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1 Samuel introduces Goliath as a Philistine giant from Gath. Rabbinic tradition in tractate Sotah makes Goliath the son of Orpah, sister of Ruth, turning the duel with David into a family rematch between two descendants.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
1 Samuel 17:4
Hebrew Bible
3 The Philistines were standing on one hill, and the Israelites on another hill, with the valley between them. 4 Then a champion came out from the camp of the Philistines. His name was Goliath; he was from Gath. He was close to nine feet tall7. 5 He had a bronze helmet on his head and was wearing scale body armor. The weight of his bronze body armor was 5,000 shekels.
Sotah 42b
Babylonian Talmud
Rabbinic
It is written that Goliath’s mother was: “Harafa” (II Samuel 21:16), and in another place it is written: “Orpah” (Ruth 1:4), and the Gemara will soon explain that this was the same woman. Rav and Shmuel engaged in a dispute concerning this matter. One of them said: Her name was Harafa, and why is she called by the name Orpah? It is because everyone came at her from behind [orfin] her, i.e., sodomized her. And one of them said: Her name was Orpah, and why is she called by the name Harafa? It is because everyone threshed her like groats [harifot], i.e., engaged in sexual intercourse with her, and so it says that this word means groats: “And the woman took and spread the covering over the well’s mouth, and strewed groats [harifot] thereon” (II Samuel 17:19). And if you wish, you can say from here: “Though you should crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle among groats [harifot], yet will not his foolishness depart from him” (Proverbs 27:22). The Gemara continues its discussion of the battle of David and Goliath. “These four were born to Harafa in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants” (II Samuel 21:22). The Gemara asks: What are the names of the four siblings mentioned here? Rav Ḥisda said: They are Saph, and Madon, Goliath, and Ishbi in Nob (see II Samuel 21:16–20). It says: “And they fell into the hands of David and his servants.” Why? It is because of the acts of their forebears, as it is written: “And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, and Ruth cleaved to her” (Ruth 1:14). Rabbi Yitzḥak says: The Holy One, Blessed be He, said: The children of the one who kissed, referring to the four giants descended from Orpah, will come and fall into the hand of the children of the one who cleaved, referring to David, who was descended from Ruth. Rava taught: As a reward for the four tears that Orpah shed in sadness over her mother-in-law, she merited four mighty warriors descended from her, as it is stated: “And they lifted up their voice and wept again” (Ruth 1:14).
Date: 450-550 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
“... Pseudo-Philo (Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum 61:6) underscores the opposing views about the God of the Jews and the gods of non-Jews: In his final address to Goliath, David recalls their respective ancestors and focuses on the contrast between Orpah, Goliath’s “mother” (according to Pseudo-Philo) and Ruth, David’s great-grandmother. Even though they were sisters, the two women decided to follow different gods: Orpah followed the gods of the pagans (Allophili); Ruth, the God of Israel (Ruth 1:14–19). According to Pseudo-Philo, therefore, the battle between David and Goliath represents a battle between false and true worship... The single combat described by Josephus is a human one, despite the presence of an invisible ally. Conversely, Rabbinic tradition emphasizes the miraculous by having David afflict Goliath with leprosy, by casting his evil eye upon him (Midrash Leviticus Rabbah 21:2; Pesikta de-Rav Kahana 127; Midrash Samuel 21:109). The supernatural is accentuated once again by Pseudo-Philo (61:7–8): Before dying, Goliath urges David to hasten his murder and to rejoice; David in turn invites the giant to look at his true slayer, and in that moment Goliath sees the supernatural figure—the angel Zervihel—who is with David. ...”
Wright, Benjamin G.
Outside the Bible: Ancient Jewish Writings Related to Scripture
(pp. 1308-1309) The Jewish Publication Society, 2013
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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