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Easton's Bible Dictionary
( Genesis 10:14 , RSV; but in A.V., "Philistim"), A tribe
allied to the Phoenicians. They were a branch of the primitive race which spread
over the whole district of the Lebanon and the valley of the Jordan, and Crete
and other Mediterranean islands. Some suppose them to have been a branch of the
Rephaim ( 2 Samuel 21:16 - 22 ). In the time of Abraham they inhabited the south-west
of Judea, Abimelech of Gerar being their king ( Genesis 21:32 , 21:34 ; 26:1 ).
They are, however, not noticed among the Canaanitish tribes mentioned in the Pentateuch.
They are spoken of by ( Amos 9:7 ) and ( Jeremiah 47:4 ) as from Caphtor, i.e.,
probably Crete, or, as some think, the Delta of Egypt. In the whole record from
Exodus to Samuel they are represented as inhabiting the tract of country which
lay between Judea and Egypt ( Exodus 13:17 ; 15:14 , 15:15 ; Joshua 13:3 ; 1 Samuel
4 ).
This powerful tribe made frequent incursions against the Hebrews. There was almost
perpetual war between them. They sometimes held the tribes, especially the southern
tribes, in degrading servitude ( Judges 15:11 ; 1 Samuel 13:19 - 22 ); at other
times they were defeated with great slaughter ( 1 Samuel 14:1 - 47 ; 17 ). These
hostilities did not cease till the time of Hezekiah ( 2 Kings 18:8 ), when they
were entirely subdued. They still, however, occupied their territory, and always
showed their old hatred to Israel ( Ezekiel 25:15 - 17 ). They were finally conquered
by the Romans.
The Philistines are called Pulsata or Pulista on the Egyptian monuments; the land
of the Philistines (Philistia) being termed Palastu and Pilista in the Assyrian
inscriptions. They occupied the five cities of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron,
and Gath, in the south-western corner of Canaan, which belonged to Egypt up to
the closing days of the Nineteenth Dynasty. The occupation took place during the
reign of Rameses III. of the Twentieth Dynasty. The Philistines had formed part
of the great naval confederacy which attacked Egypt, but were eventually repulsed
by that Pharaoh, who, however, could not dislodge them from their settlements
in Palestine. As they did not enter Palestine till the time of the Exodus, the
use of the name Philistines in Genesis 26:1 must be proleptic. Indeed the country
was properly Gerar, as in ch. 20.
They are called Allophyli, "foreigners," in the Septuagint, and in the Books of
Samuel they are spoken of as uncircumcised. It would therefore appear that they
were not of the Semitic race, though after their establishment in Canaan they
adopted the Semitic language of the country. We learn from the Old Testament that
they came from Caphtor, usually supposed to be Crete. From Philistia the name
of the land of the Philistines came to be extended to the whole of "Palestine."
Many scholars identify the Philistines with the Pelethites of 2 Samuel 8:18 .
Hitchcock's Dictionary of Bible Names
those who dwell in villages
Smith's Bible Dictionary
(immigrants) The origin of the Philistines is nowhere
expressly stated in the Bible; but as the prophets describe them as "the Philistines-from
Caphtor," ( Amos 9:7 ) and "the remnant of the maritime district of Caphtor" (
Jeremiah 47:4 ) it is prima facie probable that they were the Caphtorim which
came out of Caphtor" who expelled the Avim from their territory and occupied it;
in their place, ( Deuteronomy 2:23 ) and that these again were the Caphtorim mentioned
in the Mosaic genealogical table among the descendants of Mizraim. ( Genesis 10:14
) It has been generally assumed that Caphtor represents Crete, and that the Philistines
migrated from that island, either directly or through Egypt, into Palestine. But
the name Caphtor is more probably identified with the Egyptian Coptos. [CAPHTOR]
History. --
The Philistines must have settled in the land of Canaan before the time of Abraham;
for they are noticed in his day as a pastoral tribe in the neighborhood of Gerur.
