2 Samuel 21:19 — the verse where Elhanan kills Goliath
Samuel names Elhanan as killing Goliath, while Chronicles names Elhanan as killing Lahmi, Goliath’s brother. The parallel accounts give different victims for Elhanan in the battle reports.
What the APB prints.
Every witness, on the record.
What a blind committee did here.
The APB's translation committee works blind: it is never told it is translating the Bible, never given a book name or a verse number, and it never sees the witnesses above. Whatever it did at this verse, it did on the language alone — and its record is public.
The blind committee’s record has no rationale note matching this crux, and the pericope audit verdict is "flagged". Its APB text prints Goliath as Elhanan’s victim in 2 Samuel 21:19 and Lahmi, Goliath’s brother, in 1 Chronicles 20:5. The record supplies the two translated outcomes but no explanation of their relation.
The case for each reading.
If Samuel's text is primary
Reading A follows the Samuel wording: Elhanan son of Jaare-oregim the Bethlehemite strikes Goliath the Gittite. The Masoretic Text entry for Samuel supports this reading, and the APB prints the same identification in 2 Samuel 21:19. On this side of the comparison, the immediate question is not whether Elhanan struck down an opponent, but the name assigned to that opponent. If Samuel's text is primary, the verse’s wording directly connects Elhanan with Goliath. The spear-shaft comparison also appears in the verse, linking this report closely with the parallel battle notice.
If Chronicles preserves the sense
Reading B follows the Chronicles wording: Elhanan son of Jair strikes down Lahmi, the brother of Goliath the Gittite. The Masoretic Text entry for Chronicles supports this reading, and the APB prints that identification in 1 Chronicles 20:5. Chronicles thus preserves Elhanan’s role in the battle while distinguishing his victim from Goliath himself. The surrounding battle reports retain several shared features, including conflict with the Philistines and a spear shaft like a weaver’s beam. If Chronicles preserves the sense, the difference concerns the victim’s identity rather than whether Elhanan struck down a Philistine opponent.
The packet does not explain why Samuel and Chronicles name different victims, so their relationship remains uncertain here. This variant does not change the shared report that Elhanan struck down an opponent in battle with the Philistines, nor the shared spear-shaft comparison. It specifically changes whether the named victim is Goliath or Lahmi, Goliath’s brother.
Asked plainly.
Who does 2 Samuel 21:19 say Elhanan killed?
The Samuel reading says that Elhanan son of Jaare-oregim the Bethlehemite struck Goliath the Gittite.
Who does 1 Chronicles 20:5 say Elhanan killed?
The Chronicles reading says that Elhanan son of Jair struck Lahmi, the brother of Goliath the Gittite.
What is the difference between Samuel and Chronicles here?
Samuel identifies Elhanan’s victim as Goliath. Chronicles identifies the victim as Lahmi, Goliath’s brother, while retaining Elhanan, the Philistine battle, and the spear-shaft comparison.
More places where the manuscripts argue.
Witness readings for critical editions are quoted from the SBLGNT apparatus (CC BY 4.0); Hebrew text from the Westminster Leningrad Codex (Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible). Readings of ancient manuscripts and versions are cited as published scholarly fact with their sources linked above. Nothing on this page declares a winner — the evidence is the point.
Weigh it yourself.
The registry doesn't tell you which reading is true. It puts every witness on one page, shows what a blind committee did with the same language, and leaves the verdict where it belongs — with the reader.