Golit suffered from problems of excess growth hormone

If the Philistine Goliath had arrived ahead of time at Professor Vladimir Barginer's clinic, the entire history of the Mediterranean basin might have looked different. Berginer, a neurologist from Be'er Sheva, would have immediately diagnosed the Philistine giant's illness and spared him the humiliation of the famous battle in the Elah Valley. "For Goliath, the battle with David was already lost," states Berginer emphatically, "David was young and energetic who fought against a terrifying giant
But ill."
Berginer refers to the biblical story as a sickness sheet. Golith, according to Berginer, was a tumor in the brain. "The tumor caused the formation of growth hormone in his body in larger quantities than usual, which caused the body to grow to unusual heights. Goliath was huge. According to one version, he reached a height of six cubits and a finger, which is about three meters. According to another version, he was four cubits tall, which is two meters, and this was also considered a great height in those times, because then most people were shorter."
The great height made Goliath difficult to move. This too, Berginer explains, is one of the signs of the disease. "The disease probably broke out in him before the end of puberty and it is called acromegaly. There were several other giants at that time, but not all of them were sick with this disease. Growth disorders have different causes. There were several such giants in the Gad tribe. Even today, an ordinary person does not reach such heights Some of the brilliant basketball players should check their growth hormone and pituitary gland. I'm sure most of them did it and discovered interesting things."
"Why didn't Golit see a shower?
The abnormal height is only one of the signs of Goliath's illness, and not the most serious of them. "At a certain point the brain tumor presses on the optic nerves and causes disorders in the field of vision," says Berginer, "a patient with such disorders cannot see to the sides. This is probably the reason why Golit was unable to defend himself against David's Rogateka."
A careful study of the book of Samuel 1, chapter 17 convinced Berginer that his diagnosis was accurate. "Any doctor who reads the story will understand what I understood. The writer of this chapter was a very intelligent man, very knowledgeable, almost a scientist. He described Goliath's illness accurately but sparingly." Barginer, for example, found in the chapter a brief description of Goliath's heavy gait. "It is written several times that he walked and fought, while David was said to be running to battle."
David had one stick in his hand. Golit, who could not see well, thought he was holding some sticks in his hand. David ran around Goliath. At a certain moment it disappeared from his field of vision, and therefore, says Barginer, Goliath was unable to protect himself from the stone that was thrown at him with such great force.
If Goliath were alive today, says Berginer, it would be possible to treat his illness. "He would receive drug treatment that moderates the secretion of growth hormone. The tumor can be surgically removed, X-rays can be irradiated on the tumor to try and reduce its dimensions, or all treatment methods can be combined together. But even without appropriate treatment, one can live with the disease for years, although In the late stages, the patient suffers from muscle weakness and joint problems."
His theory, Berginer says, could cause a stir. He is aware of this, and prepares mentally and intellectually for the attacks that will come. "I won't have any problem defending my diagnosis, which is accurate. But I hope I won't be attacked. We have enough polarization in the nation. I don't want to add to it."
Attempts to find scientific explanations for the stories of the Bible always cause a storm. "This should not happen to those who will understand my theory. A person of faith can accept my theory and tell himself that God is the one who arranged the event so that David actually encountered a sick Philistine. The miracle does not lose its effect. Even after my explanation
He still remains a miracle."
But your theory turns David from a strong hero into a cheeky boy who throws stones at a sick cripple.
"David was a hero and remains a hero even now. He is the only one who had the mental courage to go into this battle. The whole army, including King Saul, was afraid of this giant and for many days no one dared to go against him. David, who was a shepherd, felt the need to go to the protection of God And the people. The symbol of the war between good and evil was not harmed even after my research because David did not know that Goliath was sick. Goliath looked scary and only this little one, David, had courage I want to go out and fight it. Today we can explain the details of the battle and why it was the way it was, but that doesn't take away from the power of faith and the symbolism of this battle, which symbolizes the victory of good and physical power. Believers think that this battle was a miracle as well It was a miracle, but intelligent people should be satisfied that the information today, at the beginning of the 21st century, strengthens and confirms what is written in the Bible."

