Goliath’s height

I stumbled across a discussion online where someone claimed that the Septuagint and Dead Sea Scrolls contain a much shorter version of the story of David and Goliath, where Goliath is about three feet shorter and many details are omitted. Is this true, and if so, why?

Where the details differ is in the height of the giant. The Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament) lists Goliath’s height as four and one-half cubits instead of six and one-half cubits. So you have a difference between a translation and a canonical writing.

Height details aside, the biblical account is all about the Lord giving David, who on his own was no match for Goliath, victory over Israel’s enemy.