I. Name
In the OT the word philistine is written pelištı̂ usually with the article, and more commonly in its plural form pelištı̂n (Seldom pelištiyyı̂m), usually without the article. The territory they inhabited was known as “the land of the Philistines” (˓ereṣ pelištı̂n) or Philistine (pelešeṯ), origin of the modern name “Palestine”. In the LXX the word is poured variously fylistieim (mainly in the Pentateuch, Joshua, and Judges), Hellenas (Isa. 9.12), and allofylos, -oi, “strange, foreigner” (but not in the Pentateuch or Joshua). This name is probably to be equated with prst in egp texts. (the hieroglyphic writing that uses r for the sound l, which is not represented, in the spelling of foreign names) and palatu in Assyrian cuneiform inscriptions.
II. In the Bible
a. Source
The Philistines came from Casluhim, son of Mizraim (Egypt) son of Cam (Gn. 10.14; 1 Chr. 1.12). When they later appeared and clashed with the Israelites they came from *Caftor (Am. 9.7).
b. In the time of the patriarchs
Abraham and Isaac had dealings with a Philistine, Abimelech, king of Gerar, and his general Phicol (Gen. 20-21; 26). In the period of the monarchy the Philistines were almost proverbially aggressive, but Abimelech was a reasonable man. He had adopted many of the customs of the country, because he had a Semitic name, and made a covenant with Isaac.
c. At the time of the exodus and at the time of the judges
When the Israelites left Egypt, the Philistines were widely scattered along the coastal strip between Egypt and Gaza, so they were forced to turn inland in order to avoid “the way of the land of the Philistines” (Ex. 13.17). The adjacent section of the Mediterranean was in fact known as the “sea of the Philistines” (Ex. 23.31). Presumably it is the Philistines of this area who are called caphtoreans in Dt. 2.23.
The Israelites did not clash with the Philistines in Canaan during the conquest, but by the time Joshua was old they had established themselves in the five cities of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, and Gath (Josh. 13:2–3). From that moment on, and for many generations, this town was used by God to punish the Israelites (Jud. 3.2–3). Shamgar son of Anath temporarily held them back (Judges 3:31), but they constantly pressed inland from the coastal plain, and the Israelites even adopted their gods (Judges 10:6–7). The great Israelite hero of this time of the judges was Samson (Judges 13–16). In his day there were social ties between the Philistines and the Israelites, since he married a Philistine woman, and later had relations with Delilah, who, even if she was not a Philistine herself, had much contact with him. they. The mountainous area was not under Philistine control, and Samson took refuge there after carrying out his raids. When he was finally taken prisoner by them he was bound in bronze shackles (16.21), and forced to serve as their plaything, while they watched him from within and from the roof of a colonnaded building (16.25–27).
d. In the reigns of Saul and David
It was probably largely due to continuing pressure from the Philistines that it began to be felt that a strong military leader was needed in Israel. The ark was captured by the Philistines in a disastrous battle at Aphek, and the sanctuary at Shiloh was destroyed (1 Sam. 4); at that time they probably controlled Esdraelon, the coastal plain, the Negev, and much of the mountainous area. They also controlled the distribution of iron, thus preventing the Israelites from having useful weapons (1 Sam. 13:19–22). Saul was anointed king by Samuel, and after a victory over the Philistines at Michmas, he drove them out of the hill country (1 Sam. 14). His irregular rule, however, made it possible for the Philistines to continue to assert themselves, as when they challenged Israel at Efes-damim, and David killed Goliath (1 Sam. 17–18). Saul turned against David, who became an outlaw, and ultimately a vassal of Achish, king of Gath (1 Sam. 27). He was not called to fight against Israel in the battle of Mt. Gilboa, when Saul and his sons were killed, when he took over the throne of Israel he must have continued to maintain good relations with Gath at least, and, moreover, kept a personal Philistine guard throughout his reign * ceretes). There was to be a final conflict, however. David expelled the Philistines from the mountainous area and dealt a heavy blow to Philistia itself (2 Sam. 5.25), definitively annulling the power of the Philistines, who ceased to represent a serious danger.
and. During the divided monarchy
The Philistines continued to cause trouble during the monarchy. With the weakening of the kingdom at the death of David, the Philistine cities (with the exception of Gath, 2 Chr. 11.8) regained their independence, and there were fights in the border area (1 R. 15.27; 16.15). Jehoshaphat received tribute from some of the Philistines (2 Chr. 17.11), but under Joram the border city of Libnah broke away from Israel (2 Kgs. 8.22). They still maintained their aggressiveness at the time of Ahaz (Is. 9.8-12), and the last time they are mentioned in the Bible is in the prophecy of Zechariah, after the return from exile.