You don't really confirm what is written in the Bible. Just the opposite. You say that Goliath was not as strong as it is written in the Bible.
"What does it matter. I know that today. David didn't know that and probably Golit didn't know that he was sick either. Acromegaly was only discovered two hundred years ago."

For twenty years Berginer has been walking around with this theory. He gives lectures about the battle between David and Goliath but mainly talks about it with his colleagues, neurologists. Professor Amos Korchin, director of the department of neurology at the Ichilov Hospital, heard this theory from Berginer a few years ago. "It's a very original idea and certainly not far-fetched," he says, "Its explanation is neurologically plausible. It's impossible to know if it's a correct explanation because none of us was able to test Goliath, but the disease exists and the manifestations of overgrowth and disturbances in the visual field are well known ".
Is it possible that a patient with acromegaly will be a terrifying Philistine soldier?

"It depends on what stage of the disease he is in. Acromegaly is mainly a hormonal disorder and such people circulate among us. Many times the person himself does not know that he is ill until an advanced stage in which there are serious visual disturbances. Apparently, with him the disturbances were at the beginning. It is possible that if David had not done this to him Without this kindness, his medical condition would have deteriorated."
Professor Avinoam Raks from the Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem is also familiar with the disease. "If this happens before the growth of the bones is finished, the person grows in height. If the disease breaks out after puberty, the patient grows in width. It is likely that such a person, with a tumor in the pituitary gland, has not seen David. It's all speculation, we can't know for sure, but this A possibility that exists from a medical point of view, I would not rule this possibility out of hand."

"How did David gather intelligence?

Berginer's study rekindles an old medical debate. 17 years ago, two American doctors presented for the first time the explanation that the fight that became a symbol of the war of the small and righteous young man against the evil giant was nothing but a street fight between a strong and healthy boy and a sick Philistine. "The Philistines demanded from the Israelites that their wars be decided in a duel between two warriors, one from each side," David Rabin and Pauline Rabin of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Tennessee wrote in the New England Journal of Medicine in 83. "Golith appeared, high And armed. Shaul was shocked. He called his chief of staff, the security advisor Leumi and other experts. The consensus was depressing. The chances of the children of Israel aim for zero. Mr. Yeosham suggested that someone call George Smiley from intelligence. Smiley looked through Goliath's personal file carefully. Give me a few more minutes, he asked and rushed to Connie, the human computer. Connie, what do we have on giants in Canaan? he asked. We have the story that Joshua brought about families of giants. They all got sick, some of them went blind, others went into comas and they all developed soft as butter bones, Connie replied. With this information, Smiley returned to the Elah Valley and met with Shaul. We only have one chance, he said. You must choose a young and agile guy who is an expert in identifying stones in Cape Kela. The choice was clear, as evidenced by Michelangelo's statue: David, son of Jesse. There is no need for you to arm yourself, Smiley told David. Take a rock, come at Goliath from the side so he doesn't see you and hit him in the forehead. David took a stone, threw it in his hand and killed the Philistine." David became a glorious king, the pair of doctors write, thanks to the fact that Smiley, the hero of John Le Carre's books, understood what was hidden behind the giant's armor: an acromegaly patient with a limited field of vision. The American doctors believed that Golit also suffered from a pancreatic tumor, which caused him to feel bad that morning, and if all this was not enough, then an overactive adrenal gland The shutter made his skull very soft "until the stone sunk into his forehead without difficulty".
A few years later, in another medical journal, another American doctor, Dr. Stanley Sparcher from the Peninsula Medical Center in New York State, wrote that indeed Goliath's tall stature was due to acromegaly. He did not receive the diagnosis of hyperthyroidism. "One illness is enough to explain Goliath's death," he claimed.
In the same issue, Dr. Robert Shapira and Dr. Avraham Mintz from the University of Miami School of Medicine diagnose Golit's death as a result of annular narrowing of the visual fields and a stroke from epilepsy. Professor Moshe Feinsud, director of the neurosurgery department at the Rambam Hospital in Haifa, confronted these diagnoses in an amusing way. In an article in the newspaper "Ha-Herofa" published five years ago, he asked: "Was the situation of the Philistines so desperate that they sent as their representative to the decisive battle an endocrine and visual cripple so Difficult?". Feinsud's explanation for the outcome of the battle is taken from the world of military concepts. "Search Goliath's illnesses probably did not know that an experienced Meida could throw a stone, and especially a pebble whose shape is suitable for flight, up to forty meters away. With the help of the slingshot even for a hundred meters or more. A hit from such a range can be bad or even fatal to a healthy soldier even without being sick with a rare endocrine syndrome." C. and Sky. The Reuters news agency broke the story. The New York Times asked in a report in the foreign news section last week whether Golit was, after Everything, easy prey? "It was a miracle that a young shepherd managed to defeat Goliath in battle," Berginer told the newspaper, "but now I found the explanation for that."