( Genesis 21:32 , 21:34 ; 26:1 , 26:8 ) Between the times of Abraham and Joshua
the Philistines had changed their quarters, and had advanced northward into the
plain of Philistia. The Philistines had at an early period attained proficiency
in the arts of peace. Their wealth was abundant, ( Judges 16:5 , 16:19 ) and they
appear in all respects to have been a prosperous people. Possessed of such elements
of power, they had attained in the time of the judges an important position among
eastern nations. About B.C. 1200 we find them engaged in successful war with the
Sidonians. Justin xviii. 3.
The territory of the Philistines having been once occupied by the Canaanites,
formed a portion of the promised land, and was assigned the tribe of Judah. (
Joshua 15:2 , 15:12 , 15:45 - 47 ) No portion of it, however, was conquered in
the lifetime of Joshua, ( Joshua 13:2 ) and even after his death no permanent
conquest was effected, ( Judges 3:3 ) though we are informed that the three cities
of Gaza, Ashkelon and Ekron were taken. ( Judges 1:18 ) The Philistines soon recovered
these, and commenced an aggressive policy against the Israelites, by which they
gained a complete ascendancy over them.
Individual heroes were raised up from time to time, such as Shamgar the son of
Anath, ( Judges 3:31 ) and still more Samson, Judges 13 - 16, but neither of these
men succeeded in permanently throwing off the yoke. The Israelites attributed
their past weakness to their want, of unity, and they desired a king, with the
special object of leading them against the foe. ( 1 Samuel 8:20 ) Saul threw off
the yoke; and the Philistines were defeated with great slaughter at Geba. ( 1
Samuel 13:3 ) They made no attempt to regain their supremacy for about twenty-five
years, and the scene of the next contest shows the altered strength of the two
parties. It was no longer in the central country, but in a ravine leading down
to the Philistine plain, the valley of Elah, the position of which is about 14
miles southwest of Jerusalem. On this occasion the prowess of young David secured
success to Israel, and the foe was pursued to the gates of Gath and Ekron. ( 1
Samuel 17:1 ) ... The power of the Philistines was, however, still intact on their
own territory. The border warfare was continued. The scene of the next conflict
was far to the north, in the valley of Esdraelon. The battle on this occasion
proved disastrous to the Israelites; Saul himself perished, and the Philistines
penetrated across the Jordan and occupied the, forsaken cities. ( 1 Samuel 31:1
- 7 ) On the appointment of David to be king, he twice attacked them, and on each
occasion with signal success, in the first case capturing their images, in the
second pursuing them "from Geba until thou come to Gazer." ( 2 Samuel 5:17 - 25
; 1 Chronicles 14:8 - 16) Henceforth the Israelites appear as the aggressors.
About seven years after the defeat at Rephaim, David, who had now consolidated
his power, attacked them on their own soil end took Gath with its dependencies.
The whole of Philistine was included in Solomons empire. Later when the Philistines,
joined by the Syrians and Assyrians, made war on the kingdom of Israel, Hezekiah
formed an alliance with the Egyptians, as a counterpoise to the Assyrians, and
the possession of Philistia became henceforth the turning-point of the struggle
between the two great empires of the East. The Assyrians under Tartan, the general
of Sargon, made an expedition against Egypt, and took Ashdod, as the key of that
country. ( Isaiah 20:1 , 20:4 , 20:5 ) Under Senacherib, Philistia was again the
scene of important operations. The Assyrian supremacy was restored by Esarhaddon,
and it seems probable that the Assyrians retained their hold on Ashdod until its
capture, after a long siege, by Psammetichus. It was about this time that Philistia
was traversed by vast Scythian horde on their way to Egypt. The Egyptian ascendancy
was not as yet re-established, for we find the next king, Necho, compelled to
besiege Gaza on his return from the battle of Megiddo. After the death of Necho
the contest was renewed between the Egyptians and the Chaldeans under Nebuchadnezzar,
and the result was specially disastrous to the Philistines. The "old hatred" that
the Philistines bore to the Jews was exhibited in acts of hostility at the time
of the Babylonish captivity, ( Ezekiel 25:15 - 17 ) but on the return this was
somewhat abated, for some of the Jews married Philistine women, to the great scandal
of their rulers. ( Nehemiah 13:23 , 13:24 ) From this time the history of Philistia
is absorbed in the struggles of the neighboring kingdoms. The latest notices of
the Philistines as a nation occur in 1 Macc. 3 - 5.
