Editing Goliath (section)

==Modern usages of David and Goliath==
In modern usage, the phrase "David and Goliath" has taken on a secular meaning, denoting an [[Underdog (term)|underdog]] situation, a contest where a smaller, weaker opponent faces a much bigger, stronger adversary; if successful, the underdog may win in an unusual or surprising  way.<ref name="oxford" /><ref name="Macmillan">{{cite encyclopedia | url=http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/american/david-and-goliath | title=David and Goliath | encyclopedia=Macmillan Dictionary | access-date=11 February 2015}} "used for describing a situation in which a small person or organization defeats a much larger one in a surprising way"</ref>

Theology professor Leonard Greenspoon, in his essay, "David vs. Goliath in the Sports Pages", explains that "most writers use the story for its [[underdog]] overtones (the little guy wins) ... Less likely to show up in newsprint is the contrast that was most important to the biblical authors: David's victory shows the power of his God, while Goliath's defeat reveals the weakness of the Philistine deities."<ref>{{cite web |author=Greenspoon, Leonard |title=David vs. Goliath in the Sports Pages |url=http://www.bibleodyssey.org/en/passages/related-articles/david-versus-goliath-in-the-sports-pages.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923184437/http://www.bibleodyssey.org/en/passages/related-articles/david-versus-goliath-in-the-sports-pages.aspx |archive-date=23 September 2015 |access-date=12 February 2015 |publisher=Society of Biblical Literature}}</ref>

The phrase is widely used in news media to succinctly characterize underdog situations in many contexts without religious overtones. Contemporary headlines include: sports ("Haye relishes underdog role in 'David and Goliath' fight with Nikolai Valuev"—''[[The Guardian]]''<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2009/nov/03/david-haye-nikolai-valuev-donald-mcrae | title=Haye relishes underdog role in 'David and Goliath' fight with Nikolai Valuev | work=[[The Guardian]] |location=London | date=3 November 2009 | access-date=3 November 2009 | author=McRae, Donald}} Smaller boxer battles gigantic WBA world heavyweight champion.</ref>); business ("On Internet, David-and-Goliath Battle Over Instant Messages"—''[[The New York Times]]''<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/06/24/nyregion/on-internet-david-and-goliath-battle-over-instant-messages.html | title=On Internet, David-and-Goliath Battle Over Instant Messages | work=[[The New York Times]] | date=24 June 2000 | access-date=27 March 2015 | author=Blair, Jayson | author-link=Jayson Blair}} Tiny online start-up battles Internet giant.</ref>); science ("David and Goliath: How a tiny spider catches much larger prey"—''[[ScienceDaily]]'';<ref name="sciencedaily">{{cite web | url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/06/140612095035.htm | title=David and Goliath: How a tiny spider catches much larger prey | website=ScienceDaily | date=12 June 2014 | access-date=10 February 2016}} Tiny spider preys on ants up to almost four times its size.</ref> politics ("Dissent in Cuba: David and Goliath"—''[[The Economist]]''<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.economist.com/node/1537865 | title=Dissent in Cuba: David and Goliath | newspaper=[[The Economist]] | date=16 January 2003 | access-date=27 March 2015}} "A one-party election faces a small but unprecedented challenge."</ref>); social justice ("David-and-Goliath Saga Brings Cable to Skid Row"—''[[Los Angeles Times]]''<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-nov-21-mn-6603-story.html | title=David-and-Goliath Saga Brings Cable to Skid Row | work=[[Los Angeles Times]] | date=21 November 2001 | access-date=27 March 2015 | author=Rivera, Carla}} Skid row resident battles telecoms giant to win cable access.</ref>).

Aside from the above allegorical use of "David and Goliath", there is also the use of "Goliath" for a particularly tall person.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Goliath|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Goliath|access-date=26 Mar 2021|website=Merriam-Webster}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Goliath|url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/goliath|access-date=26 Mar 2021|website=Cambridge English Dictionary}}</ref> For example, basketball player [[Wilt Chamberlain]] was nicknamed "Goliath", which he disliked.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Legends profile: Wilt Chamberlain|url=https://www.nba.com/history/legends/profiles/wilt-chamberlain|access-date=26 Mar 2021|website=NBA}}</ref>