SLING

SLING

Simple weapon for throwing stones. It could be easily made from a piece of leather with a small hole in the center, and attaching a strip of leather or a braid of wool to each end.

A stone was placed in the hole of the piece of leather and, spinning it quickly, one of the two strips or braids of wool were let go, with which the stone was thrown away with great force.

It was a shepherd’s weapon, to keep animals like wolves at bay. David used one to take down Goliath (1 Sam. 17:40, 50).

There were very skilled slingers, who “slingshot a stone at a hair’s breadth, and did not miss” (Judg. 20:16).
It was also used in war (2 Kings 3:25; 2 Chron. 26:14).

Representations of men using slings appear in Egyptian monuments.

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