1 Samuel 17:4 · measurement explained
Goliath: six cubits and a span in the WEB
The pinned WEB text describes Goliath's height as six cubits and a span. Ancient textual witnesses do not all preserve the same figure.
Read the verse first
A champion out of the camp of the Philistines named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span went out.
World English Bible · engwebp-source-2026-09-12
Modern measurement range
Six cubits
2.64–2.76 m
8.66–9.06 ft
Using the common cubit estimate. This range is for the ordinary cubit. Texts that specify a cubit plus a handbreadth use the separate long-cubit setting.
Calculate another amount →One span
22–22.5 cm
8.66–8.86 in
Using the span estimate. The range surrounds the commonly cited 22 cm or 8.75–9 inch estimate and remains approximate.
Calculate another amount →Adding the selected common-cubit and span ranges visualizes the WEB reading only; it should not be presented as a resolution of the manuscript difference.
What this conversion does—and does not—show
It gives a defensible modern scale for the amount stated in the verse. Ancient standards varied by time and place, so the endpoints are deliberately approximate. A volume is not a food mass, a metal weight is not a modern cash value, and a conversion does not settle a textual, archaeological, or theological debate.
Conversion references: ESV weights and measures ↗, American Bible Society ↗, and Encyclopedia of the Bible ↗. Reference pages accessed October 10, 2026.