I was standing at the departure gate in Dallas Fort Worth airport, waiting for a flight back to London when I saw I sight that has  been etched in my memory ever since - the Dallas Mavericks basketball team checking in at the adjacent gate.

What was so remarkable about that?  Well, these guys were all at least 7 feet (2.1m) tall! At 5ft 8ins, I felt like a midget next to them. I had never stood next to anyone that tall, before or since .

It all came back to me when I read about the 56-year-old Mongolian herdsman who stands 7ft 9ins (2.36m) tall. He recently kindly provided a photo opportunity for the world's media by marrying his sweetheart from the same Mongolian village, and who only comes up to his elbow. 

However, even he does not come up to the stature of the worlds tallest man in documented history - Robert Wadlow, who lived in the small town of Alton, Illinois, in the U.S.A. At
the age of 5 he was already taller than his grandmother, and and eventually reached 2.71m  (almost 9 ft). (Archive B&W footage)

These ultra-tall individuals are often a result of 'pituitary gigantism'. Growth hormone excess is the single condition which accounts for nearly all cases of pathologic extreme height. The excess growth hormone usually results from oversecretion by a group of somatotrope cells of the anterior pituitary gland (termed a "somatotrope adenoma"). These cells do not respond to normal controls of growth or function. Other health problems are associated with this problem, not to mention the problems of getting clothes, furniture, and a bed to lie on.

By contrast, there are some very tall but immensely fit basketball players, who have reached their enormous size through a combination of genes and a healthy diet, the tallest currently being Sun Ming Ming (unless you know differently? If so please sign in and leave a comment.) who, at 7ft 9 inches (2.36m) doesn't have to jump to reach the basket. He recently signed for Fuerza Regia in Monterrey, Mexico.

The ancient Phillistines found a good use for their giant, Goliath, who was shooter for the Gath Warriors basketball team. (OK, I admit I made that last bit up). In a stalemate in the ongoing war between the Israelites and the Phillistines they put forward their champion Goliath and challenged the Israelites to find a champion on their side to come out and fight him, the result of that fight to determine who would be the slaves of whom. You'll find the full story in the OT of the Bible, the first book of Samuel ch 17

The Bible says Goliath was '6 and a half cubits', translated as 'over nine feet', or a little taller than the aforementioned Robert Wadlow. The Israelite army under King Saul just didn't have anyone who stood a chance against him in a man-to-man fight to the death .

In this dramatic account, young David, a teenage shepherd, came forward. Rejecting the heavy armour that was offered him, he wisely decided to keep his distance. Instead he put a stone through Goliath's forehead with an accurate sling shot, before getting close enough to grab the giant's sword and finish the job.

Now you may be wondering where we're going with all this...
 
In the recent past such 'tall stories' have been the occasion of much scepticism amongst critics of the Bible. These accounts were used as 'evidence' that the Bible was 'myth' rather than factual, and therefore could not be trusted on historical facts (and by implication, any other matters).

Thanks to our Mongolian friend, the sport of basketball, and medical science - we now know that men can indeed be 9 ft tall. It seems that. once again, the Bible is credible and reliable after all.



Watch a video clip about David and Goliath

Read about David and Goliath in the Bible