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Goliath
(2,917 words)

Goliath (Jālūt), is the name of a person mentioned in the Qurʾān, who was killed by the prophet David in a battle with King Saul (Ṭālūt). There is a close parallel between the stories of Goliath in the Islamic tradition and the description of Goliath in the Bible.

Goliath in the Old Testament

In the Old Testament, Goliath is said to be from the city of Gath (1 Samuel, 17:4; 2 Samuel 21:19–22; 1 Chronicles, 20:5, 8), and is described as having extraordinary physical featur…

Cite this page
Touliyati, Samaneh, Faramarz Haj Manouchehri and Translated by Farshid Kazemi, “Goliath”, in: Encyclopaedia Islamica, Editors-in-Chief: Farhad Daftary. Consulted online on 06 December 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1875-9831_isla_COM_050773>
First published online: 2022



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