"Is Saul also depressed?

Vladimir Barginer was born in Chisinau, fourth generation of doctors in his family. He is not ready to reveal his age. "I always say that I am one year older than my wife. When my wife is asked how old she is, she answers that she is 29. Then they ask her how it is that she is 29 but has a daughter at the age of 40. To this, she answers that every woman has
her age."
He studied medicine in Chisinau and studied neurology in Moscow. In '73 he immigrated to Israel with his wife, Yula, a radiologist, and their two children. His daughter is a doctor, his son is an engineer. "I was disturbed by the lack of intellectual freedom in Russia," he says. "I didn't like the fact that I had to keep quiet and not say what I was thinking. When they just started opening the iron gates, we decided to immigrate to Israel."
A few days before the Yom Kippur war they arrived at the studio in Dimona. "I didn't know a single word in Hebrew. I only knew how to say 'Shalom Aleichem'. I didn't know you could just say hello without adding the word 'Aleichem'."
When they finished the studio, they found a job in Gush Dan. Berginer in Tel Hashomer, his wife in Ichilov. "But then Professor Moshe Prives, who was the dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Ben Gurion University, asked me to come and teach at the university and work at Soroka Hospital."
As part of the terms of employment, Priebs offered Berginer to buy a house in Omer at a discounted price. "My wife said she was not ready to live in Omer. 'It's not enough that you brought me to Be'er Sheva, now you still want to drag me to live in a village,' she told me. A few years later, when we decided to move to live in Omer, we already had to pay full price for the house ". From the entrance wall of Berginer's house in Omer, it is clear that a neurologist lives in this house. On the wall is a large relief of a human brain and two paintings of human brain waves. In his first seven years in Israel, he says, he was the only neurologist between Kiryat Gat and Sharm el-Sheikh. "Today there are 12 neurologists in the area and they are busy with work. Imagine how much I worked."
When more neurologists arrived in the area, Berginer, who worked at Soroka Hospital, took time off to read books. "The first book I read in Hebrew was the Bible. I decided that if I ever find free time I should get to the sources." Berginer reads the Bible as a doctor. "From reading the stories about Shaul, I immediately understood that he was suffering from manic depression. The signs of this are very clear. The moods, the jealousy of David, he was a sick person."
"Is Red Riding Hood a rib?
Of all the heroes of the Bible, Reginer fell in love with King David. He forgives him for human weaknesses (the story of Uriah and Bathsheba) and the neurological explanation for the victory over Goliath does not diminish his admiration for the red king. A monument in the valley of Elah that will commemorate the battle between David and Goliath The battle. He is also trying to recruit donors from among the wealthy of the country and the world named David. I even found there the same pebbles that David threw at Goliath. Probably because of the time that has passed since then, there is no David's signature on these stones.
When I got there I was surprised to find an empty place, without any sign or sign of the battle that became one of the great symbols of civilization. The best writers wrote about this event, the best artists painted and sculpted statues, and only with us nothing, as if nothing had happened. When tourists come to Israel, they are taken to Masada, where we committed suicide. In the Ella Valley, where we won, no tourists come. What is more educational, education for suicide or education for victory?"
Like Berginer, most members of the association adore King David. Professor Dina Pepper, an epidemiologist, speaks of David with undisguised affection. "He was a poet, a thinker, a musician, a man with a rare sense of beauty, with an exceptional sensitivity to words, this is David's character to me. The battle in the Elah Valley symbolizes the victory of the good and the beautiful over the clumsy, the ugliness and the brutality. You don't see the beauty In the fact that a young man whose almost only advantage is his quickness goes out to fight against the bad and the ugly?
We want to encourage creation and thinking in the direction of the good and the beautiful against the bad and the ugly. We will encourage the value of justice, of not trampling on the weak."
