"What we recommend is a contest." "Of Champions?" asked Achish. "Yes," said Goliath. "If you assemble your forces for war, we will call out their mightiest champion to engage in single combat with our mightiest champion to resolve the conflict without massive loss of soldiers." It was a common stratagem from their Aegean origins. But it was also known and practiced among Mesopotamian and Canaanite cultures as well. So the Israelites were familiar with it. Goliath continued, "This tactic will surely draw out their hidden messiah by an appeal to his vanity." --