5. David and Goliath and other tales of improbable victories by the underdog
The victory of the shepherd David defeating the fearsome giant Goliath in personal combat is presented in the Book of 1 Samuel, though the size of the giant is variously reported in other texts. Another version of the story has Goliath being defeated in battle by Elhanan (2 Samuel 21) though biblical scholars intent on protecting the version in 1 Samuel contend that he was another Goliath of similar physical dimensions. 1 Chronicles presents the second Goliath as being a brother of the first giant, of the name Lahmi. 1 Samuel was likely written in the late 7th century BCE, with 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles being written about 300 years later. The miraculous victory by the diminutive (in relation to his opponent) David against the giant thus has multiple biblical recountings and explanations.
The Iliad, which describes incidents of single combat among champions selected by contending armies to represent them, includes a tale with marked similarities to those of 1 Samuel. Indeed, the rendition in the biblical version describes the armor worn by Goliath in a manner more in common with the ancient Greeks than those of the Israelites and their enemies. In the Greek version, the youngest son of a family (Nestor) emerges to do battle with the giant presented by the enemy and kills him in one-to-one combat, just as David, youngest son of his family, does in the Hebrew version of the tale. The fathers of both David and Nestor advise their sons against doing battle, and in both the son prevails. Ancient myths predating the accounts in Samuel of miraculous victories by inexperienced champions against fearsome enemies are common throughout mythology, many predating those of the Bible by centuries.