Institutions, religion, etc . --
With regard to the institutions of the Philistines our information is very scanty,
The five chief cities had, as early as the days of Joshua, constituted themselves
into a confederacy, restricted however, in all probability, to matters of offence
and defence. Each was under the government of a prince, ( Joshua 13:3 ; Judges
3:3 ) etc.; ( 1 Samuel 18:30 ; 29:6 ) and each possessed its own territory. The
Philistines appear to have been deeply imbued with superstition: they carried
their idols with them on their campaigns, ( 2 Samuel 5:21 ) and proclaimed their
victories in their presence. ( 1 Samuel 31:9 ) The gods whom they chiefly worshipped
were Dagon, ( Judges 16:23 ; 1 Samuel 5:3 - 5 ; 1 Chronicles 10:10 ) 1 Macc. 10:83,
Ashtaroth, ( 1 Samuel 31:10 ) Herod. I. 105, and Baalzebub. ( 2 Kings 1:2 - 6
)
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
fi-lis'-tinz, fil'-is-tinz, fil'-is-tinz (pelishtim; Phulistieim,
allophuloi):
I. OLD TESTAMENT NOTICES
1. Race and Origin
The Philistines were an uncircumcised people inhabiting the shore plain between
Gezer and Gaza in Southwestern Palestine (see PHILISTIA). The name Palestine itself
(Hebrew pelesheth) refers to their country. The word means "migrants," and they
came from another country. They are noticed 286 times in the Old Testament, and
their country 8 times. The question of their race and origin is of great importance
as affecting the genuine character and reliability of the Bible notices. In Genesis
10:14 (1 Chronicles 1:12) they are reckoned with other tribes in Mizraim (Egypt)
as descendants of Ham, and as cousins of the old inhabitants of Babylonia (Genesis
10:6). They are said to be a branch of the Casluhim--an unknown people--or, according
to Septuagint, of the Casmanim, which would mean "shavers of the head"--a custom
of the Phoenicians (forbidden to Hebrews as a rule), as known from a picture of
the time of Thothmes III in the 16th century BC. They are also connected with
the Caphtorim or people of Caphtor, whence indeed they are said to have come (Jeremiah
47:4 ; Amos 9:7). Caphtor was a "shoreland," but its position is doubtful (see
Deuteronomy 2:23); the Caphtorim found an earlier race of Avim living in "enclosures"
near Gaza, and destroyed them. In the Septuagint of this passage (and in Amos
9:7) Cappadocia stands for Caphtor (Kaphtor), and other versions have the same
reading. Cappadocia was known to the Assyrians as kat-pat-uka (probably an Akkadian
term--"land of the Kati"), and the Kati were a people living in Cilicia and Cappadocia,
which region had a Semitic population side by side with Mengels (see HITTITES)
at least as early as the time of Moses. It is very likely therefore that this
reading is correct.
2. Religion
According to the Old Testament and monuments alike, the Philistines were a Semitic
people, and they worshipped two Babylonian gods, Dagon (1 Samuel 5:2) and Ashtaroth
(1 Samuel 31:10), both of whom were adored very early in Babylonia, both, however,
having names of Akkadian and not of Semitic origin. In Semitic speech Dagon meant
"grain," and was so understood in the time of Philo of Gebal, a Greek-Phoenician
writer who attributes the art of grain-growing to this deity. But the original
name was Da-gan, and in Akkadian da is "the upper part of a man," and gan (Turkish
qaan) probably means "a large fish." The new man deity was well known to the Assyrians,
and is represented in connection with Sennacherib's worship of Ea, the sea-god,
when he embarked on the Persian Gulf. Thus Dagon was probably a title of Ea ("the
water spirit"), called by Berosus Oannes (u-ha-na, "lord of the fish"), and said
to have issued from this same gulf. We consequently read that when the statue
of Dagon at Ashdod fell (1 Samuel 5:4), its head and hands were broken off, and
only "the great fish" was left. In 1874 the present writer found a seal near Ashdod
representing a bearded god (as in Babylonia) with a fish tail (see DAGON). As
to Ashtoreth, who was adored in Philistia itself, her name is derived from the
Akkadian Ishtar ("light maker"), a name for the moon-goddess and--later--for the
planet Venus.
