non-Semitic people, of Indo-European race, highly civilized, who settled in the southern coastal part of Palestine, in the twelfth century BC. C., in what is now the West Bank. In the OT, it is said that the f. they came from Kaftor, that is, from the island of Crete, Dt 2, 23; Jer 47, 4; Am 9, 7. They were part, like the Mycenians, the Aegeans and others, of the so-called “Peoples of the Sea”, settled on the islands and the northern coasts of the Aegean Sea.
Around the year 1200 a. C. the f., along with other peoples, left their territories and defeated the Hittites; they reached Egypt, where they were repelled by Pharaoh Ramses III, 1198-1176 BC. C. Later, the f. They settled on the coast of Palestine, whose name is due to the fact that in Hebrew they were called pelishtim.
The f. they were grouped into five city-states Ashdod, Ashkelon, Ekron, Gath and Gaza, and at the head of each province there was a prince or tyrant, Jos 13, 3; Jc 3, 3; 1 S 29, 2; Jl 4, 4. They were constant enemies of the Israelites from the time of the judges. They had a very strong and well-armed army, they had war chariots, they used iron, 1 S 13, 5 and 19-22.
The Israelites were defeated at Afeq by the f. who captured the Ark from them, 1 S 4, 1-11. When Samuel was Judge, Israel defeated the f. and he recovered the cities that they had taken from him, 1 S 7, 2-14. Already in the monarchy, during the reign of Saúl there was permanent war with the f.; in the battle of Gelboé, Saúl and his sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malquisúa died, 1 S 31, 1-13; 1 Chr 10, 1-14. Only David definitively defeated them, 2 S 5, 17-25; 1 Chr 14, 8-17. In the time of King Solomon, the f. they paid him tribute, 1 R 5, 1. When the kingdom of Israel was divided, the f. they returned to war, and in the time of King Ahaz, they took from him several cities of the Lower Land and the Negeb, 2 Cro 28, 18; Isa 9, 12; 14, 28-32; but his son Hezekiah defeated them, at the end of the 8th century BC. C., 2 R 18, 8. In the second and first centuries, the f. they were dominated by the Assyrians and subsequently their name was lost to history.
Digital Bible Dictionary, Grupo C Service & Design Ltda., Colombia, 2003
Source: Digital Bible Dictionary
Name given to the people who inhabited the Philistine plain of Palestine during most of the period covered by the OT. The five cities of the Philistines were Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron (Josh 13:3; 1Sa 6:17). They were situated in the vast coastal plain of southern Palestine, except for Gath, which is in the sephelah (land of hills). Our word Palestine derives from Philistia.
The Philistines are said to have come from Caphtor (Jer 47:4; Amo 9:7) which is believed to be the island of Crete, or perhaps the group of islands in the Aegean.
The Philistines had a very particular political organization. Its five city-states were ruled by five Philistine chiefs (Jos 13:3; Jdg 16:5). It is clear that the Philistines were wealthier and more technologically advanced than their neighbors, the Hebrews. According to 1Sa 13:19-22, they knew metallurgy; but the Hebrews, no. The Philistines jealously guarded this monopoly, forcing the Hebrews to resort to them even to procure agricultural elements, which were repaired at an exorbitant cost (1Sa 13:21). This superiority (the Philistines even had chariots, 1Sa 13:5) is the reason why they dominated the Hebrews militarily, which becomes evident at the end of the period of the judges and in the reign of Saul.
The Philistines worshiped the Semitic gods Dagon (Jdg 16:23, 1Sa 5:1-7), Astarte (1Sa 31:10) and Baalzebub (2Ki 1:2, 2Ki 1:6, 2Ki 1:16). On the other hand, its non-Semitic origin echoes in the reference to the uncircumcised (Jdg 14:3), so frequently used with respect to them in the Bible.
The Book of Judges points to the Philistines as an important contender of the Hebrews for the possession of Palestine. Undoubtedly Simeon and Dan, tribes of Judah, were the ones that felt the most pressure since their lands bordered those of the Philistines. Judge Samgar fought against them (Jdg 3:31). In Jdg 10:7-9 brief mention is made of a period of oppression by the Philistines over Israel. The life of Samson, the last of the liberators mentioned in Judges, takes place in the context of a violent struggle against the Philistines (chapters 13-16; see 14:4c; 15:11). Samson, a man of great strength but little self-discipline, eventually fell for Delilah, a Philistine spy (16:4-21). Undoubtedly, the migration of the Danites (ch. 18) was caused by the pressure of the Philistines, who prevented them from occupying the territory that had been assigned to them. The book of 1 Samuel begins with the same theme of the oppression of the Philistines that Judges concludes with. The period in which Eli was judge seems to have been characterized by Philistine domination (1 Samuel 4-6). Samuel was able to see some victory when he defeated them at the battle of Mizpah and forced them to return some cities that he had taken from Israel (1Sa 7:7-14). Saul’s reign ended with a total defeat of the Hebrews; and the Philistines apparently laid waste to most of Palestine west of the Jordan, occupying Beth-shean at the eastern end of the Jezreel Valley (1Sa 13:5; 1Sa 14:1-52; 1Sa 17:1-58; 1Sa 31:1-13).
