David and Goliath question?

Question

I have a question regarding the setting of the combat as described in 1 Samual 17 David and Goliath.

How does the description of the setting heighten the drama of this one of one combat between David and Goliath?

Answer 1

The armies were on 2 hills with a valley in between. David found his stones in a stream, so that must have been in the valley.
The fight must then have been in the lower ground with the armies looking down on them similar to a large football stadium.
The two sides would have thought Goliath would win easily.
David yelled from a distance, then ran at his foe. Goliath would first have grabbed his spear, but the moving skinny target was too hard to hit.
David's sligshot was an unexpected weapon to strike from a distance and knock the giant down.
The armies would have had their emotions change so quickly as they saw the big warrier fall. The location left no doubt who won the fight because all could see clearly.

Answer 2

Actually, I don't know how the description of the setting heightens the drama. It was simply a description of the setting. It's true, opposing armies were on opposite sides of a valley, and crossing (and attempting to attack uphill) would have been disastrous for either side.

Perhaps the question is directed toward the fear of the Israelites. Not the physical setting, but the 3 days of hearing the taunts of Goliath without any Israelite brave enough to respond. I guess it makes him look that much scarier.

Jim, http://www.life-after-harry-potter.com

Answer 3

Well, first the "setting" has no disputable connotation in this story; do you mean, by proxy, like if it was raining, snowing, or if it was hot? The setting is not really clarified here; but it does describe that what they both were wearing, and how many troops that they had on each side. It probably was a sunny day, if David got the stones from a "running brook". Brooks are only running if it is a sunny day; otherwise it would have been "icy". They probably were on a plain, if Goliath was "running towards David". Reminds you sort of "HARRY POTTER TAKING ON LORD VOLDEMORT" doesn't it??

Answer 4

Almost everyone assumes that David was the underdog
because of his size, forgetting that he had the projectile
weapon, his sling, which gave him a great advantage. Even
a thrown spear would not have the range of the sling, so
Goliath was really the one at a disadvantage. The setting of
the combat would not have mattered much.

Answer 5

I could be wrong, but this sounds like someone's homework.
Sorry, I don't have an answer for you.