Giants are not what we think they are.The same qualities that appear to give them strength are often the sources of great weakness.
_ Malcom Gladwell
P.S This work is about the biblical account of the historical battle between David and Goliath. My decision to do this review is not birthed from the fact that I might not be a believer of the word, but rather, it is hinged on the fact that I understood that this very story is a narration of history that was reported and not to be liken to the epistles of the Apostles. The full account of what really happened might have not been given and it is no wrong subjecting it to criticism.
The narration.
I happened to come across a video by Malcom Gladwell about the biblical story of the Giant and the Shepard boy. He named it: The Unheard story of David and Goliath.
According to Malcom Gladwell, the very story that has been told for centuries about the practical imbalance between the Giant and the Shepard boy have been taught wrongly.
The typical story tells about the Goliath coming to defile the armies of Israel and rendering an open challenge to them. Which out of fear and total lack of gut nobody in the ranks was able to accept. Then came David who was a Shepard and had the experience of defeating wild bears and lions. He decided to take the challenge and come against the giant.
He took Five smooth stones, refused the armor and went to the center of meeting with his enemy. The enemy was heavy armoured and felt insulted. He invites the young Shepard and David came forth with his sling, prepared it for battle and released the stone. He hit his target, the giant was down, and his fate was being headless by his own sword.
Malcom Gladwell Analysis
In his analysis the following should be taken note of;
Ancient armies had three kinds of warriors. The first was cavalry—armed men on horseback or in chariots.
The second was infantry—foot soldiers wearing armor and carrying swords and shields.
The third were projectile warriors, or what today would be called artillery: archers and, most important, slingers.
2. David was an expert slinger and have exerted such expertise in his battles against the bears and lions.
3. David went against Goliath with a staff, his sling and five stones.
4. The Giant was being accompanied into the battle field by an attendant.
5. Goliath said;come to me that I may give your flesh to the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the fields.
6. The Giant also said: Am I a dog that you should come to me with sticks?
7. And finally the invitation to a combat as envisage by the giant was a single combat.
In the learned author's opinion the battle was a gross imbalance between the expert slinger with flexibility and the giant with heavy armor who was highly immobile.
He explained that it was an imbalance because according to medical reports most giant suffer from a disease called Acromegaly_ a disease caused by a benign tumor of the pituitary gland.
The effect of this tumor is the overproduction of the human growth hormones which result in incredible height and size that makes one less flexible as well as giving poor vision, which was evident in Goliath due to the above statements he made.
It could be or rather it was that Goliath was just an intimidating man who had the defects of seeing poorly hence he made reference to David staff as Sticks being that he saw more than one of them.
It was further proved that in a single combat it involves the parties who are to fight coming into the arena alone, but he had an attendant whose obvious job was to guide him through the way.
The Giant invited the Shepherd to come to him and the begging question was why didn't Goliath go to David, maybe he didn't see him?
A single combat was also in visioned by the giant but what he got was a war between him and an expert slinger was could be liking to a baseball expert trying to hit his target from close range and the effect will be accuracy and nothing more.
These are great possibilities that would to some extent explain the reason for the abnormal behavioral tendencies of Goliath in the valley of Elah and the age long story about the battle of unequals was actually to the disadvantage to the giant.
My Analysis
Irrespective of the fact that the arguments and reports of the learned author is Scientifically right and very persuasive, I guess he dwelled more on the disadvantages of the Giant without highlighting the strengths the exercise over David.
There was the great possibility of David missing his target at the face of a man eating monster. Anybody could get terrified and grow Lily livered at the sight of Goliath. But he held his ground.
Also, Goliath was an expert warrior and radiated intimidation in his field of warfare. While David was never in an physical battle against anyone before the encounter. So it was a battle of two experts in their fields and the smarter one prevailed.
I am of the strong opinion that by the biblical account and Malcolm's analysis the two parties were on equitable grounds.
What one lacked in height and size the other had in speed and accuracy.
What the other lacked in accuracy he made up in battle experience.
So the story in my opinion was a battle of equals between two experts with advantages and disadvantages.
What is your opinion on the biblical account and Malcolm's Account?
