9 Scientific Explanations For Famous Bible Stories

The tale of David and Goliath is the ultimate underdog story, the ultimate triumph of bravery and brains over brawn.

But in reality it could have been more of a case of bullying a severely disabled man.

In a paper looking at the evidence for neurological disease in the old testament, Stephen Mathew and Jeyaraj Pandian look at the evidence of then-unknown diseases in biblical characters (apparently, Samson is autistic, who knew?). They think that it is likely that the monstrous Goliath could have suffered from some kind of giganticism such as acromegaly.

This condition would have caused Goliath to grow to his enormous size, but it would also have practically crippled him. Acromegaly can cause severe arthritis and carpal tunnel, as well as impaired vision and hypertension - not exactly the description of a formidable warrior.

The poor, lumbering Goliath would have to face off against the fit and agile David, who was armed with the slingshot that he used to repel lions and wolves, so the slow, disable giant stood no chance.

Slingshots back in those days weren't the toys of petulant kids, they were military grade weapons capable of firing rocks like bullets and, by all accounts, David was a crack shot. With Goliath armed with just a sword and a spear, he was severely outmatched and outgunned. 

Turns out the underdog in this story may actually have been poor Goliath all along.