Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

CHAMPIONS

Translation of Heb. gibbôr, “hero,” or gibbôr hayîl, “valiant hero” (RSV awkwardly “mighty man,” “mighty man of valor”). In the age of melee combat between massed bodies of infantry, before the onset of massed heavy chariotry, individuals of larger stature and greater martial prowess could by themselves force breaches in the enemy line. Such heroes were especially terrifying to more lightly armed troops and peasants’ militia, as illustrated by the terror of the Israelites before Goliath (1 Sam. 17:4-11). The best literary presentation of these champions and their skills is still to be found in Homer’s Iliad, where Ajax, Achilles, and Diomedes singly and at various times force breaches in the Trojan line. Sometimes these warriors would challenge another of the opposing side to single combat, with both sides looking on.

Goliath, Ishbe-benob, Saph, and a fourth, unnamed champion are listed in 2 Sam. 21:15-22 as Philistine champions. The improper use of the term “giants” gives a fairy-tale cast to these stories, but the listing of Goliath’s height in the Qumran texts as “four cubits and a span” — 1.98 m. (6 ft. 6 in.) — offers a more realistic impression. David countered with his own champions, listed under the title the šĕlōšîm (the “thirty”) in 2 Sam. 23:8-39.

Donald G. Schley

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

CHAMPIONS

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)