(3) And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them. (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. (5) And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. (6) And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders. (7) And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam; and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him.
There is somewhat very striking in the account given, both of this giant and his armour. We were told in the book of Joshua, of the great size of the children of Anak; and as in Gaza of Gath, which belonged to the Philistines, there were the remains of this race of men, it is probable that Goliath was of this stock. See Joshua 11:22. His height must have been wonderful indeed, if the scripture cubit be, as is thought to be, 21 inches; and a span half a cubit: both added together and brought into our English measure, makes him to have been somewhat more than 11 feet high. And his whole armory seems to correspond to this account. The weight of his coat 5000 shekels, everyone of which was at least half an ounce. And the spear 600 shekels; both added together, made the weight (besides all that is spoken of concerning his greaves and target of brass) 350 pounds. Such was the monster and his armory, which came forth to the defiance of Israel. Reader! Was he not, think you, a formidable enemy? And can the imagination figure to itself anything more striking, to resemble the great enemy, who stands to defy the Lord's Israel; in all ages.