A frequent misinterpretation claims this verse contradicts the account of David slaying Goliath in 1 Samuel 17 by suggesting Elhanan killed Goliath himself, as paralleled in some renderings of 2 Samuel 21:19; however, this ignores the Chronicler's precise identification of Lahmi as Goliath's brother, likely clarifying a scribal abbreviation or variant in Samuel, and overlooks the context of multiple Philistine giants defeated by David's men, thus wrongly accusing the Bible of error rather than recognizing complementary historical detail.
I Chronicles 20:5
King James Version (1769)
5 And there was war again with the Philistines; and Elhanan the son of Jair slew Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear staff was like a weaver’s beam.
This passage records one of the victories of David's mighty men over the Philistines, specifying that Elhanan slew Lahmi, identified as the brother of Goliath the Gittite whose spear was massive like a weaver's beam. It emphasizes God's ongoing deliverance of Israel from their enemies through the warriors loyal to David, completing the judgment on the giant clans from Gath and highlighting the fulfillment of divine promises amid David's reign.