The Bible presents the Philistines as notable enemies of Israel and they are involved in some iconic scenes from the Old Testament. Among these are the narratives of David and Goliath, the Philistine giant warrior who was defeated by a shepherd boy, and the time when the Ark of the Covenant was taken and placed before the Philistine God Dagon, leading to his destruction. Many Christians think of the Philistines as barbaric and uncivilized, but history shows they were scientifically more developed than the Israelites and culturally sophisticated. Let’s look at who they were and where they came from.
The Sea Peoples: Philistines and Pelesets
The Sea Peoples appear on the historical scene when the Aegean civilizations collapsed, sometime around the 12th century BCE. The cause of the collapse is an enigma. It must have been a significant event like a massive earthquake, a huge volcano, an extended famine, or something similar that caused mass migration around the areas where the Mycenaean and greater Aegean civilizations used to flourish.
The Sea Peoples were composed of many different groups, of which the Peleset were one. Scholars still debate the locations these groups inhabited before, though there is consensus on the migration to the Eastern and Southeastern Mediterranean by these groups.
Two inscriptions related to Ramses III, one of which also covers part of his son, Ramses IV’s reign, mention the Peleset and give some insight into the Egyptian perspective on who they were. The first inscription is from the Medinet Habu, the mortuary temple of Ramses II. It reads:
“No land could resist their arms, from Hatti, Kode, Carchemish, Arzawa, and Alashiya on — being cut off at one time. A camp was set up in Amurru. They desolated its people and its land was like that which had never existed. They were coming forward toward Egypt, while the flame was prepared for them. Their confederation was the Peleset, Tjeker, Shekelesh, Denen, and Weshesh, lands united. They laid their hands upon the lands as far as the circuit of the earth, their hearts were confident and trusting as they said ‘Our plans will succeed!’”
The inscription records the defeat of the Sea People, who likely consisted of at least the five groups mentioned, in 1180 BCE. According to the inscription, one battle took place on land and the other at sea called the Battle of the Delta. The Sea People were finally defeated in 1178 BCE and either sold as slaves or taken up into society.
The depictions of the Peleset at Medinet Habu show the warriors with feathered headgear and skirts. The reliefs depict the Peleset people in three categories, some warriors on chariots, some warriors on foot, and some as non-combatant men, women, and children in ox-drawn carts, suggesting the aim of the Sea People was to conquer land to settle in.
These depictions give a clue as to where the Pelesets were from. The boats they used were like that of the Egyptians but were decorated with bird’s heads typical of cultures from the Aegean from that period.
The second document to mention the Peleset is the Papyrus Harris. It explains what happened to the Sea People after their defeat. Part of the document says:
“I extended all the boundaries of Egypt; I overthrew those who invaded them from their lands. I slew the Denyen in their isles, the Thekel and the Peleset (Pw-r-s-ty) were made ashes. … I settled them in strongholds bound in my name”
The papyrus continues to describe how they were supplied with food and clothes, likely to serve in buffer zones between Egypt and Asia. The Peleset received three cities, Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ashdod. They later took two more cities: Akron and Gath. Scholars refer to these five cities as the Philistine Pentapolis. The areas surrounding these cities became known as Philistea in the southwestern part of Canaan. The Peleset, therefore, were the predecessors of the Philistines.
The Philistines in the Bible
Amos 9:7 seems to corroborate the above view when it states that the Philistines were originally from Captor, which is most likely a reference to Crete and would support the Peleset-Philistine connection. Pottery from the Aegean and from Philistine settlements is remarkably similar in form, style, and decoration. Similarities in architecture also suggest a link between the two. Yet another link is the remnant bones of pigs native to the Aegean that archeologists have found in Philistine ash heaps.
Evidence shows that the Philistines often produced more agricultural products like olive oil and wine than they could have consumed themselves. This would have increased the wealth and stature of the Philistine settlements and increased their influence as well. They were located on vital land and sea trade routes that would not only see their produce exported, but also give them much control over trade through tariffs. They worshiped the god Dagon who was a patron of farmers and the harvest.
One iconic account of the Philistines that involves Israel is the story of when the Philistines captured the ark of the covenant and placed it in the house (temple) of Dagon in Ashdod. The statue of Dagon fell on its face and, after being set upright, fell again and broke into pieces. God afflicted the Philistines in Ashdod with tumors, so that they moved the ark to Gath and then Ekron, but the people of those cities then were inflicted with tumors. The Philistines eventually returned the ark to the Israelites.
The second iconic scene from the Old Testament is the battle between David and the Philistine giant Goliath. Goliath was from the Philistine Gath, thus a Gittite (1 Samuel 17:23, 2 Samuel 21:19). His peers nominated him as champion to fight whoever the Israelites would select as theirs. When no one came forward, David volunteered and was victorious, beheading Goliath after striking him with a sling.
Though the Philistines were enemies of the Israelites at the time, they also played a significant role that saw David survive a couple of attempts on his life. When Saul sought to kill David, he fled and lived in Gath as a mercenary. He took Cherethites, Pelethites, and six hundred Gittites with him when he became king of the Israelites. The Philistines in his entourage were among the men who remained loyal to David when his son, Absalom, challenged his throne (2 Samuel 15:18).
The military significance of the Philistines in the Southeastern Mediterranean is partially attributable to their superior technology in weaponry. The Philistines had iron weapons that were stronger and more durable than those of the Israelites, which may be what 1 Samuel 13:19 alludes to. Judges 1:19 supports the idea of a technological advantage due to the Philistine’s ability to work iron for military applications.
The relatively flat contour of the region where the Philistine Pentapolis was located suited chariot warfare well. The increased mobility was a determining factor that made the Philistines a formidable force.
The Philistine Decline
The Philistine decline gradually happened from the 9th century BCE onward. The Philistines had to pay tribute to the Assyrians and when they rebelled, their cities were destroyed. Isaiah 20:1 records the capture of one of the five Philistine cities that were later destroyed:
“In the year that the commander in chief, who was sent by Sargon the king of Assyria, came to Ashdod and fought against it and captured it.”
Sargon II’s son, Sennacherib, later conquered Ekron and other Philistine cities which saw people taken into exile. When the Babylonians conquered the Assyrians, the process continued. After the Persians conquered the Babylonians, their policy of allowing people to return to their native lands to rebuild it, as they did with the Jews, saw the Philistines return to Philistia as well.
By that time, much of the uniqueness of the Philistines had already been lost. When Alexander the Great overthrew the Persians, the Hellenization of the Philistines further destroyed their culture and traditions.
There was no single event that brought the Philistine civilization to an end. Rather, they declined over centuries and were assimilated into other nations and cultures as one empire after another took control of Philistia. In a sense, their end is as unclear as their origins.
One challenging matter remains. The Bible mentions the Philistines as early as Genesis. While the two references to the land of the Philistines could be anachronistic references to a geographical area that the Philistines occupied centuries later, the references to Abimelech, king of the Philistines are not as easily dismissed. There is a 500-700 year disparity between the traditional view of the settlement of Philistia as described above and the time of Abraham.
Scholars have made several suggestions to explain this inconsistency, such as proto-Philistines living in the same area, inconsistencies in the cultural memory as the traditions were transmitted orally, or inaccuracy of the dating of events in history, to name a few. None of these explanations seem satisfactory. More scholarship on the issue will hopefully provide a better explanation in due course.
