David and Goliath at Elah Valley

Mortal combat

David and Goliath at Elah Valley: David and Goliath fight to the death in a battle of mortal combat at the Valley of Elah. The idea is for one man to die so the Philistine and Israelite armies don't have to fight. In theory, at least. More likely, the Philistines just wanted to put the fear of Dagon into the Israelites by introducing them to someone no one would want to meet on the battlefield.

Excerpt

4One day a Philistine soldier started walking toward the Israelites. He was the Philistine champion warrior, Goliath. He came from the Philistine city of Gath. Goliath stood six feet, nine inches (2 meters) tall. 5He protected his head with a bronze helmet. And he wore a coat of small bronze plates linked like fish scales. It weighed 125 pounds (57 kg). 6He wore bronze leg guards, and he carried a bronze javelin slung over his back. 7He also carried a spear with a shaft that looked as thick as a weaver’s beam.  The iron spearhead alone weighed at least 15 pounds (6.8 kg). A soldier walked ahead of him, protecting him by carrying a tall shield. 8Goliath shouted across the narrow valley at Israel’s army, “Let’s be reasonable. We don’t need our armies to fight each other. I’m one Philistine. Why don’t you pick one of Saul’s men to fight me? 9If he kills me, we lose. Philistines will serve your people. If I kill him, you lose. Israel serves us. 10I challenge your army to mortal combat. Send me a man willing to fight.” 11Goliath’s words shocked and terrified Saul and his men.

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Losers

It didn't go the Philistine way. Their champion warrior fell stone-cold dead to David's sling. Philistines should have surrendered. But they ran home instead. Israelite soldiers chased and killed them along the way, up to the gates of the towns of Gath and Ekron. From Elah to Ekron would have been about a day's walk. But it probably didn't take the Philistines as long to get home from the battle as it did to get there. The story is in 1 Samuel 17.