The Battle of the Valley of Elah was fought in 1063 BC between the Israelites and the invading Philistines. The battle was most famous as the occasion in which the young Israelite warrior David slew the much larger Philistine warrior Goliath with a slingshot, demoralizing the Philistines and causing them to flee, with the Israelites pursuing and slaughtering them.
History[]
In 1063 BC, the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at Sokoh and Judah, pitching camp at Ephes Dammim between Sokoh and Azekah. Saul and the Israelites assembled in the Valley of Elah, where they drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines; both armies took up positions on opposing hills, with the valley between them. The nearly ten-foot-tall Philistine champion Goliath challenged the Israelites to come out and line up for battle, saying, “Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.” Saul and the Israelites were terrified by Goliath's challenge, and the two armies faced off for forty days. Jesse sent his son David to take roasted grain and loaves of bread to his brothers Eliab, Abinadab, and Shimea, who were serving in Saul's army, but David volunteered to serve as Saul's champion upon hearing Goliath repeat his challenge. Saul was initially unwilling to send David, but David said that God had killed both a lion and a bear that had attacked him as he hunted, and professed his faith God would likewise rescue him from the hand of the Philistine. Saul allowed David to go forth, having David dress in his own tunic, as well as a coat of armor and a bronze helmet. Goliath beckoned David, insulting him for coming at him with sticks as weapons, but David warned Goliath that he came against him in the name of the God of the armies of Israel, whom Goliath had defiled. As Goliath moved closer to attack David, David shot Goliath in the head with a stone, which sank into Goliath's forehead and caused him to fall to the ground, dead. David proceeded to take hold of Goliath's sword and draw it from the sheath, beheading him. The Philistines panicked and ran, and the Israelites surged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath and the gates of Ekron, massacring them along the Shaaraim road. When the Israelites returned from chasing the Philistines, they plundered their camp. David took Goliath's head to Jerusalem and put the Philistine's weapons in his own tent.