See ASHTORETH.
3. Individual Philistines Mentioned
The Philistines had reached Gerar by the time of Abraham, and it was only in the
age of the Hyksos rulers of the Delta that Canaanite tribes could be described
as akin, not only to Babylonians, but also to certain tribes in Egypt, a circumstance
which favors the antiquity of the ethnic chapter, Genesis 10. We have 9 Philistine
names in the Old Testament, all of which seem to be Semitic, including Abimelech--"Moloch
is my father"--(Genesis 20:2 - 18 ; 21:22 - 32 ; 26:8 - 11) at Gerar, Southeasat
of Gaza, Ahuzzath ("possession," Genesis 26:26), and Phicol (of doubtful meaning),
with Delilah ("delicate," Judges 16:4), Goliath (probably the Babylonian galu,
"great"), and Saph (2 Samuel 21:18), perhaps meaning "increase." These two brothers
were sons of Raphah ("the tall"); but Ishbi-benob (2 Samuel 21:16), another of
the family, perhaps only means "the dweller in Nob" (Beit Nuba, North of Gezer).
The king of Gath in David's time was Achish ("the gift" in Bah), who (1 Samuel
27:2) was the son of Maoch, "the oppressor." According to Septuagint, Jonathan
killed a Philistine named Nasib (1 Samuel 13:3 , 4 , where the King James Version
reads "a garrison"). If this is correct the name (meaning "a pillar") would also
be Semitic.
4. Title of Ruler and Circumcision
Besides these personal names, and those of the cities of Philistia which are all
Semitic, we have the title given to Philistine lords, ceren, which Septuagint
renders "satrap" and "ruler," and which probably comes from a Semitic root meaning
"to command." It constantly applies to the rulers of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath
and Ekron, the 5 chief cities of Philistia. The fact that the Philistines were
uncircumcised does not prove that they were not a Semitic people. Herodotus (ii.104)
says that the Phoenicians acknowledged that they took this custom from the Egyptians,
and the Arabs according to this passage were still uncircumcised, nor is it known
that this was a custom of the Babylonians and Assyrians. The Septuagint translators
of the Pentateuch always render the name Phulistieim, and this also is found in
8 passages of Joshua and Judges, but in the later books the name is translated
as meaning "strangers" throughout, because they were not the first inhabitants
of Philistia.
5. History in the Old Testament to Death of Saul
The Philistines conquered the "downs" (geliloth, Joel 3:4) near the seacoast,
and were so powerful at the time of the Hebrew conquest that none of their great
towns were taken (Joshua 13:3 ; Judges 3:3). By the time of Samson (about 1158
BC) they appear as oppressors of Israel for 40 years (Judges 13:1 ; 15:20), having
encroached from their plains into the Shephelah (or low hills) of Judah, at the
foot of the mountains. Delilah was a Philistine woman, living in the valley of
Sorek, close to Samson's home. In the last year of Eli (1 Samuel 4:1) we find
the Philistines attacking the mountains near Mizpeh, where they captured the ark.
Samuel drove them back and placed his monument of victory between Mizpeh and Jeshanah
(Shen; see the Septuagint; 1 Samuel 7:12) on the mountain ridge of Benjamin. He
even regained towns in the Shephelah as far as Ekron and Gath (1 Samuel 7:14);
but at the opening of Saul's reign (1 Samuel 10:5) the Philistines had a "garrison"
at Gibeah--or a chief named Hasib according to Septuagint. They raided from this
center (1 Samuel 13:17 - 23) in all directions, and prevented the Hebrews from
arming themselves, till Jonathan drove them from Michmash (1 Samuel 14:1 - 47).
David's victory (1 Samuel 17:2) was won in the Valley of Elah East of Gath, and
the pursuit (1 Samuel 17:52) was as far as Ekron. We here read that the Philistine
champion wore armor of bronze (1 Samuel 17:4 - 7), his spear head being of iron.
