Has anyone seriously given attention to the possibility that David and
El-hanan (both variously said to have slain Goliath) could be one and
the same person? I've read online looking for papers, but I find nothing
more probing than the assertion in the Encyclopedia Judaica that Elhanan
was David's original name. This would seem to be a natural avenue to
explore, given the ancient Hebrews' penchant for evolving names over
time. In a cursory look, it could be argued that II Sam. 11:19
represents the first recording of Elhanan, while I Chron. 20:5 is a
later writer's attempt to understand the two stories and avoid
confusion. Was "David" a title (champion) used elsewhere for others?) Is
ja'are an error for ja'ir and are both errors for Jesse?