FireArm Friday: From Sling to Sidearm
David’s Battle and the Power of Projectile Weapons
David’s Battle and the Power of Projectile Weapons
One of the most famous bible stories is the story of David, 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 was David later given credit for it?
The most common assumption is that David killed Goliath, using a sling and a 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 with a natural aptitude with one or another sort of weapon. People with an aptitude often hone this ability through 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…