They still invaded the Shephelah after this defeat, robbing the threshing-floors
of Keilah (1 Samuel 23:1) near Adullam at the foot of the Hebron Mountains (see
1 Samuel 23:27 ; 24:1). David's band of outlaws gradually increasing from 400
to 600 men (1 Samuel 22:2 ; 27:2), being driven from the Hebrew lands, accompanied
him to Gath, which is usually placed at Tell es-Safi, at the point where the Valley
of Elah enters the Philistine plain. It appears that Achish, king of Gath, then
ruled as far South as Ziklag (Joshua 15:31 ; 1 Samuel 27:6) in the Beersheba plains;
but he was not aware of the direction of David's raids at this distance. Achish
supposed David to be committed to his cause (1 Samuel 27:12), but the Philistine
lords suspected him and his Hebrew followers (1 Samuel 29:3) when going up to
Jezreel.
6. History Continued to Time of Ahaz
After they had killed Saul, we hear no more of them till the 8th year of David,
when, after taking Jerusalem, he apparently went down to Adullam (2 Samuel 5:17)
and fell upon them in their rear as they advanced on his capital. He then destroyed
their supremacy (2 Samuel 8:1) as far as Gezer (1 Chronicles 20:4), and the whole
of Philistia was subject to Solomon (1 Kings 4:21), though not long after his
death they seem to have held the town of Gibbethon (1 Kings 15:27 ; 16:15) in
the hills of Dan. Hezekiah smote the Philistines as far as Gaza (2 Kings 18:8)
before 702 BC, in which year (according to the Taylor cylinder) Sennacherib made
Hezekiah deliver up Padii, king of Ekron, who had been carried prisoner to Jerusalem.
The accounts in Chronicles refer to David's taking Gath (1 Chronicles 18:1), which
was recovered later, and again taken by Uzziah (2 Chronicles 26:6). The Philistines
sent gifts to Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 17:11), but invaded the Shephelah (2 Chronicles
28:18) in the time of Ahaz.
7. Later Notices
In this age the "lords" of the 5 cities of Philistia are called "kings," both
in the Bible and on Assyrian monuments. Isaiah 2:6 speaks of Philistine superstitions,
Ezekiel 25:15 , 16 connects them with the Cherethim on the seacoast. They still
held Gath in the time of Amos 6:2, and Gaza, Ashdod and Ekron in that of Zephaniah
2:5, who again mentions the Cherethim with Philistines, as inhabitants of Canaan
or the "lowlands." The last notice (Zechariah 9:6) still speaks of kings in Ashkelon,
Gaza, Ekron and Ashdod at a time when the Ionians had become known in Judah (Zechariah
9:13); but the Philistines are unnoticed by Ezra or Nehemiah, unless we suppose
that the "speech of Ashdod" (Nehemiah 13:24) was their old dialect, which appears--like
the language of the Canaanites in general in earlier times--to have resembled
that of the Babylonians and Assyrians, and to have thus differed--though Semitic--from
the Hebrews.
Their further history is embraced in that of the various cities to which reference
can be made under the articles pertaining to them. |
II. MONUMENTAL NOTICES
1. Palestinian Excavations
These are of great importance, because they confirm the Old Testament statements
from a time at least as early as that of Moses, and down to 670 BC. Recent excavations
at Gezer show the early presence of two races at this Philistine city, one being
Semitic, the other probably Egyptian Scarabs as old as the XIIth Dynasty were
found, and in the 15th century BC Gezer was held by Amenophis III. At Lachish
also seals of this king and his queen have been found, with a cuneiform letter
to Zimridi, who was ruler of the city under the same Pharaoh. At Gaza a temple
was built by Amenophis II. The names of places in Philistia noticed yet earlier
by Thothmes III are all Semitic, including Joppa, Saphir, Gerar, Gezer, etc. In
the Tell el-Amarna Letters we have also (about 1480 BC) letters from chiefs subject
to Amenophis III at Joppa, Ashkelon, Gezer, Lachish and Keilah which show us a
Semitic population, not only by the language of these letters, but also by the
names of the writers. In the case of Ashkelon especially the Semitic rulers are
found to have worshipped Dagon; and, though the name "Philistine" does not occur,
the race was clearly the same found by the Assyrians in 800 BC in the land of
Palastan beside the Great Sea. These names include Yamir-Dagdn ("Dagon sees"),
Dagantakala ("Dagon is a protection") and Yadaya (the "grateful") at Ashkelon;
Bua ("asked for"), son of the woman Gulata, at Joppa; Yabnilu ("God made"), at
Lachish, with Zimridi--a name found also in Sabean Arabic; while, at Gezer, Yapa'a
represents the Biblical Japhia (Joshua 10:3), and Milkilu ("Moloch is king") the
Hebrew Malchiel. Others might be added of the same character, but these examples
are enough to show that, in the time of Moses and Joshua, the population of Philistia
was the same that is noticed in the Old Testament as early as Abraham's age.
