gath, came forward from the ranks of the Philistines and shouted his usual words, which David also heard.

  3. 1 Samuel 21:9 גָּלְיָ֨ת Goliath

    The priest replied, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here; it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want, you may take it. For there is no other but this one here.” And David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.”

  4. 1 Samuel 22:10 גָּלְיָ֥ת Goliath

    Ahimelech inquired of the LORD for him and gave him provisions. He also gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”

2 Samuel · 1

  1. 2 Samuel 21:19 גָּלְיָ֣ת Goliath

    Once again there was a battle with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan son of Jair the Bethlehemite killed the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.

1 Chronicles · 1

  1. 1 Chronicles 20:5 גָּלְיָ֣ת Goliath

    Once again there was a battle with the Philistines, and Elhanan son of Jair killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.