(Luke 23:33, AV, Dy), from the Latin calvaria (“a bare skull”).

The “Church of the Holy Sepulchre,” located within the present walls of Jerusalem, stands on the traditional site of Golgotha and Jesus’ tomb. But this identification is highly questionable. There is doubt whether this site actually was outside the walls of Jerusalem in the days of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Not until the fourth century C.E. was any attempt made to determine the place of Jesus’ impalement and his tomb. Emperor Constantine assigned this task to Bishop Macarius, who decided that Hadrian’s temple of Aphrodite (Venus) had been erected on the site. Constantine therefore ordered the demolition of this temple. A rock-cut tomb, said to have been found below the temple, was acclaimed as Jesus’ tomb, and about 280 feet (85 meters) away three “crosses” were supposedly discovered. To one of these, healing powers were attributed, and it was therefore claimed to be Jesus’ “cross.”

Another location that has been suggested is “Gordon’s Calvary,” situated on a cliff about 250 yards (229 meters) NE of the Damascus Gate. The cliff somewhat resembles a skull. About 100 yards (91 meters) to the W of “Gordon’s Calvary” lies a very large garden, the N end of which is bounded by a hill. A tomb containing only one finished grave is cut out of a huge stone protruding from the side of this hill. Although this site would fit the Scriptural record, it cannot be stated dogmatically that this is the correct location.

GOLIATH

(Go·liʹath) [possibly, conspicuous].

The giant from the city of Gath, champion of the Philistine army, who was killed by David. Goliath towered to the extraordinary height of six cubits and a span (9 feet 5.75 inches [c. 2.9 meters]). His copper coat of mail weighed 5,000 shekels (c. 126 pounds [c. 57 kilograms]) and the copper blade of his spear weighed 600 shekels (c. 15 pounds [c. 6.8 kilograms]). (1 Sam. 17:4, 5, 7) Goliath was one of the Rephaim; he may have been a mercenary soldier with the Philistine army.—1 Chron. 20:5, 8; see REPHAIM.

Not long after David’s anointing by Samuel, and after Jehovah’s spirit had left King Saul (1 Sam. 16:13, 14), the Philistines collected for war against Israel in Ephesdammim. As the battle lines of the Philistines and Saul’s army faced each other across the valley, the gigantic warrior Goliath emerged from the Philistine camp and loudly challenged Israel to supply a man to fight him in single combat, the outcome to determine which army should become the servants of the other. Morning and evening, for forty days, the army of Israel, in great fear, was subjected to these taunts. No Israelite soldier had the courage to accept the challenge.—1 Sam. 17:1-11, 16.

In taunting the armies of the living God Jehovah, Goliath sealed his own doom. The young shepherd David, upon whom was God’s spirit, met Goliath’s challenge. Goliath, preceded by his armor-bearer carrying a large shield, advanced, calling down evil upon David by his gods. To this David replied: “You are coming to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I am coming to you with the name of Jehovah of armies, the God of the battle lines of Israel, whom you have taunted.” Then David slung a stone from his sling and it sank into Goliath’s forehead, striking him to the earth. David followed this up by standing on Goliath and cutting off his head with the giant’s own sword. This was promptly followed by a signal rout and slaughter of the Philistines.—1 Sam. 17:26, 41-53.

“Then David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, and his weapons he put in his tent.” (1 Sam. 17:54) Undoubtedly David left the camp for his home at Bethlehem, traveling there by way of Jerusalem, where he left Goliath’s head, and then taking the weapons to his own dwelling place. While it is true that the stronghold of Zion was not captured until later by David (2 Sam. 5:7), the city of Jerusalem itself had long been inhabited by Israelites, along with Jebusites. (Josh. 15:63; Judg. 1:8) Later on, David evidently turned Goliath’s sword over to the sanctuary, as indicated by the fact that he got it from Ahimelech the priest at the time he was fleeing from Saul.—1 Sam. 21:8, 9.

A passage that has caused some difficulty is found at 2 Samuel 21:19, where it is stated: “Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim the Bethlehemite got to strike down Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like the beam of loom workers.” The parallel account at 1 Chronicles 20:5 reads: “Elhanan the son of Jair got to strike down Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like the beam of loom workers.”

Several suggestions have been made for an explanation of the problem. The Targum preserves a tradition that Elhanan is to be identified with David. The Soncino Books of the Bible, edited by Dr. A. Cohen, comment that there is no difficulty in the assumption that there were two Goliaths, commenting also that Goliath may have been a descriptive title like “Pharaoh,” “Rabshakeh,” “Sultan.” The fact that one text refers to “Jaare-oregim,” whereas the other reads “Jair,” and also that only the account in Second Samuel contains the term “Bethlehemite [Heb., behth hal·lahh·miʹ],” while the Chronicles account alone contains the name “Lahmi [ʼeth Lahh·miʹ],” has been suggested by the majority of commentators to be the result of a copyist’s error. For further information see JAARE-OREGIM; LAHMI.

GOMER

(Goʹmer) [completion].

1. Grandson of Noah and first-named son of Japheth, born after the Flood. (Gen. 10:1, 2; 1 Chron. 1:4, 5) He and his sons, Ashkenaz, Riphath and Togarmah, are listed among “the families of the sons of Noah according to their family descents” from whom the nations were spread about after the Deluge.—Gen. 10:3, 32.

The nation that descended from Gomer is historically associated with the ancient Cimmerians, an Aryan race called Gimirrai in the Assyrian inscriptions and who settled in the region N of the Black Sea. The Crimea (the peninsula of the southern Ukraine extending into the northern portion of the Black Sea) evidently derives its name from this basically nomadic people. In the eighth century B.C.E., during the reign of Assyrian King Sargon, they came through the Caucasus (the mountainous region between the Black and Caspian Seas), attacking the kingdoms of Urartu (Ararat) and Tabal (Tubal). Perhaps pressured by the Scythians or else subsequently reinforced by them, they penetrated eastern Asia Minor, where the Armenian name for Cappadocia, Gamir, doubtless reflects their invasion. Faced with a strong Assyrian Empire to the E, the Cimmerians pushed westward and warred against the Phrygians of central and NW Asia Minor. Esar-haddon claims to have defeated the Cimmerians, and Ashurbanipal later mentions their invasion of the kingdom of Lydia. They were finally expelled from Lydia by Lydian King Alyattes (predecessor of Croesus).

In Ezekiel’s prophecy concerning the assault by “Gog of the land of Magog” against the regathered people of Jehovah (the writing of which was evidently completed by 591 B.C.E.), “Gomer and all its bands” are listed among Gog’s forces along with Togarmah “of the remotest parts of the north, and all its bands.”—Ezek. 38:2-8; See GOG No. 2; MAGOG; TOGARMAH.

While mention in secular history of the Cimmerians (by that name) ends about the sixth century B.C.E., they are associated by many scholars with