2. Egyptian Monuments
When therefore scholars speak of the Philistines as being non-Semitic--and probably
Aryan--invaders of the country, arriving about 1200 BC, they appear not only to
contradict the Bible, but also to contradict the monumental evidence of the earlier
existence of Semitic Dagon- worshippers at Ashkelon. In this later age Rameses
III was attacked, in Egypt, by certain northern tribes who came by sea, and also
by land, wasting first the country of the Hittites and Amorites. Among them were
the Danau, who were probably Greek Danai. They were exterminated in the Delta,
and in the subsequent advance of Rameses III to the Euphrates. On a colored picture
they are represented as fair people; and two of the tribes were called Purstau
and Takarri, whom Chabas supposed to be Pelasgi (since "l" and "r" are not distinguished
in Egyptian) and Teucrians. These two tribes wear the same peculiar headdress.
Brugsch supposed the former to be Philistines (Geog., I, 10), but afterward called
them Purosata (Hist Egypt, II, 148). The inscriptions accompanying the picture
on the temple walls say that they came from the north, and "their home was in
the land of the Purstau, the Takarri," etc. There is thus no reason at all to
suppose that they were Philistines, nor did they ever settle in Philistia.
3. Assyrian Texts
The Assyrian texts agree with those already mentioned in making the inhabitants
of Philistia Semitic. Rimmon-nirari, about 800 BC, was the first Assyrian conqueror
in Palastau ("by the great sea"). In 734 and 727 BC, Tiglath-pileser attacked
the Pilisti, and mentions a king of Ashkelon named Mitinti ("my gift"), and his
son Rukufti whose name resembles that of the Kenite called Rechab in the Old Testament.
The name of the king of Gaza was Chanun, or "merciful." In 711 BC Sargon took
Ashdod, and speaks of its king Azuri, whose name recalls the Amorite Aziru, and
of Achimiti ("a brother is sent"), and the usurper Yamanu ("stedfast"), who fled
before him. Sennacherib, in 702 BC, gives the names of cities in Philistia (including
Eltekeh and Beneberak near Joppa) which are Semitic. He notices Sidqa (Zadok)
of Ashkelon, and also Sarludari ("the Lord be praised"), son of Rukubti in the
same city, with Mitinti of Ashdod, and Padii ("redeeming") of Ekron, while Cil-b'el
("Baal is a protection") was king of Gaza. In 679 BC Esarhaddon speaks of Silli-b'el
("Baal is my protection") of Gaza, with Mitinti of Ashkelon, Ika-samsu ("the sun-god
is manifest") of Ekron, and Abi-milki of Ashdod, who bore the ancient Philistine
name Abimelech. In 670 BC, when Assur-bani-pal set up many tributary kings in
Egypt, we find again the name Sarludari applied to a ruler of Pelusium, who may
have been a Philistine. It is thus abundantly clear that the monumental notices
all agree with the Old Testament as to the names and nationality of the Philistines,
and as to their worship of Baal and Dagon; the conjecture that they were Aryan
foreigners, arriving in 1200 BC, is not based on any statement of the monuments,
but merely rests on a guess which Brugsch subsequently abandoned. It resembles
many other supposed discrepancies between Biblical and contemporary records due
to the mistakes of modern commentators. |
III. THE CRETAN THEORY
1. Cherethim and Kretes
This strange theory, which is apparently of Byzantine origin, would make the Philistines
come from Crete. It still finds supporters, though it does not rest on any Biblical
or monumental evidence. The Cherethim (Ezekiel 25:16 ; Zechariah 2:5) were a Semitic
people named with the Philistines in Canaan. The Septuagint renders the word with
Kretes or Kretoi; and, about 1770 AD, Michaelis (Spicil., I, 292-308) argued that
this meant "Cretans," and that the Philistines therefore came from Caphtor, which
must be Crete. The passages, however, refer to Philistia and not to any island,
and the Septuagint translators, as we have seen, placed Caphtor in Cappadocia.