During the last period of Saul’s reign, David, his contender for the throne, fled, taking refuge in the land of the Philistines (1Sa 21:10-15; 1Sa 27:1—1Sa 28:2; 1Sa 29:1-11) , who gladly offered him protection, thus hoping to contribute to the weakening of the Hebrews. Perhaps David remained a vassal of the Philistines during the seven and a half years that he reigned in Hebron (2Sa 2: 1-4). When, at the end of this period, he asserted independence from him and united all Israel under his rule, he was immediately opposed by the Philistines, but he completely defeated them in two battles (2Sa 5:17-25). In subsequent campaigns (2Sa 21:15-22; 2Sa 23:9-17), David continued to defeat them, and it seems that from then on the Philistines were confined to their own territory and no longer a threat. David seems to have had a peaceful relationship with them from time to time, as his bodyguard, the Cherethites and Pelletites, were apparently recruited from among them (2Sa 8:18; 2Sa 15:18).
After Solomon’s death and the division of the Hebrew kingdom, the Philistines reasserted the independence they had lost at the hands of David and Solomon.
Apparently, their cities carried on a brisk trade, for which their location was ideal (Joe 3:4-8; Amo 1:6-8). Some paid tribute to Jehoshaphat, after whose death the Philistines invaded Judah (2Ch 17:11; 2Ch 21:16-17). Sargon (722-705 BC) captured the Philistine cities, deported some of their inhabitants, and placed an Assyrian governor over them. In the days of Hezekiah, the Philistines played an important role in the revolt against Sennacherib.
Eseradon and Ashurbanipal mention Philistine tributaries, in addition to King Manasseh of Judah. The last fights between Egypt and Assyria were the cause of great suffering for the Philistine cities, and practically closed their history as strictly Philistine cities. However, they continued to be predominantly non-Jewish centers and eventually became Hellenistic cities in the Greek period.
Source: Hispanic World Bible Dictionary
The name Palestine is derived from a people known as the Philistines who settled in the southern coastal plain, later known as the Philistine Plain, during the 12th century BC. Its five main cities, known as the Philistine pentapolis, were Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, and Gad. Mount Carmel was the northern limit of the Philistine territory. In times of military strength the Philistines threatened Israelite control of central Palestine, although the Philistines’ proper home was the coastal plain and Israel’s the central highland district.
According to the prophet Amos (9:7) the Philistines came to Canaan from Caphtor, generally identified with the island of Crete. During the second millennium a. BC Minoan Crete controlled much of the Aegean area and its high culture spread throughout the Mediterranean world. Starting ca. 1400 BC BC , a period of decline began and archaeological evidence shows that most of the cities of Crete were destroyed. Towards the end of the period of decline (1400–1125 BC) the Doric Greeks arrived on the island and its former inhabitants were found in many places in the eastern Mediterranean. The “sea peoples” plundered Asia Minor and northern Syria, causing the fall of the Hittite empire (ca. 1200 BC). The Hittite capital at Hattusas and the Canaanite city-state of Ugarit were destroyed around this time. The Philistines were among the Sea Peoples who attacked Egypt during the reigns of Merneptah and Ramesses III. Although rejected by the Egyptians, the Philistines were allowed to settle on the southern coast of Canaan where the ruling class of warriors settled with their families.
After their settlement in Canaan, the Philistines seem to have quickly adopted one of the Canaanite language forms and also some of their religious practices. They worshiped Dagon, a deity mentioned in Ugaritic literature (see UGARIT). The fact that the Philistines were uncircumcised (Judg. 14:3; Judg. 15:18) differentiated them from the Hebrews. The Israelites entered Canaan from the east and settled in the mountains at about the same time that the Philistines settled in the lands on the southern coast of Palestine. The interests of the two peoples were necessarily bound to collide, and the Philistine threat conditioned much of Israel’s history during the days of Samuel, Saul, and the early years of David.
Before David’s time the Philistines had a monopoly on iron (1 Sam. 13:19-22) thus giving them a technological superiority over the Israelites. Foundry cauldrons have been excavated on the borders of Philistine territory at Tell Qasile, Tell Jemme, and †˜Ain Shems (Bet Shemes).
At Medinet Habu in Egypt, there are scenes depicting the wagons, chariots, and boats used by the Philistines. A Philistine warrior is depicted wearing a type of Hegean skirt. His helmet is a feathered hat with bands to secure it to the jaw, similar to the one that appears on the Faestos of Crete disk.
In Canaan the Philistines captured Ashkelon, Ashdod, Gad and Gaza from the Canaanites. They themselves may have founded the city of Ekron. The Book of Judges records the deeds of Judge Samgar who took the lives of six hundred Philistines, and also tells of Samson who fell in love with a Philistine girl but later became a bitter enemy of the Philistines.
The superior weapons of the Philistines enabled them to take a secure position in the mountainous territory of Judea (ca. 1050 BC). In the battle of Aphek the Israelites were totally humiliated. The sons of Eli were slain and the ark of the Lord…