According to Berginer's research, the agile David actually overcame the weak and sick Goliath. "David didn't know that Golit was sick. At that time, Golit symbolized the clumsy and the desire to subdue the weak."
Professor Victor Horowitz, Head of the Department of Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies at Ben Gurion University is also a member of the association. He does not agree with Berginer's medical research. "I'm not sure he's reading the text correctly. David's running speed plus the speed of the bullet created the speed of the stone that killed Goliath. The medical interpretation in this context seems narrow to me. I think he has nothing to trust. In addition to that, the question arises as to whether this event even happened Even if the book of Shmuel reflects the time of David, this story, which is somewhat legendary, raises doubts about its veracity And the journalist sent the report that appeared in the book of Shmuel, even then I would not have learned from this story that Goliath was short-sighted. This theory depends on containment."
So why are you a member of the association?
"Because this story is part of the national-literary heritage of the people of Israel and when people visit Israel they ask where this act happened, and even if it didn't happen, it is located in a certain place. Just as in Hollywood tourists tour houses where fictitious events happened, why not bring tourists to the Halla Valley ?".
The opposition to Berginer's theory is widespread. Professor Shmuel Vargon from the Bible department at Bar Ilan University says that "it's a stupid theory like that. The battle between David and Goliath is a legendary story with historical truth, but it does not reflect reality one to one. Even television is not an accurate depiction of reality, so surely such a story does not reflect reality. The main thing, in the interpretation of such a text, is not what happened but what the narrator wanted to say. I am interested in the message of the story. There is no hint in the Bible that Goliath was sick. on the contrary. He appears as a strong and perfect hero. So what is the logic in searching for diseases? After all, this is a story that entered the codex of world culture. Why do you want to spoil it? If the Bible says that the Israelites killed a hundred thousand people in one day, then we will go to the math department to check if this is possible?
You need to know how to read the Bible. I suggest that a doctor practice medicine and leave the reading of the Bible to the appropriate professionals. And I personally suggest to you that if you ever come across gout, don't rely on the doctor's diagnosis and stay away from this patient."
Professor Yair Hoffman, head of the School of Jewish Studies at Tel Aviv University, says that "myths and legends are not difficult. Is it true that the red cloak was lame when it reached the grandmother? According to the biblical story Goliath was a healthy bully with tremendous strength and David killed him with God's help. The fundamental question is If he existed."
And the answer?
"Who knows? There is no evidence for this. We have to conclude from this story in what ways the Bible writers chose to glorify David, for example. There are Bible stories from which historical conclusions can be drawn. It is clear, for example, that in Jerusalem there is a king named Zedekiah. But it is not at all clear that Goliath is a historical figure. What is clear is that the story presents him as a healthy person. To come now and present him as a sick person is contrary to all The intention of the story".
Professor Israel Finkelstein of the Department of Archeology at Tel Aviv University says he cannot say what he thinks of Berginer's research. "Until I have found Goliath and his bones, I cannot form an opinion. It is impossible to know what this story is based on. It is impossible to know whether it is historical or legendary. Treating it as a historical story simply is a very naive approach to the text. The Book of Books is a wonderful book , he does not need my compliments, but this is not writing history. The purpose of the story is to glorify David. It has no other meaning. I can argue that Goliath drank wine before the battle David was drunk, but it's ridiculous for the neurologist to treat the sick and for the biblical scholars to study the Bible.

https://www.hayadan.org.il/BuildaGate4/general2/data_card.php?Cat=~~~331434012~~~78&SiteName=hayadan