1 Samuel 17:4, how tall was Goliath?
Goliath is described as either four cubits and a span or six cubits and a span. In 1 Samuel 17:4, one number yields a height of about 6'9" or 9'9".
The APB text at this verse
The manuscripts, editions, and versions
The committee record at this verse
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. Since revision 3.5, the places where the manuscripts disagree are decided before translation by three readers, Grok 4.3, GPT-6 Astra, and Claude Fable 5.1, who see the readings and the witnesses by age and class but never a reference or a manuscript name. Whatever was done at this verse was done on the language and the evidence alone, and the record is public.
“The base text reads 6. The copies also carry 4 [ancient greek version; early hebrew scroll]; the committee kept the base text. The two early witnesses for 4 outweigh the single late Hebrew witness for 6, but the internal evidence favors the harder six cubits reading.”
At this verse, the APB 3.5 decision retained six cubits and a span in its printed text. Its note states, “The base text reads 6. The copies also carry 4 [ancient greek version; early hebrew scroll]; the committee kept the base text.” The three readers worked blind to manuscript names and reference, seeing witnesses only by class and date. The pericope audit verdict is clean.
The argument for each reading
If four cubits
Reading A gives Goliath the height four cubits and a span, approximately 6'9" in the supplied measure. Its Hebrew wording, ארבע אמות וזרת, is read by Dead Sea Scrolls (4QSamᵃ), identified here as the oldest Hebrew witness to the verse. Septuagint (Codex Vaticanus) also has the corresponding Greek wording, τεσσάρων πήχεων καὶ σπιθαμῆς. Thus the four-cubit reading has support from an early Hebrew scroll and a major Greek tradition. On this reading, the description still marks an unusually large opponent, while the supplied stakes describe him as an enormous man rather than a giant out of legend.
If six cubits
Reading B gives Goliath six cubits and a span, approximately 9'9" in the supplied measure. The Masoretic Text (Westminster Leningrad Codex) reads שש אמות וזרת, and the packet identifies it as the received Hebrew. The consonantal Hebrew verse printed for this crux likewise contains that wording. The APB's published translation prints six cubits and a span. Its textual decision says that internal evidence favors the harder six cubits reading. These facts supply the case for B alongside the contrary external witnesses for A.
The packet identifies one numerical difference, but it does not supply an explanation for how the readings arose. It changes the stated height from about 6'9" to about 9'9". It does not change the APB's surrounding printed statements that Goliath is from Gath or that he wears a bronze helmet and scale armor.
Common questions
Which witnesses support four cubits?
Dead Sea Scrolls (4QSamᵃ) and Septuagint (Codex Vaticanus) support four cubits and a span.
Which witness supports six cubits?
The Masoretic Text (Westminster Leningrad Codex) supports six cubits and a span.
What did the APB committee print?
The APB printed six cubits and a span. Its 3.5 note says that the committee kept the base text while acknowledging copies with 4.
Related entries
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. The page does not declare which reading is original.
The registry gives no verdict
The registry does not say which reading is original. Each page lists the witnesses, shows what the committee did with the same text, and leaves the judgment to the reader.