The Cherethi--in the singular--is mentioned (1 Samuel 30:14) as a people of Philistia
(1 Samuel 30:16), near Ziklag, and their name probably survives at the present
town called Keratiyeh in the Philistine plain.
Yet, many theories are founded on this old idea about the Cherethites. Some suppose
that Tacitus confused the Jews with the Philistines as having come from Crete;
but what he actually says (History v.11) is that "the Jews ran away from Crete,"
and "the inhabitants are named Idaci (from Mount Ida), which, with a barbarous
augment, becomes the name of the Judaei." This absurd derivation shows at least
that Tacitus did not mean the Philistines. Stephen of Byzantium said that the
god Marna at Gaza was like the Cretan Jove. Probably he had seen the huge statue
of a seated Jove found near Gaza, and now at Constantinople, but this is late
Greek work, and the name Marna ("our lord") is Semitic. Stephen also thought that
Minois--the port of Gaza--was named from the Cretan Minos, but it is an Arabic
word Mineh, for "harbor," still applying to the same place.
2. Caphtor and Keft
No critical student is likely to prefer these later speculations to our present
monumental information, even without reference to the contradiction of the Bible.
Yet these blunders have given rise to the supposition that Caphtor is to be identified
with a region known to the Egyptians as Keft, with inhabitants called Kefau. The
latter are represented in a tomb of the XVIIIth Dynasty near Thebes. They are
youths of brown color, with long black hair, and the same type is found in a Cypriote
figure. They are connected with islanders of the "green sea," who may have lived
in Arvad or in Cyprus; but there is no evidence in any written statement that
they were Cretans, though a figure at Knossos in Crete somewhat resembles them.
There are many indications that this figure--painted on the wall of the later
palace--is not older than about 500 BC, and the Sidonians had colonies in Crete,
where also pottery is found just like that marked by a Phoenician inscription
in Cyprus. The Kefau youths bring vases as presents, and these--in all their details--are
exactly the same as those represented in another picture of the time of Thothrues
III, the bearers in this case being Harri from North Syria, represented with black
beards and Semitic features. Moreover, on the bilingual inscription called the
Decree of Canopus (238 BC), the Keft region is said to be "Phoenicia," and the
Greek translator naturally knew what was meant by his Egyptian colleague. Keft
in fact is a Semitic word for "palm," occurring in Hebrew (Isaiah 9:14 ; 19:15),
and thus applicable to the "palm"-land, Phoenicia. Thus, even if Keft were related
to Caphtor, the evidence would place the Philistine home on the Phoenician shores,
and not in Crete. There is indeed no evidence that any European race settled near
the coasts of Palestine before about 680 BC, when Esarhaddon speaks of Greek kings
in Cyprus. The Cretan theory of Michaelis was a literary conjecture, which has
been disproved by the results of exploration in Asia. |
IV. DAVID'S GUARDS
1. The "Cherethi" and the "Pelethi" Not Mercenaries
Another strange theory, equally old, represents David as being surrounded with
foreign mercenaries--Philistines and Carians--as Rameses II employed mercenaries
called Shairtanau from Asia Minor. The suggestion that the Cherethites were of
this race is scarcely worth notice, since the Hebrew letter kaph (k) is never
represented by "sh" in Egyptian David's band of Hebrew exiles, 400 in number,
followed him to Gath where 200 Gittites joined him (2 Samuel 15:18). In later
times his army consisted of "the Cherethi" (kerethi, in the singular) and "the
Pelethi" (pelethi), commanded by the Hebrew leader Benaiah, son of Jehoiada (2
Samuel 8:18 ; 15:18 ; 20:7 ; 1 Kings 1:38 , 44), together with the Gittites under
Ittai of Gath. These guards are never said to have been Philistines, but "the
Cherethi" is supposed to mean one of the Cherethim tribe, and "the Pelethi" to
be another name for the Philistine. As regards the Gittites, the fact that they
came from Gath does not prove that they were Philistines, any more than was David
himself because he came back from this city. David calls Ittai an "enemy" and