III. Philistia
The region that owed its name to the Philistines was the one that encompassed the core of their settlement. It was centered on the five main Philistine cities of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, and Gath, and comprised the coastal strip S of Carmel, extending inland to the foothills of Judah. Other cities especially associated with the Philistines in the Bible are *Beth-shan and *Gerar. Uncertainty still exists regarding the identification of the site of some of the five main cities of the Philistines (see under the respective names of the cities).
IV. in the inscriptions
The Philistines are first mentioned by name (prst) in the annals of Ramses III corresponding to his 5th year (1185 BC) and subsequent years, recorded in his temple to Amun at Medinet Habu, near Thebes. It describes his campaign to oppose an invasion by Libyans and various other peoples generally known as the “peoples of the sea,” among whom were the prst. Other members of the “peoples of the sea” had already been mentioned in the inscriptions of Merneptah, Ramses II, and in the Amarna letters corresponding to the ss. XIV (Lukku, Serdanu, Danuna). Carved reliefs in the Medinet Habu temple show “sea peoples” arriving with their families and belongings in carts and boats, and the prst and another group closely related to them, the ṯkr (tiekker), they appear wearing feathers on their heads, which rise vertically above a horizontal band. A head wearing something similar is one of the pictographic signs on a clay disk found at Faistos, Crete, which is generally dated to the 15C. XVII BC
The inscriptions as they mention Philistia as a region of frequent revolts. The first mention is in an inscription by Adad-nirari III (810–782 BC), where Philistia is mentioned among other tribute-paying states, including Israel. The Philistines are later mentioned in the annals of Tiglath-pileser III, Sargon, and Sennacherib, generally as defeated rebels.
In a group of cuneiform documents from the time of the exile found in the city of Babylon, the question of rations for expatriates is recorded. Among these men from Philistia are mentioned.
V. Archeology
a. Pottery
A type of pottery has been found at a number of sites centered on Philistia, belonging to 2nd millennium BC levels. Since the area and period correspond to the Philistines, such pottery is generally attributed to them. In its decoration it shows a marked affinity with that of the Aegean, and recent excavations at Enkomi and Sinda, Cyprus, have yielded locally made pottery (ca. 1225–1175 BC), which is classified as Mycenaean IIIC1b, derived from Aegean originals, and which is very It probably represents a precursor pottery of the Philistine.
b. clay coffins
Clay coffins have been found at *Beth-shan, Tell el-Fara, Lachish, and in Transjordan, each with a face molded in relief at the head. They probably have to be related to similar coffins found in Egypt, especially at Tell el-Yehudiyeh in the Delta. The date and distribution of these coffins suggest that they could be attributed to the Philistines, a proposal supported by the fact that some of the faces are crowned by a row of vertical lines that could indicate the use of feathers on the head.
c. Armament
Egyptian reliefs show the prst, with the tiekker and the serdanu, armed with spears, round shields, long swords, and triangular daggers. They arrived in Palestine in the transition period from the bronze to the iron age, so the biblical claims that they bound Samson with bronze shackles but that, by the time of Saul, they controlled the iron industry in Palestine area, are perfectly correct.
SAW. Culture
Although the Philistines retained some cultural traits indicative of their foreign origin, they were basically assimilated into the surrounding Canaanite culture.
a. Government
The five Philistine cities were each ruled by a seren (Jos. 13.3; Jue. 3.3; 16.5, 8, 18, 27, 30; 1 Sam. 5.8, 11; 6.4, 12, 16, 18; 7.7; 29.2, 6–7; 1 Chr. 12.19). It is probable that this term is a cognate of Luvian (Hittite hieroglyph) tarwanas, ‘judge’ or something similar, and from gr. pre-Hellenic (probably Indo-European) tyrannos, ‘absolute ruler’. The precise meaning of seren is uncertain, “governor” (rsv) is a reasonable version (°vrv2 “the prince”; °bj “tyrant”).
b. Language
No Philistine inscription has been recovered, and their language is unknown, although some scholars have conjectured that it may have been derived from a pre-Greek language from the Aegean area, possibly Indo-European. It is possible that certain words in the Bible are Philistine loanwords. In addition to serenthe word for helmet, whose foreign origin is discovered in the various spellings kôḇa˓ and qôḇa˓, is generally attributed to the Philistines. Another word that for some connoisseurs would be philistine is ˒argāz, ‘box’ (1 Sam. 6.8, 11, 15). Other words have been indicated as Philistine from time to time, but without general assent. Among the names, Aquis (˒āḵı̂š) is probably the same as ˒kšwhich is indicated as the origin name kftyw (* Caphtor) in an egp inscription. from around the 18th dynasty, and Goliath (golyat) is perhaps linked by its ending -yat with Luvian (Hittite hieroglyph) and Lydian names ending respectively in –watts Y –uattes. Apart from these few words, it is evident that the Philistines adopted the Semitic language of the peoples they dispossessed.
c. Religion
Knowledge of the Philistine religion depends on the Bible. The three gods mentioned, *Dagon, *Astarot, and…