Thcy also raised their arms against David, when he had become king of all Israel, but were several times beaten by that brave monarch (2 Sam. v:17, sq.; viii :1). 'Mighty men,' perform ing valorous deeds in imitation of David's ren contre with Goliath, gave the king their support against this brave and persevering enemy (2 Sam. xxiii :8, sq.).
Solomon appears to have been undisturbed by the Philistines, but they had settlements in the land of Israel under the early Ephraimitic kings (t Kings xv :27; xvi:15). To Jehoshaphat they became tributary (2 Chron. xvii:ii).
Under Jehoram, however, they, in union with the Arabians, fell on Jerusalem, and carried off the king's substance, as well as his wives and children (2 Chron. xxi:t6).
On the other hand, in the reign of king Jehoash, their city Gath was taken by Hazael,king of Syria, who also threatened Jerusalem (2 Kings xii :r7).
But in the time of Ahaz they revolted, and carried with them a part of western Judah, hav ing 'invaded the cities of the low country and of the south of Judah, and taken Bethshemesh and Ajalon,' etc. (2 Chron. xxviii:t8; comp. Is. xiv :29).
Hezekiah in the first years of his reign ob tained some advantages over them (2 Kings xviii:8). Soon, however, Assyrian armies went against Philistia, and, with a view to an invasion of Egypt, got into their power the strong frontier fortress of Ashdod (Is. xx :1), which at a later time Psammetichus took from them, after a siege of twenty-nine years (Herod. ii. 157).
In consequence of the hostile relations between Assyria and Egypt, Philistia suffered for a long period, as the troops of the former power took their way through that land, and Pharaoh-Necho captured the stronghold Gaza (Is. xlvii :I). The same was done by Alexander the Great in his ex pedition to Egypt.
On the destruction of the Jewish state, the Philistines, like other neighboring peoples, acted ill towards the Jews, having 'taken vengeance with a despiteful heart' (Ezek. xxv :i5). Many of those who returned from the captivity 'had married wives of Ashdod, and their speech spoke half in the speech of Ashdod' (Neh. xiii:23, sq.).
In the Maccabwan period the Philistines were Syrian subjects, and had at times to suffer at the hands of the Jews (1 NIacc. x :86; xi:6o, sq.).
King Alexander (Balas) gave Jonathan a part of their territory, Accaron, with the borders thereof in possession (1 Macc. x:89).
The Jewish monarch Alexander Jannxus over came and destroyed Gaza (Joseph. Antiq. xiii. 3. 3; De Bell. Ind. i. 4. 2). By Pompey Azotus, Jamnia and Gaza were united to the Roman prov ince of Syria (Antiq. xiv. 4. 4) ; but Gaza was given by Augustus to King Herod (Antig. xv. 7. 3)• (4) Cities. The Philistine cities were greatly distinguished. Along the whole coast from north to south there ran a line of towns—in the north the Phcenician, in the south the Philistine—which were powerful, rich and well peopled.
The chief cities of the Philistines were five —Gaza, Ashdod, Askalon, Gath, and Ekron (Josh. xiii :3 ; Judg. iii :3). Several of these Palestinian cities flourished at the same time; and though now these, now those cities gained at different periods pre-eminence in power, wealth, and popu lation, and though some did not rise till others had declined or perished, yet is it true that from the earliest times till the century after Christ a number of important towns existed on the nar row strip of land which borders the Mediter ranean sea, such as was never seen in any other part of the world, the Ionian coast of Asia Minor not excepted.
The greatness of these cities was mainly owing to commerce, for the coast of Palestine was in the earliest ages exclusively in posscssion of the trade which was carricd on between Europc and Asia. Besides a great transit trade, they had internal sourccs of wealth, being given to agri culture (bldg. xv :5). In the time of Saul they were evidently superior in the arts of life to the Israelites ; for we read (1 Sant xiii :2o) that thc latter were indcbted to the former for the utensils of ordinary life.
(5) Religion. Their religion was not essen tially different from that of the Phoenicians. The idol which they most reverenced was Astarte, the Assyrian Semiramis, or Derketo, who was also honorcd Dagon, in a very ancient temple at Askalon and at Gaza, also at Ashdod (Movers, p. 589, sq.; Lengerke, Kanaan, p. 200 ; Herod.