David needed stones for his sling. From a river bed, he looked for stones that would have been five to eight centimetres in diameter, approximately the size of a tennis ball. Thrown by a skilled slinger, these stones could reach speeds of up to 240 kilometres an hour.1 They could kill and break bones. Slingers were common to most armies at the time (see 2 Kings 3:25; 1 Chronicles 12:2; 2 Chronicles 26:14)2 and able to hit ranged targets with good accuracy (see Judges 20:16).3 Their slings had two long cords with a pocket in the centre. One would shoot by swinging the sling and then releasing one of the cords at the right moment.4
40 Il prit en main son bâton, choisit dans le torrent cinq pierres polies, et les mit dans sa gibecière de berger et dans sa poche. Puis, sa fronde à la main, il s'avança contre le Philistin.