David: Jewish Marksman Extraordinare

 David by Bernini, public domain 

One of the most famous bible stories is the story of David as a young man, who slew Goliath, a gigantic Philistine warrior, champion of the Philistine army. The story is much debated. Was David known to Saul, the king before David killed Goliath? How old was David when he killed Goliath? Did someone else kill Goliath, and David was later given credit for it?

The most common assumption is that David killed Goliath and he used a sling and stone to triumph over the giant. Estimates of his age vary from 13 to 28. He is described as both a boy and a man, as “a youth” and as “a mighty man of valor, a man of war”.

In every generation, there are people who are born who have a natural aptitude with one or another sort of weapons. People with an aptitude often hone this ability though practice, training, or both. David appears to have been a “natural” with the sling. He had plenty of time to practice while he was watching over his father’s sheep. The evidence of his proficiency is from KJV bible, I Samuel:

³⁴ And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:

³⁵ And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.

³⁶ Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.

Even a nine foot tall giant would be as vulnerable to a sling as an European brown bear, or a lion. Killing a bear and a lion with a sling (and probably a dagger or knife) would make David well known for his proficiency. It is not impossible to kill a bear or a lion with a sling, or at least to knock them out long enough to finish them off with another weapon such as a knife or short sword.

The bear which existed in Israel at the time of David would have been the European brown bear, essentially the same animal as the grizzly bear in North America. Not all grizzly bears are the same size. There are large males, smaller females, and sub-adults which are smaller yet. The most common to come in conflict with humans tend to be young males which have not established their own territory yet. It seems more likely the bear which David killed was under 300 lbs than over 500 lbs. Similarly, a lion could easily be 150 lbs instead of 300. The important thing with a slung stone would be to hit the animal on the head, at the right spot to knock it out or to stun it.  Pitchers who are good at throwing 5 ounce baseballs can hit speeds of 130 to 150 fps. Slings magnify the speed of the throw. Some modern users of the sling hit close to 200 fps and over 130 foot lbs of energy.  It is enough to knock out a bear. A Canadian man, Jesse Mengler, knocked out and probably killed a black bear in British Columbia, with a thrown rock, in 2010.

From the biblical text, it is clear Goliath underestimated the smaller David, who was not wearing any armor. His overconfidence contributed to his defeat. It is not difficult for this correspondent to believe Goliath turned his attention away from David at a critical moment. David closed the distance to optimum sling range and let fly with the deadly shot. Goliath was struck in the forehead with enough force to partly embed the stone. He fell unconscious to the ground.  David then used Goliath’s sword to make certain he was dead. To show both armies he had triumphed, David cut off Goliath’s head and held it up for them to see.

For most of history, slings have been used as military weapons. They were used by the Aztecs in opposition to the Conquistadors in the Conquest of Mexico. Steel armor and firearms made slings obsolete as military weapons.

In Barnett v. Raoul, Judge McGlynn references the David and Goliath story to illustrate the need for effective projectile arms for self defense. Judge McGlynn stated David had no choice but to use a projectile weapon in combat against the giant Goliath who outclassed David in sheer size and body strength.

©2025 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included. Gun Watch