Do you know the story of the Philistines in the Bible? Do you know who this town was, what were its origins and its end? If you want to know everything related to Israel’s archenemies, keep reading this article.
The Philistines were a Gentile people who occupied the southern coast of Palestine in Biblical times, they are always mentioned in the Bible in opposition to Israel. The territory they occupied was called Philistia or simply “land of the Philistines.”
The best known Philistine in the Bible is the giant goliath. The Philistines disappeared after being conquered by the Babylonian empire.
It may interest you: Who were the Amorites in the Bible?
What does the term Philistine mean?
The term “philistine” translates the Hebrew Pelishtiwhich appears more often in its plural form, pelishtim.
This term is probably a type of ethnic adjective derived from the territorial designation of this town. But its exact meaning cannot be determined, since its etymological origin is unknown.
It is possible that the Egyptian form first is the first known designation of the Philistines. If so, this term indicates that the Philistines were one of the Sea Peoples who attempted to invade Egypt during the reign of Ramesses III, around 1200 BC.
What is the origin of the Philistines?
The Philistines came from the Kaphtorites and Kaphtorites, from the lineage of Mizraim the son of Ham (Genesis 10:14; 1 Chronicles 1:12). They possibly came to Palestine from Caphtor, the Hebrew name for Crete (Amos 9:7).
Archeology confirms that the Philistines were among the peoples who attempted to invade Egypt in the late 2nd millennium BC.
These peoples are mentioned in Egyptian inscriptions as “peoples of the sea” and they devastated various territories. There remains little doubt that the Philistines were the most notable of these peoples. It was during this period that the Philistines established themselves south of Canaan.
What language did the Philistines speak according to the Bible?
As for the language spoken by the Philistines, little is known.
It is very likely that the language used by the Philistines was mixed with the Canaanite dialect. Later, the dialect practiced in that region was replaced by Aramaic.
What was the name of the place where the Philistines lived?
The territory of the Philistines, as mentioned at the beginning, was called Philistia, which was located in the coastal strip south of Mount Carmel, on the southwest coast of Palestine.
Although it was a relatively small territory, its eastern border extended as far as the Judean Hills.
In general, the region of the Philistines was a very fertile land. For this reason, there were many villages and populous cities there.
Philistia focused especially on five major cities: Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, and Gath. Two other cities mentioned in the Bible were associated with the Philistines: Bet-Shean and Gerar.
What gods did the Philistines worship?
The Philistines were a pagan people. They worshiped Semitic deities.
Among the gods worshiped by the Philistines were: Dagon, with temples in Gaza and Ashdod (Judges 16:21-30; 1 Samuel 5:1-5); Ashtoreth, with a sanctuary in Ashkelon; and to Baalzebub, with a temple at Ekron (2 Kings 1:2-6).
The Bible says that the Philistines offered sacrifices to their deities and resorted to incantations when they went into battle (Judges 16:23; 2 Samuel 5:21) and were also known as fortune tellers (Isaiah 2:6).
What was the Philistine government and army like?
Politically, the five main cities of the Philistines followed a type of city-state regime. Each of them was ruled by a leader named seren. These leaders were the lords of these cities.
In a certain sense, they acted independently, but on the occasion of an external conflict they joined. In addition, the five rulers formed a council that looked after the common good of the people. If necessary, any lord’s decision could be overturned by the council.
At its height, the Philistine army was the most powerful in Canaan. They could muster an impressive contingent of soldiers. They mastered the craft of making metal weapons. His troops consisted of infantry, archers, and chariot drivers (1 Samuel 13:5; 29:2; 31:3).
As for the army, the giants were a stronghold for the Philistines, who were among their soldiers. The well-known Goliath was one of those giants (1 Samuel 17:4-10).
The Philistines and the people of Israel
The first Philistines that appear in connection with the history of the Hebrew people date back to the patriarchal period.
the patriarchs Abraham and Isaac They had contact with certain Philistines, being two kings who were called abimelech and a general named Ficol (Genesis 20; 21; 26).
The Philistines are mentioned again in the biblical narrative in the pilgrimage period of the Israelites
The Philistines are further mentioned in the period when the Israelites wandered in the desert. By this time they were already well established in the coastal strip between Egypt and Gaza (Exodus 13:17; cf. Exodus 23:31; Deuteronomy 2:23).
The enmity of the Philistines and Israel
When the Israelites entered the Promised Land, there was no fighting against the Philistines. At the end of the life and leadership of Josuethe Philistines lived in its five main cities (Joshua 13:1-3).
It was in the time of the judges, after the death of Joshua, that the Philistines emerged as terrible enemies of the Israelites.
The Philistines are prominently mentioned in the days of Samson, the great hero among the judges of Israel. During that time there was probably some coexistence between the Israelites and the Philistines.
Used by the Spirit of the Lord, Samson also punished the Philistines. With the jaw of a donkey, he was able to kill a thousand of them. But his great achievement against the Philistines came in his death. He destroyed the Philistine temple in Gaza and killed many of the top Philistine leaders (Judges 13-16).
The Philistines and the Kings of Israel
The confrontation between the Philistines and the Israelites lasted until the period of the kings in Israel.
In fact, much of the Israelites’ claim to a king may be due to constant pressure from the Philistines.
As soon as Saul was anointed king by samuel, he won an important victory against the Philistines (1 Samuel 14). But that victory was not enough to definitively weaken that hostile people.
Later, the Philistines managed to frighten the Israelites with their army that employed certain giants. In this context, David he defeated and killed the emblematic giant Goliath (1 Samuel 17; 18).
How was David’s relationship with the Philistines?
David lived for some time with the Philistines of Gath. He even kept some Philistine escorts. Saul and some of his sons met their deaths in a disastrous battle against this people (1 Samuel 29).
Later, during his reign in Israel, David attempted to inflict heavy defeats on the Philistines. Thus, they were expelled from the mountainous region and were greatly limited (1 Samuel 5-8).
The Philistines were not a problem for the rest of David’s reign and that of solomon. Only after the division of the kingdom of Israel did they manage to recover a little and try to attack Judah again.
They even managed to gain some territories temporarily during the reign of Ahaz. But already under Hezekiah, the Philistines suffered a tremendous defeat (2 Kings 18:8).
What was the end of the Philistines?
The prophet Isaiah prophesied how the Assyrians would judge the Philistines (Isaiah 14:28-32). Furthermore, the prophet Jeremiah also prophesied its impending destruction (Jeremiah 47).
First they were subdued by Assyria, and then they were finally pressured by Egypt. Pharaoh Neco virtually destroyed them when he captured Gaza around 609 BC.
After this episode, the Philistines appear in historical inscriptions as allies of Egypt against Nebuchadnezzar. However, after the battle at Karchemish in 605 BC, Nebuchadnezzar defeated Egypt and the Philistines were deported by the Babylonians and completely lost their sovereignty and freedom.
The Philistines are last mentioned in the Bible by the prophet zechariah after the Babylonian captivity (Zechariah 9:5-6).