What did the story of David and Goliath mean to the original audience?

Answer 1

A:The story of David and Goliath is found in 1 Samuel, which forms part of the Deuteronomic History, first written in the seventh century BCE. However, this story may have been added to 1 Samuel after the Babylonian Exile, since it is not included in the Chronicles account of David. Its omissions from the Book of Chronicles could mean either that the story was unknown to the Chronicler, who relied on the Deuteronomic History as one of his main sources, or that he did not believe the story to be true.

If indeed the story was already ancient, the original audience for 1 Samuel would probably have been familiar with the story as part of their oral traditions. Either way, they would no doubt have revelled in a story that showed their legendary ancestor as victorious, even as a young boy against a towering giant.

Answer 2

Malcolm Gladwell: The unheard story of David and Goliath In today's talk, Malcolm Gladwell - whose new book is titled David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants - takes a closer look at this classic story, digging into the details which are easily lost on a modern audience.

Answer 3

Although the Book of Samuel is believed to have been written in the seventh century BCE by an anonymous author now known as the Deuteronomist, Jacob L. Wright, Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible at Emory University, has written that the most popular legends about David, including his killing of Goliath, his affair with Bathsheba and his ruling of a United Kingdom of Israel rather than just Judah, are the creation of people living in the late Persian or Hellenistic period.
On this evidence, the story was written for the dispirited Jews who had so recently suffered crushing defeat at the hands of the Babylonians and continued to be ruled by foreign empires. It was intended to show that even the small and weak can succeed over the powerful.