Dictionary Article

Small country situated in southwestern Palestine, along the Mediterranean coast (also called “Palestina” in KJB, Ex 15:14; Is 14:29-31); Aegean people who settled on the maritime plain of Canaan.

Strictly speaking, Philistia is that part of the maritime plain that is called the plain of Philistia, extending from the Wadi el-Arish (River of Egypt) in the south some 70 miles (112.6 kilometers) north to the Nahr el-Aujah, five miles (8 kilometers) north of Joppa. Near Gaza the plain reaches its greatest width, about 30 miles (48.3 kilometers). There are sand dunes near the shore, but most of the area is very fertile and produces an abundance of grain (cf. Jgs 15:1-5) and fruit.

The main highway between the East and Egypt lay along the coast. This was of commercial advantage for the Philistines, but it left them open to foreign invasion. God did not lead Israel from Egypt to Canaan by this shortest route through the land of the Philistines, because he did not want them to encounter fierce fighting from the Philistines (or perhaps from an Egyptian garrison stationed there) so soon (Ex 13:17). Apparently, the Philistines had little to fear from the Egyptians, for some scholars think that the Egyptians had a hand in locating the Philistines in Palestine.

From this constricted area the Philistines soon felt a necessity to expand. The passes through the Shephelah provided natural access to the hill country of Israel. They established outposts in Israelite territory, and at the time of the battle in which Saul and his sons were killed, the Philistines exercised control over the city of Beth-shan (1 Sm 31:10).

The Bible states that the Philistines came from Caphtor (Dt 2:23; Jer 47:4; Am 9:7), which is generally regarded as Crete, although some scholars place it in Asia Minor. The attire of the Philistines, as shown at Medinet Habu, is like that of Cretans, especially the headdress. The name of the Cherethites has been equated with Cretans, for the names have the same consonantal base: c, r, and t. The Cherethites were apparently a Philistine subgroup who lived in the Negev not far from Ziklag, David’s home among the Philistines (cf. 1 Sm 30:14). The Cherethites and the Pelethites were among David’s bodyguards, along with 600 Gittites (men from Gath) (cf. 2 Sm 15:19; 20:7, 23; 1 Chr 18:17).

The name Philistines is recognizable in several languages. In Hebrew they are known as the Pelishtim, which has been translated into English as Philistines. In the Egyptian sources they are listed among the Sea Peoples and are called the Peleset or Peleste. They are best known for their part in the invasion of Egypt by the Sea Peoples, who were vanquished by Ramses III in a land and sea battle in the Delta. Detailed scenes of this fighting are shown in deep-sunk relief on the north exterior wall of the temple of Ramses III at Medinet Habu, opposite Luxor. These depictions give some idea of the attire and armament of the Philistines, who are easily identified by their headdress, which was made of feathers (or reeds?).

These people settled along the coast of Palestine after their defeat by Ramses, but it is possible that some stayed in Canaan on their way to Egypt. Possibly an earlier migration to Palestine occurred, perhaps before the time of the patriarchs.

Philistia had no single ruler over their entire land; the cities were independent, so they operated as city-states. The heads of these cities were not called kings but were spoken of in the Bible as “lords” or “rulers” (e.g., 1 Sm 5:11; 6:12; 29:2), and there were five of them, corresponding to the five major cities that comprised the Philistine Pentapolis: Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Gath, and Ekron (1 Sm 6:17; cf. Jer 25:20). The people had a voice in matters that related to them—for example, the return of the ark of the covenant (1 Sm 5:6-12)—but the great decisions were made by majority vote of the five lords. While David and his men were living at Ziklag, for example, the Philistines planned a big military campaign against Israel. David was subject to Achish, king of Gath, who asked David to join forces with the Philistines against Israel. David agreed to this, but when the Philistine lords found that David was present, they complained and voted him out (ch 29).

Whatever gods the Philistines brought with them seem to have been abandoned relatively early in favor of Canaanite deities. A primary Philistine god mentioned in the Bible is Dagon, a grain god. Temples to Dagon have been found at Ras Shamra (Ugarit) and Mari. The Bible refers to a temple of Dagon at Gaza (Jgs 16:23-30) and another at Ashdod (1 Sm 5:1-5).

The various forms of “Philistine” and “Philistia” appear almost 300 times in the OT, mostly in the books of Judges and Samuel. The earliest occurrence is in Genesis 10:14, where it is said that the Philistines came from the Casluhim, an unidentified people related to the Caphtorim (cf. 1 Chr 1:12).

Both Abraham and Isaac had contacts with the Philistines at Gerar, in parallel incidents involving their wives (Gn 20; 26). Here, however, the Philistines are not on the coast but at Gerar and as far east as Beersheba (26:33). In both references the king of Gerar is called Abimelech—a good Semitic name. It has been suggested that the Philistines of that time had earlier migrated from Crete, but this has not been demonstrated.

After the Israelite conquest of Canaan, the Philistines began to exercise superiority over the Israelites. An aggressive and militant people, the Philistines had the advantage of superior weapons, for they used iron and exercised a monopoly on iron making in the area. Their control over Israel allowed them to prohibit blacksmithing in Israel, forcing the Israelites to go to the Philistines even for sharpening tools (1 Sm 13:19-22). The Israelites were so poorly armed that only Saul and Jonathan had a sword or a spear (v 22). Facilities for smelting iron have been found at Ashdod, Tell Qasile, Tell Jemmeh, and Tel Mor.