an "exile," but it is probable that he was the same hero, so named (2 Samuel 23:29),
who was the son of Ribai from Gibeah of Benjamin. He had himself not long joined
David, being no doubt in exile at Gath, and his tribe at first opposed David,
taking the side of their tribesman Saul. Even when Ittai's men joined the Cherethi
and Pelethi against Absalom, they were naturally suspected; for David still had
enemies (2 Samuel 15:5-13) among Benjamites of Saul's house. It is also surely
impossible to suppose that David would have left the ark in charge of a Phili;
and Obed-edom the Gittite (2 Samuel 6:10) was a Levite, according to a later account
(1 Chronicles 15:18), bearing a Hebrew name, meaning perhaps "servant of men,"
or "humble worshipper." It seems equally unlikely that, in later times, a pious
priest like Jehoiada (2 Kings 11:4) would have admitted foreign mercenaries into
the temple. In this passage they are called kari, as also in 2 Samuel 20:23, where
the Septuagint has Cherethi. The suggestion of Wellhausen that they were Carians
does not seem probable, as Carians had not even reached Egypt before about 600
BC.
2. Meaning of These Terms
The real explanation of these various words for soldiers seems simple; and David--being
a very popular king--is not likely to have needed foreign mercenaries; while the
Philistines, whom he had so repeatedly smitten, were very unlikely to have formed
trusty guards. The word "Cherethi" (kerethi) means a "smiter" or a "destroyer,"
and "Pelethi" (pelethi) means "a swift one" or "pursuer." In the time of Joash
the temple-guards are called kari (2 Kings 11:4 , 19 , Carites), which the Septuagint
treats as either singular or plural, and ratsim or "runners" (see 1 Samuel 22:17
; 1 Kings 14:27 , 28 ; 2 Kings 10:25), these two bodies perhaps answering to the
Cherethi and Pelethi of David's time; for kari means "stabber." The term ratsim,
or "runners," is however of general application, since Jehu also had troops so
called (2 Kings 10:25). Evidently we have here two classes of troops--as among
the Romans--the heavier regiment of "destroyers," or "stabbers," being armed with
swords, daggers or spears; while the "swift ones" or "runners" pursued the defeated
foe. Thus, in Egypt we find, yet earlier, the ax-man supported by the bow-man
in regular regiments; and in Assyria the spear-man with heavy shields defending
the bow-man. We have also a picture of the time of Tiglath-pileser II representing
an Assyrian soldier on a camel. The Pelethi or "pursuers" may have been "runners"
on foot, but perhaps more probably mounted on camels, or on horses like the later
Assyrians; for in the time of Solomon (1 Kings 4:28) horses and riding camels
were in use--the former for chariots. It is clear that David's band, leaving the
vicinity of Jezreel (1 Samuel 29:1; 30:1), could not have reached Ziklag "on the
third day" (a distance of 120 miles) on foot; so that the camel corps must have
existed even before the death of Saul.
3. Native Hebrews
These considerations seem to make it evident that David's guards were native Hebrews,
who had been with him as exiles and outlaws at Adullam and Gath, and that the
Cherethi or "destroyer" only accidentally had a title like that of the Philistine
tribe of "destroyers" or Cherethim, who were not Cretans, it would seem, any more
than the "stabbers" were Carians.
4. Review
The general result of our inquiry is, that all monumental notices of the Philistines
agree with the Old Testament statements, which make them to be a Semitic people
who had already migrated to Philistia by the time of Abraham, while the supposed
discrepancies are caused by the mistakes made by a commentator of the 18th century,
and by archaeologists of later times. |
LITERATURE
Paton, Early History of Syria and Palestine; Smith, HGHL; Budge, History of Egypt;
Breasted, History of Egypt; Rawlinson, Ancient Monarchies; Herodotus with most
histories of Egypt, Babylon, and Assyria for the period from the 13th century
BC to the time of Alexander.
C. R. Conder
Tags:
bible commentary, bible history, bible reference, bible study, caphtor, philistines, primitive race, pulsata, pulista, semitic
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