Jalut; A Sturdy Fighter Killed by A Pebble
Jalut was the commander of the Palestinians who fought with Bani Isra’il. He lived some 1,000 years before Christ (AS) and was killed by Prophet Davoud (David). Jalut and his people were idolaters.
In historical accounts, Jalut has been referred to as a very stout, big and combatant man and the most famous hero of Palestinians. Some believe he was a Coptic Egyptian and some say he was a descendant of Ham, the son of Noah (AS).
Jalut was born and lived in the town of Jatt (southeast Gaza in Palestine). It is said that he was some three meters tall and carried very big and heavy armors and weapons.
Jalut gain dominance over Bani Isra’il and forced them out of their land. He also took some of them as slaves. This is said to have happened around 250 years after the death of Moses (AS).
Led by Talut, Bani Isra’il got ready to battle Jalut. A small number of Talut’s troops passed a divine test and remained in his army when facing Jalut while the army of Jalut was very big.
In the battle between the two armies, Jalut rode an elephant or a horse and was armed to the teeth. He tried to dispirit the troops of Talut. Ultimately, he was killed by a pebble. Davoud (AS) put the pebble in his sling and aimed at Jalut. The pebble hit in the middle of Jalut’s forehead and entered directly into his brain. Jalut fell on the ground immediately with blood gushing and was straight dead. After the death of Jalut, the Palestinians were defeated and Bani Isra’il returned to their land.
Jalut is named in the Quran three times, all of them in verses 249 to 251 of Surah Al-Baqarah. These verses are about the battle between the armies of Talut and Jalut. Some interpreters say Verse 5 of Surah Al-Isra is also about Jalut and his dominance over Bani Isra’il. These verses refer to the arrogance and corruption of Bani Isra’il in different cases.
In the Bible, details are mentioned about Jalut’s dominance over Bani Isra’il and the battle between Bani Isra’il and Palestinians.
Some say the place where the two armies fought was in Jordan and some say it was in Palestine.
