title: [Head injuries in the Bible].
abstract: 3 cases of head injury are described in the Bible: the death of Sisera by the hand of Jael (Judges 4: 21; 5: 25); the skull fractures of Avimelech incurred at the tower of Tevetz, (Judges, 9: 53, 54); and the slaying of Goliath by David, (Samuel I 17: 49-51). The various attempts to understand the mechanisms of these head injuries using philology, knowledge of the art of biblical warfare and modern medical considerations are reviewed. We try to identify the site of the mortal blow to Sisera's head, to understand why Avimelech asked to be killed, and to decide whether the giant from Gath was a rugged warrior or just an endocrinological cripple.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Neurosurgery, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Feinsod
mesh_terms: D001633:Bible; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000266:history*; D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans; D007585:Jews / Q000266:history*