Who Really Killed Goliath? The Bible’s “Contradiction” Explained

February 03, 2026

00:00 39:44

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Most people think that David kills Goliath with a sling and then cuts off his head (1 Samuel 17). But there’s a lesser-known biblical tension that surprises a lot of readers. 2 Samuel 21:19 seems to say that Elhanan killed Goliath. Is this a contradiction? Today, I invite on Old Testament (and Hebrew scholar) Dominick Hernandez to help us make sense of this seeming contradiction.

READ: Who Really Killed Goliath? (https://textandcanon.org/who-really-killed-goliath/) READ: Engaging the Old Testament by Dominick Hernandez (https://amzn.to/49PqD54)

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Sean McDowell is a professor of Apologetics at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University. He has earned two Master's degrees in philosophy and theology and his Ph.D. in Apologetics and Worldview Studies. He is the author, editor, or co-author of more than 20 books, including "More Than A Carpenter," "Chasing Love," "End the Stalemate," and "The Fate of the Apostles." Sean has one of the top apologetics YouTube channels with over 340k subscribers. He is an internationally renowned speaker and he is on the teaching team at his home church in southern California.