Faulty Peripheral Vision of Goliath May Have Aided David in his Historic Battle in the Elah Valley

Beer-Sheva, February 16, 2000 – Goliath, the giant and fearsome Philistine warrior of the Bible, may have suffered from visual field impairment, a condition working in favor of David in his historic battle with the renowned soldier, according to Prof. Vladimir Berginer, of the Faculty of Health Sciences at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Berginer is a neurologist who has treated patients with acromegaly – a disease of the pituitary gland associated with gigantism, restricted fields of vision and other pathological symptoms.

Prof. Berginer points out that giants of staggering proportions generally suffer from acromegaly, a condition that was only recognized as a disease in the 19th century. In acromegaly, a tumor of the pituitary gland (known in medical parlance as a macroadenoma) releases large amounts of growth hormone, causing abnormal growth of the skeleton and other tissues.

According to Berginer, acromegaly patients can also suffer from impaired eyesight, caused by pressure of the tumor on the cross-over point of the optic nerves (the optic hiasma). If Goliath did indeed have acromegaly and his vision was impaired, young David could have approached Goliath from the side without being observed.

Gigantism affects people who develop acromegaly before the normal growth spurts of childhood and adolescence. When not treated, patients with such pituatary tumors can eventually reach towering height. According to the Bible, Goliath was 6 cubits, approximately three meters, or 9 ft. 10 in. The famous pituitary giant at the Ringling Brothers Circus in the U.S., Robert Wadlow, was 8 ft. 11.1 in. tall.

Project to build memorial to David’s victory

While examining the neurological aspects of the David and Goliath battle, Berginer went to the site of the event in the Elah Valley, south of Beit-Shemesh in Israel, and was surprised to find no sign or monument to mark the event.

“I found it curious,” says Berginer, “that although the heroic story of the Jewish mass suicide on Masada is at the focus of Israeli culture, David’s victory over Goliath in the Elah Valley has been largely overlooked.” According to Berginer, David’s victory has become a symbol of the triumph of good over evil and of spiritual faith over physical power that ought to be recognized.

Berginer founded “David’s Victory,” a voluntary, nonprofit organization dedicated to establishing a memorial to this historic battle, in coordination with Kibbutz Netiv-Halamedhei and the Mateh Yehuda Regional Council. They hope the memorial will become a central educational and tourist attraction for Israelis and foreigners alike.