Notice that in the DDS book that you posted the only letter in brackets is "F" and the letters "o/u/r" are outside of the brackets. Why? Because there was enough of the word visible to determine that the Hebrew indicated four cubits (not 6). There were some later Septuagint translations that may have said something other than 4 cubits, but they were never excepted as legit.... Hence why in every English translation I've seen (Brenton, ABP, LSV, LEB, etc) reads 4 cubits. Josephus is in agreement on this as well.
David and Goliath: The Height of Goliath
One major variant within the Samuel text is in 1 Samuel 17:4. While both the original Septuagint and
Josephus’ writings attributed only four cubits and a span (about 6’9’’) to Goliath’s height, the Masoretic Text recorded Goliath’s height as six cubits (9’). The Septuagint writes, "καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ἀνὴρ δυνατὸς ἐκ τῆς παρατάξεως τῶν ἀλλοφύλων Γολιὰθ ὄνομα αὐτῶν ἐκ Γέθ, ὕψος αὐτοῦ τεσσάρων πήχεων καὶ σπιθαμῆς·" The translation of this verse reads, "And there went forth a mighty man out of the army of the
Philistines,
Goliath, by name, out of Geth, his height [was] four cubits and a span.".
[7] Furthermore, In Josephus’ account of this story, he writes, "Now there came down a man out of the camp of the Philistines, whose name was Goliath, of the city of Gath, a man of vast bulk, for he was of four cubits and a span in tallness…."
[8] However, because the Masoretic Text was written in the original Hebrew language and was considered to be an older copy of the text, scholars used its translation for years, attributing to Goliath a height that surpassed even that of the tallest man ever recorded in medical history.
[9]
With the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in which the manuscript containing 1 Samuel 17:4 is found in original
Hebrew and can be dated to over 1000 years before the Masoretic Text, the height of Goliath as four cubits and one span is not only a confirmation of the readings in the original Septuagint and in Josephus, but is also a far more reasonable height for a man and not a medical impossibility. As time went on, the ancient narratives became more exaggerated as the passage was copied and recopied many times. Even in later Septuagint manuscripts, Goliath's height is recorded as "five cubits" and in an even later manuscript as "six cubits", exemplifying how ancient narratives were sometimes exaggerated as they were retold and rewritten by narrators or scribes.
[10] Perhaps the story of a young and unarmored
David defeating a mighty Philistine warrior would have seemed all the more miraculous the taller Goliath was, contributing to an even more heroic image of David as a leader later on in life as he put his faith in God and defeated countless adversaries. With David being a key character in the narrative of Scripture, such exaggeration in the telling of this story is understandable
Umm for the rest, I should be the one asking you why KJV is in error and not the Septuagint?
For the other errors I pointed out, it wasn't just The Septuagint vs KJV (Masoretic Text). Like I mentioned in that post, in multiple situations it is the Masoretic text standing on its own against a combination of the Septuagint, Samaritan Pentateuch, DSS and/or Josephus writings.... and after all:
Deuteronomy 19:15
15 `One witness doth not rise against a man for any iniquity, and for any sin, in any sin which he sinneth;
by the mouth of two witnesses, or by the mouth of three witnesses, is a thing established.
and
Matthew 18:16
16 and if he may not hear, take with thee yet one or two,
that by the mouth of two witnesses or three every word may stand.
.... So I choose to believe the testimonies that are older and have more witnesses.
For some of the other errors I pointed out, you don't need to compare the KJV to anything.
It contradicts itself:
Like I mentioned in that post... in
Acts 7:14 you will see Josephs family being 75 people, which is referring to
Gen 46:27 and Exo 1:5... The KJV has both of these verses as "70 people". You don't need The Septuagint to see that contradiction.
The KJV says in
Exo 12:40 that the Israelites were in Egypt for 430 years. When you add up the ages of Moses' grandfather (who went with Jacob into Egypt), His Father, and the 80 years Moses spent in Egypt.... You don't even get 400 years. The Math doesn't work. This is a KJV error... no Septuagint needed to determine this.
Again, I don't claim that The Septuagint is a perfect translation either... I'm just saying that its illogical to say that the KJV is perfect / without error.