The Medinet Habu reliefs show the Philistines armed with spears and long, straight swords, with large, round shields for protection. They had three-man chariots with six spoked wheels, and they transported people by means of solid two-wheel carts pulled by four oxen. Their ships were rigged with a square sail, like those of the Egyptians, and had a duck-shaped prow, which possibly was used for ramming enemy vessels.

Apostasy came early in Israel, and the Lord used the Philistines to chasten his people. Shamgar delivered Israel by killing 600 Philistines with an ox goad (Jgs 3:31). The account of Samson has many touches of Philistine life (13:1–16:31). This record demonstrates that there was intermarriage between Israelites and Philistines, contrary to the OT law.

Warfare between Israel and the Philistines is reported in 1 Samuel 4:1, when the Israelites were camped at Ebenezer and the Philistines at Aphek. The Philistines won that round and captured the ark of the covenant (1 Sm 4:17), which they returned after seven months because the Lord sent plagues upon them (5:1–6:21). Later, when Samuel had become leader, the Philistines attacked Israel at Mizpah, but God gave the victory to Israel. On this occasion Samuel set up a memorial stone and named it Ebenezer (“Stone of Help,” 7:12). The Philistines did not invade Israel again during the lifetime of Samuel, and Israel recovered cities that had been taken by the Philistines (v 14).

The greatest activity of the Philistines in Israelite territory came during the reign of Saul, Israel’s first king. More than 80 references to the Philistines are related to that period. The Philistines established outposts or garrisons in various parts of Israel (cf. 1 Sm 10:5; 13:3). Jonathan defeated the garrison at Geba (13:3); his exploit related in 1 Samuel 14:1-15 led to a rout of the Philistines.

A confrontation of the Philistine and Israelite armies took place in the valley of Elah, where the Philistines challenged Israel to provide an opponent to meet their champion, Goliath, in single combat (1 Sm 17:1-11). The young shepherd David killed Goliath; David became a hero, but Saul’s jealousy made David a hunted man. In the course of dodging Saul’s army, David’s men rescued the town of Keilah from the Philistines (23:1-5). Eventually David sought political asylum with Achish, king of Gath, who gave him the town of Ziklag, from which David made raids in the Negev (ch 27).

When the Philistines were preparing for war against Israel, Achish asked David to join the Philistine forces, and David agreed. The lords of the Philistines voted down this participation, for they feared that David would turn against them (1 Sm 28:1-2; 29). In the ensuing battle Saul and his sons were killed on Mt Gilboa by the Philistines (31:1-7). The Philistines cut off Saul’s head, placed his armor in the temple of Ashtaroth in Beth-shan, and hung his body on the wall of that city (vv 8-11).

When the Philistines learned that David had become king, they made an effort to destroy him, but he defeated them “from Geba to Gezer” (2 Sm 5:17-25). David broke the Philistine power, and although they again attempted war against Israel, they met with no success (21:15-21).

Uzziah warred against the Philistines; he broke down the walls of Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod and built cities in Philistia (2 Chr 26:6-7). In the reign of Ahaz, the Philistines invaded the Shephelah and the Negev and captured a number of cities (28:18). Hezekiah fought against the Philistines as far as Gaza (2 Kgs 18:8).

References to the Philistines in the Prophets are relatively few, although Jeremiah devotes a short chapter to the Philistines (Jer 47). The Philistines were gradually assimilated into Canaanite culture and they disappeared from the pages of the Bible and from secular history, leaving the name Palestine as a monument to their presence.

How Do We Know about the Philistines?

Most of the knowledge of the Philistines comes from the Bible, the monuments and records of Egypt, and the archaeological excavations of Philistine cities. The biblical information centers in the historical books, but there are references to the Philistines in the Prophets and Psalms as well.

The historical records of Egyptian kings tell of their contacts with the Philistines. Other Egyptian written sources include the Amarna letters, “The Story of the Capture of Joppa,” “The Tale of a Mohar,” the Harris Papyrus I, and “The Adventures of Wenamon.” Paintings and reliefs of Philistines are found in the Theban necropolis and particularly in the temple of Ramses III at Medinet Habu.

Most of the information concerning the material culture of the Philistines comes from excavated pottery, which was distinctive and homogeneous. The earliest Philistine pottery at Ashdod had fish designs and other decorative motifs that resemble Cypriot ware. Decorations included several bands of designs, with carvings of geometric pattern. Paintings of birds were common, particularly the preening bird, with one wing raised and the head turned back. Interesting pottery forms included kraters (large, wide-mouthed bowls with two handles) and single-handled beer jugs with strainer spouts.

The excavation of the University Museum of the University of Pennsylvania at Tell el-Husn (Beth-shan, Beth-shean) unearthed two temples from the 11th century. Possibly the southern temple is that of Dagon (1 Chr 10:10) and the northern temple the House of Ashtaroth (1 Sm 31:10). Ashtaroth was not a Philistine deity but one borrowed from the Canaanites. Ekron had a god named Baal-zebub (2 Kgs 1:2-3; Mt 12:24; Mk 3:22), who is equated with Beelzebul.

At Tell Qasile there was a Philistine temple with two pillars in the holy place, suggestive of the Gaza temple. This temple contained many objects associated with the cult, including a bird-shaped vessel and an incense altar. In houses and small shrines in Ashdod there were numerous clay figurines, both male and female, regarded as a pair of deities. There was also a strange ritual object of clay called an “Ashdoda,” best described as a four-legged chair, whose back becomes the stylized upper part of a nude goddess. Another pottery form of religious use was the kernos, which is a hollow ring vase with attached miniature vessels and figurines of heads of animals and birds.

Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary