One of the most famous bible stories is the story of David, a young man who slew Goliath, a gigantic Philistine warrior, champion of the Philistine army. The story is much debated. Was David known to Saul, the king, before David killed Goliath? How old was David when he killed Goliath? Did someone else kill Goliath, and was David later given credit for it?
The most common assumption is that David killed Goliath, using a sling and a stone to triumph over the giant. Estimates of his age vary from 13 to 28. He is described as both a boy and a man, as “a youth” and as “a mighty man of valor, a man of war”.
In every generation, there are people who are born with a natural aptitude with one or another sort of weapon. People with an aptitude often hone this ability through practice, training, or both. David appears to have been a “natural” with the sling. He had plenty of time to practice while he was watching over his father’s sheep. The evidence of his proficiency is from KJV bible, I Samuel:
34 And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:
35 And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.
36 Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.
Even a nine-foot-tall giant would be as vulnerable to a sling as a European brown bear or a lion. Killing a bear and a lion with a sling (and probably a dagger or knife) would make David well known for his proficiency. It is not impossible to kill a bear or a lion with a sling, or at least to knock them out long enough to finish them off with another weapon, such as a knife or short sword.
The bear that existed in Israel at the time of David would have been the European brown bear, essentially the same animal as the grizzly bear in North America. Not all grizzly bears are the same size. There are large males, smaller females, and sub-adults, which are smaller yet. The most common to come into conflict with humans tend to be young males who have not established their own territory yet. It seems more likely that the bear which David killed was under 300 lbs than over 500 lbs. Similarly, a lion could easily be 150 lbs instead of 300.
The important thing with a slung stone would be to hit the animal on the head, at the right spot, to knock it out or to stun it. Pitchers who are good at throwing 5-ounce baseballs can hit speeds of 130 to 150 fps. Slings magnify the speed of the throw. Some modern users of the sling hit close to 200 fps and over 130 foot-pounds of energy. It is enough to knock out a bear. A Canadian man, Jesse Mengler, knocked out and probably killed a black bear in British Columbia with a thrown rock in 2010.
From the biblical text, it is clear that Goliath underestimated the smaller David, who was not wearing any armor. His overconfidence contributed to his defeat. It is not difficult to believe Goliath turned his attention away from David at a critical moment. David closed the distance to optimum sling range and let fly with the deadly shot. Goliath was struck in the forehead with enough force to partly embed the stone. He fell unconscious to the ground. David then used Goliath’s sword to make certain he was dead. To show both armies he had triumphed, David cut off Goliath’s head and held it up for them to see.
For most of history, slings have been used as military weapons. They were used by the Aztecs in opposition to the Conquistadors in the Conquest of Mexico. Steel armor and firearms made slings obsolete as military weapons.
In Barnett v. Raoul, Judge McGlynn references the David and Goliath story to illustrate the need for effective projectile arms for self-defense. Judge McGlynn stated David had no choice but to use a projectile weapon in combat against the giant Goliath, who outclassed David in sheer size and body strength.
Handguns Proven 98% Effective in 205 Documented Bear Attacks
About Dean Weingarten:
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of Constitutional Carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.
I don’t believe there’s a gun enthusiast (especially guys) who, early in youth, didn’t play with slingshots, either bought or homemade. It surely was the case with me, then graduation to archery. And never once did I not consider either as serious, dangerous devices.
So the moral to the story back then must have been, speak softly and carry a sling with a rock!
Today its, speak softly and carry a side arm!!!!
Make OreGONEistan OreGUN again.
The British flag in the Related Articles section above made me curious.:
It would seem that slingshots, sometimes called a catapult, are surprisingly still mostly legal in the UK though Wrist-Rocket style slingshots (remember those?) are illegal in Germany. I don’t know if they treat the two cords and a pouch David era style the same as the modern elastic powered type. I remember the Dennis the Menace cartoons always showed him with a slingshot in his back pocket. It is illegal to sell one to a minor in the UK.
https://self-defensetools.com/are-slingshots-illegal-in-the-uk/
A few phrases to remember; GOD made man, Sam Colt made them equal more or less and, Peace through superior firepower. Self defense and defense of property has been going on for a very long time. A 300# bear can ruin your weekend and a 150# cat will do the same. The average American male is 5’10” and 175# according to the last time I took my flight test so running into a bear or a cat that has murder or diner on it’s mind while you are unarmed is something to ponder especially when you are charged with watching… Read more »
Back in Jr. High school me and the guys started making slings. My best one was 2 old boot laces and a piece of denim. We found that vehicle lug nuts appropriated from the local junkyard, on Sunday when they were closed, made great ammo.
I never achieved great accuracy but a couple of others did.
The range they are capable of is amazing.
With a wrist rocket and ball bearings on the other hand I was able to get myself in lots of trouble.
This illustrates why we need guns. For uncounted thousands of years the world was dominated by muscle-driven weapons, and those who could use them. During that time, fists, feet, clubs, edged weapons, and bows (and yes some slings) were the ultimate personal weapons. These weapons all required great upper body strength, and were primarily used successfully by young strong men. Proper use also required time and training. It was only with the advent of firearms, particularly the repeating rifle and handgun, that the weaker members of society began to have chance for portable, effective, easily used personal defense against… Read more »
“But what if a child had found that sling? Were there any schools near David’s conflict with Goliath? What if David’s rock had missed and wound up landing on a school yard? THINK ABOUT THE CHILDREN!!!!”
Just trying to imagine a hysterical anti-slinger of that day.
Hey that’s an angle liberals haven’t worked yet. Banning “projectile” weapons. Even liberal great Dianne Frankenstein never thought of that one. And that leftist baboon thought of them all!