PHILISTINES (phT-Ifs'ffnes), (Heb.
tel-ish-teem', Chron. xiv:to; "1""711::..1,? fiel-ishtee-yeem% Amos ix:7; comp. thc Gr. (ptAurrielA of the Sept.).
(1) Name. A strong tribe southwest of the land of Ismel, to which they gave the name • izr4r,(pel eh'sheth), ITaXatcrrIvn (fial-ace-tee'nay) Palestina, Palestine.
(2) Country. It occupied only a portion of the southern coast, namely, that which was bounded on thc west by the hill country of Ephraim and Judah, and on the south extended from Joppa to the borders of Egypt, thus touching on the Israel ite tribes Dan, Simeon, and Judah. Indeed the portions of Simeon and Dan covered a large part of Philistia, but its possession by the Israelites was disputed, and was never entirely achieved. This country was originally held by the Avims, who were destroyed and their land seized by the Caphtorims. coming forth out of Caphtor (Deut. ii :23). In Jer. xlvii :4 the Philistines are denom inated 'the remnant of the country (or isle) of Caphtor.'i In Amos ix:7, the Divine Being asks, 'Have I not brought the Philistines from Caph tor?' The Caphtorim and the Philistim are also associated together as kindred tribes in the gen ealogical list of nations given in Gen. x:14, both being descendants of Mizraim. Caphtor has been thought to be Cappadocia. Others hold that the Philistines being a part of the great Semitic fam ily, went westward, under pressure from the wave of population which came down from the higher country to the sea-coast, but afterwards re turned eastward, back from Crete to Palestine; so that in Amos. ix:7 it is to be understood that God brought them up to Palestine, as he brought the Israelites out of Egypt—back to their home. But in Gen. x :13, 14, the Philistines are derived from Mizraim, that is, from Egypt. Therefore it has been held that Phcenician invaders were the Hyksos of Egyptian history, whence the Philis tines would, in relation to their stay and dominion in Egypt, be spoken of as of Egyptian origin. (3) History. If now we follow the Biblical ac counts we find the history of the Philistines to be in brief as follows. They had established them selves in their land as early as the time of Abra ham, when they had founded a kingdom at Gerar (Gen. xxi:32; xxvi:t). When the Israelites left Egypt they were deterred by fear of the power of the Philistines from returning by the shortest road—that which the caravans still take--because it lay through the country of the Philistines (Exod. xiii:t7). In the time of Joshua (xiii:
3) the Philistines appear in a league of five princes, or governors of so many tribes or petty states—`all the borders of the Philistines from Sihor which is before Egypt even unto the borders of Ekron northward counted to the Canaanites.' Joshua appears to have thought it prudent to at tempt nothing for the dispossession of the Philis tines, and he therefore had no hostile relations with them, for the division of Philistia among the tribes was nothing more than a prospective but unfulfilled arrangement (Josh. xv :45 ; xix: 43). The days of the Judges, however, brought conflicts between the Israelites and the Philis tines, who dwelt wide over the land, and even ex ercised dominion over their Hebrew neighbors ( Judg. :31 ; x :7 ; xiii :t ; xiv :2, 4, 5 ; xv :it ).
In the time of Eli the Philistines succeeded in getting the ark into their possession (t Sam. iv) ; but a defeat which they suffered under Sam uel put an end to their dominion, after it had lasted forty years (t Sam. vii). This subjection of the Israelites began after the death of Jair, and continued to the termination of the period em braced in the book of Judges'. Within this space of time fall the life and the heroic actions of Samson. Notwithstanding the total defeat which the Philistines had undergone, and the actual termination of their political supremacy, they con tinued to be troublesome neighbors. 'There was sore war against the Philistines all the days of Saul' (t Sam. xiv :52) ; a conflict which was car ried on with various success, and in which the king found great support in the prudent bravery of his son Jonathan and the high courage of David (t Sam. xiii :4 ; xiv ; xvii:18; xix :8; xxiii : 28). Even after his separation from Saul David inflicted many blows on the Philistines (t Sam. xxiii), but soon saw himself obliged to seek ref uge in Gath (t Sam. xxvii), and was in conse quence near making common cause with them against Saul (i Sam. xxix), who met with his death at their hands while engaged in battle ( Sam. xxxi).