The setting of young David’s famous first military victory is the Valley of Elah, about fifteen miles west of Bethlehem. The Philistines have amassed their troops there in an apparent attempt to reassert control over the emerging Israelite monarchy. Instead of trying to engage the Israelites in full battle, the Philistines send out a champion fighter named Goliath to challenge the Israelites to send out a soldier of theirs for one-on-one combat. The outcome of the battle will thus hinge on the struggle between the two men. This custom was known also among the Greeks, and Homer’s Iliad contains the famous example of Achilles’ victory over Hector. Apparently the Hittites of Asia Minor also practiced individual combat to a limited extent. According to 2 Samuel 2:15, a later war between Israe…